BLOGGING Q&A: QUESTIONS I GET ASKED ALL THE TIME
Blogging Q&A, here we go!
Let's be honest, I get asked a lot of the same questions ALL the time, so I thought I would cover these in a little Q&A.
So let’s just get into it!
If you want to skip to a section in particular, there's a full breakdown of the questions asked and the times they're covered in the video description.
HOW DO YOU DO SEO?
I get so many questions about SEO and I’ve done some videos about SEO on my YouTube channel that you can watch here.
But honestly? SEO isn’t that scary if you learn more about it.
SEO isn’t really about traffic - it’s about knowing your readers and optimising your blog posts for keywords that bring in readers that want what you have to offer.
It’s like I’ve said before, SEO isn’t about Google showing you the most popular posts. It’s about helping people who are looking for you find you and to do that, you need to match the content on your site to what people are looking for.
Do your keyword research. Include those keywords in key places within your blog post. Write high quality, valuable content. Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Include internal linking in your blog posts. Get on social media.
If you implement all of those things your traffic from SEO will increase, I guarantee it.
WHAT ARE THE TOOLS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT?
Oh boy, there are SO many.
I love:
- Lightroom for editing my photos
- Google Drive for storing all my files
- Buffer for scheduling my social media
- Asana for managing all my tasks and projects
They’re definitely my top four.
WHAT'S A BIG MISTAKE YOU THINK BEGINNER BLOGGERS SHOULD AVOID?
For me this is easy because I see it all the time, and it’s when bloggers are afraid of self-promotion.
But really, just think about it for a second - how much are you really marketing yourself?
Do you have a plan for promoting your latest blog post? Or do you just share one link and then wonder why you’re not getting any traffic?
You need a plan!
There are so many opportunities to promote your content and you should be taking advantage of them.
WHAT BLOGGING PLATFORM DO YOU USE?
I started off on Blogger which served me well for a while. But when I started to take my blog more seriously, I switched to Squarespace and it's the best thing I ever did.
A lot of people don’t realise that your website platform is so important, it can really determine a lot of things.
But here are a few reasons why I always recommend Squarespace:
- It’s easy to use. I don’t like faff I like things to be straightforward and that’s what Squarespace is. Everything is is in one place and built in blocks so it’s a drag and drop system.
- It makes you focus on what’s important. You don’t have to be a designer to use Squarespace. It comes with fully functional templates that tick all the right boxes AND they’re mobile responsive.
DO I REALLY NEED AN EMAIL LIST?
In most cases, yeah, you do.
Apart from your website, it’s the only thing you own. Social media platforms could disappear tomorrow and what would you do with all your followers?
You have complete control over your email list.
It’s also likely that your email subscribers are going to be your most loyal readers AND if you sell products oR services, they’re also really likely to buy from you too.
So if you want to grow your community, increase your visibility and promote yourself in some way? An email list is going to help you without a shadow of a doubt.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I PUBLISH CONTENT?
It has to be at least once a week.
But here’e the thing with this question, there’s no one size fits all answer for everyone.
I’ve tried publishing every day and it’s what I’m doing right now - and while I have noticed an increase in my traffic and engagement this month, it’s a schedule I can’t keep to.
Rather than thinking about how often you should publish content, it really comes down to how often CAN you publish content.
I am for 2-3 posts a week. One of my coaching clients aims for 1 post a week.
But if she shows up every Wednesday with a brand new blog post, her audience is going to get familiar with that and it’s the consistency that’s important.
WHAT'S THE IDEAL LENGTH FOR A BLOG POST?
Again people have different opinions on this. Definitely over 300 words, that’s for sure.
It’s been shown that long-form content performs better, so I would aim for somewhere between 850-1,500 words. 1,000 words is a good benchmark to aim for.
That’s why it can be better to post less frequently but make blog posts longer, because then you can pack in more value.
HOW DO I INCREASE MY TRAFFIC?
I get that it can be frustrating when you’re putting content out there and you’re not getting the traffic.
But you don’t just want any traffic, you want good, loyal traffic.
I’ve done a full video on this so that’s going to be the best resource for you. But some ideas to work on are:
- Posting consistently
- Guest blogging
- Connecting with other bloggers
- Promoting yourself on social media
CAN MY BLOG MAKE MONEY?
Yes, absolutely it can.
But it’s important not to focus on making money instantly because this could really harm your reputation.
When it comes to building a blog, you need to think of it as a long-term plan to become a stream of income for you. If you don’t have a strong or positive reputation online, there’s no point.
HOW DO I GET HELP?
This is the biggest thing isn’t it, we all get so overwhelmed and we don’t know who to turn to.
Well one thing’s for sure, you can’t go through this blogging journey all by yourself.
You will need help and there are plenty of places to get it - blogs, youtube, social media, courses.
But instead of just searching for help on a particular topic, search for the thought leaders you trust.
Pick 3-5 people who’s teaching style you like and you feel like you connect with them. Take their information on board, try their strategies.
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN THE BLOG/BUSINESS/LIFE BALANCE?
This is a tricky one I’m not gonna lie. It’s really hard and something I really need to get better at.
A few things I do are try and keep to regular working hours although this usually always goes out the window.
I also try and dedicate time to self-care each week and take a break from my blog.
And another thing we do is to keep phones away when we’re eating dinner or spending time with family.
So it’s hard, but you’ve just got to do what works for you and remember you're doing the best you can.
Would you like to see your question answered in a future Q&A? Head to the video and leave your question in the comments!
To getting your next breakthrough.
