After a brilliant March blog traffic result. I’m going to talked you though on the 5 things I did that helped my blog to grow.
Imagine a year ago this blog was a tiny seed and slowly over the course of 2016, it grew into a beautiful flower. That is how I’m describing my blog growth. Last year it was amazing to see this blog goes from a tiny seed to a big beautiful flower. My traffic result for March just blew it out of the water completely, it was jaw-dropping to watch.
Not only did my blog traffic grow to what I’m calling – epic proportions. But I made enough money on here that I could nicely paid my mortgage for a month and buy that dress I had my eye on. I’m not too comfortable talking about my blog income and I won’t ever write an income report. But seeing my March blog income helped lift a big weight off my shoulder and proved to certain people that I can make money through blogging.
As you might have read on my March blog traffic there was various factor that helped pushed my blog growth. A combination of using social media platforms and good old fashion SEO, gave it that giant push.
Now I wish there was a magic formula or a Harry Potter spell that we can cast, that will instantly see your blog grow into a beautiful flower. But sorry to be a downer – there isn’t one.
Then you must be scratching your head and thinking on how the hell did I grow my blog. It can’t all be down to luck, can it? Well yes and no. I do consider myself to be extremely lucky to be in the position I am in now. With how my blog sudden explosion, it meant I can take my digital marketing job part-time and give this blogging business more of my focus. This is for me a bloody dream come true and I still pinch myself not quite believing this is my life now.
However, while I might be lucky, I didn’t get here using the quick route. I gave my blog my full attention and here are some other five things that helped my blog to grow.
Turned my blog into a job:
It always been my hobby to blog, it kept me sane while working in various dead-end jobs and it inspired to study journalism. I’ve been blogging on and off for near enough 18 years now. Can you believe that! It was only till I got married I came forward with my name as I always had online alias. It was last year after feeling frustrated with so many rejection letters that I properly looked into how to earn money through blogging and how to grow my blog. There only so much rejection that a person can take.
So one day, round this time of year in fact. I decided to turn my blog into a job. I looked into monetizing and how to increase my blog traffic. I read everything I could get my hands on. I focus on what I wanted to write and how I was going to go about it. I would sit on my desk from morning to night.
That was how I was able to turn this blog into a job. If my husband was here, he would say (or write) I often don’t move from my office all day. Well I do get up to have a quick play on the PlayStation 4 VR. But the moral of the story is, I gave this blog my full 100% attention and it paid off.
Increased my writing:
A year ago this blog would only ever be updated every so often. I would always put off doing anything with this blog. Yeah yeah I wasn’t a great blogger. But as I said it was hobby and I never gave it my full attentions.
Once I did give this blog my full attentions. I found myself increasing my writing. There no bloody point on having a blog if you don’t actually have words on it. Well unless it a photography site, but let ignore that for now.
I always enjoyed writing, I was the English nerd at school and from a young age I wanted to work in journalism. I discovered blogging when I was 15 (back then it wasn’t called blogging) and it inspired me to study journalism – well I studied fashion journalism. So naturally writing came easy to me and I enjoyed typing my words on the keyboard (I never been a pen and paper scribble kind of girl).
So when I did the big change on here, I increased my writing. Not only with the length of the blog post text, but also I wrote more on a daily basis. Instead of writing 1 or 2 blog post a week, I now write on a daily basis.
For a while I had a short-term contract writing for a plumbing company and to be honest I found myself so un-motivated to pen anything. The best thing is now I can write whatever I bloody like, so I enjoyed writing without any restriction.
Connected with Fellow Bloggers:
I joined various Facebook and Pinterest groups and that helped me connect with fellow bloggers. You are not going to go anywhere if you don’t give a holla to your fellow bloggers. Plus, at time blogging can be a lonely business.
If you know me in real life, I’m such a shy girl at first but once you start talking to me – I won’t shut up! So yes connecting with bloggers isn’t easy, but you will find people who have the same niche as you.
I find Facebook and Twitter to be a great place to connect with other people. There are hundreds of Facebook groups that can help you on anything you need. So don’t be shy and say hi to people.
This also will help you bring in new readers and in turn help your blog growth. If you are feeling waaay too shy to approach anyone on Twitter or Facebook. Give me shout out and I’d be more than happy to have a natter. As I said, I won’t shut up.
Learnt The Trick of the Trade:
As I said before. Once I gave it my attention – I found myself needing to learning the tricks of the trade. I needed to learn on how to make my blog grow and how to increase my blog traffic.
I studied hard. I read everything I could get my hands on. I read books, watched videos, and even visited blogging conferences.
So don’t think you will pick up blogging without learning on how you going go about it. With every jobs, you always need to go on a training course, blogging is no different. But the good thing is you can do it in your spare time while watching something on Amazon Prime.
Came forward as a person:
What you see if what you get. I’m really am a 4ft 30-something woman who wear children size shoes. The funny thing is, I’m so shy in real life and I never like talking about myself – yet I’m perfectly happy talking about myself online.
What I’m saying is, I’m myself online. I can forward as a person and that transpired on my blog. I got married just before I left uni and I knew I wanted to be a freelance writer, so that what inspired me to register ‘annanuttall.com’.
(While most people spent their student loans on booze – I spent mine on a wedding and a honeymoon.)
I thought, there no point anymore hiding in the shadow – just be me. So that what I did.
I know it never easy to be yourself online and to come forward. Trust me I spent many years online hiding behind a persona. But If you want your blog to grow, then you have to come forward. You don’t have to put your whole life online – but just write the things that has happened in your life. You also don’t necessarily need a photo of yourself – just let the writing do the talking.
And that was the 5 things I did that helped my blog to grow. I feel there is more I could talk about this subject. Do you guys have anything to add?
