This is a question practically on everyone’s lips and mouths. They wonder if they can and will make money through it. They especially wonder if it’s worth spending so much time and effort crafting new and unique content day in and out.
With about 409 million people viewing more than 20 billion pages a month, it looks like it’s definitely worth it! in fact, according to Optin, blogs are the 5th most trustworthy source for online information.
So, in a nutshell, yes, it’s worth starting a blog in not just 2021, but anytime you want.
But it’s especially useful starting a blog now when the pandemic has lead to more and more people spending time online. With the proper techniques, consistency, and hard work, bloggers can earn thousands and millions through their blogs.
Why should I start a blog?
Some people don’t need a reason to blog. They use it as an outlet to voice their thoughts. However, others are looking for reasons, and here are a few.
1. Earn money
Most bloggers start blogs with the sole interest of earning money.
And yes, you can make money from it.
But don’t expect overnight miracles.
You have to work hard, optimize your blogs and keep writing blogs patiently to see results and start earning.
2. Improves writing and command of the language
Not everyone is born a writer, so don’t worry if you find blogging difficult at first.
As you start blogging and creating content, you slowly but surely improve your writing skills. With practice and hard work, you will find your blog and your language and writing skills improve before your eyes.
3. Helps with branding
A blog plays an instrumental part in your branding endeavors. The more relevant and valuable content you write and publish, the more people get to know about you and what you do.
More people get to know about you as you increase your blog reach, which helps build your personal brand.
4. Learn new things
With a blog, you learn other skills to promote and monetize it.
Examples are SEO, web designing, networking, and digital marketing.
It’s because it’s not enough to create unique and interesting content. You also need to promote and optimize it to read it, and you monetize from it.
How to blog effectively
The internet is full of blogs; competing with them for readability isn’t easy, but isn’t impossible either. You need to make your blog stand out. It’s not just by increasing your search engine ranking but by adapting your blog writing approach.
You need to keep the following tips in mind for your blog to stand out.
a) Post something unique
Blog readers read many blogs. It’s very likely that they read multiple blogs before reaching yours.
So don’t just write a post that they can find in any other blog.
Instead, create content with a combination of your spin, knowledge, and expertise. Now you may wonder where and what to write about. With so many blogs out there, most topics are covered by now.
However, there is always someone out there looking for that one thing you may write about.
And where do you get ideas?
By reading where the more you read, the more curious you grow and start asking questions or look for solutions yourself. And don’t just read books. Social media and other blogs will all have something that triggers your subconscious to give you an idea for your next blog.
Check Google for questions people ask, and try to answer them through your blog post. You will be surprised at the number of questions and topics you find through people’s queries.
b) Focus more on quality and not quantity
You need to have as many posts on your blog as possible.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can go on writing about random, useless topics. You need to focus on providing something that makes people want to read your posts.
You need to give them a reason to wait for your fresh posts and keep coming back for more. This is especially important if you are blogging for money. Write on topics that help the reader and prove valuable to them.
Once you do this, the reader automatically associates you with a person they can rely on and trust.
Remember, everyone is in a hurry nowadays and doesn’t have the time to waste on useless topics. They make informed choices on what and who they want to read, make sure they choose you as one of their preferred bloggers.
I suggest you write in such a way that you answer your audience’s questions. It’s because as long as you produce high-quality and engaging content answering their queries, you are sure to maximize your blogging efforts.
c) Easily skim through
As I’d mentioned in an earlier blog, not everyone has the time to go through all your content. Most readers read only 20% of your post at first glance. This 20% makes them decide if they want to read the remaining 80%.
That’s why you need to format your blog in such a way that anyone can quickly skim through it. You should reach out to your readers and get your main point across through attention-grabbing headlines and relevant sub-headings.
It attracts and gives them a reason to want to read the entire blog.
At the same time, keep all your paragraphs short, and avoid chunky blocks of content.
I generally make it a point to limit only one thought or piece of advice to a section. It provides for better understanding and digestion.
It’s also better to include lists or bullet points where necessary to get important points across.
d) Provide an easy subscription
Some readers who read your post will want more. And you can give them more through an option to subscribe to your blog. Include a scroll-triggered opt-in box on the page so that the interested readers leave their emails for to send your fresh content. These emails prove helpful tomorrow when and if you have something to promote.
e) Maintain communication
Build a relationship with the reader by maintaining communication. Of course, you won’t be speaking to each other, but you could at least ask readers for their blog feedback or comments.
Not everyone, but a few of them just might leave a comment.
And if they do, make sure you reply to them. Don’t ignore these comments.
Once you reply, they may put in another remark or even ask a question, which provides fuel and inspiration for another blog topic. It’s overall polite and essential that you keep the conversation flowing as much as possible.
f) Include as many links as possible
Try to include a few external and internal links to each blog post. Don’t worry; it won’t send readers away from your blog.
As long as you link to an authoritative site with valuable information, links make readers view your blog in good light. Your blog credibility also increases when linked to authoritative and relevant sites.
Besides, once you link and connect with other bloggers, you build valuable relationships that may prove helpful sometime later. It’s also better to include links within your blog, giving readers other posts to read in your blog.
g) Write deeper and more focused posts
While readers don’t have time to read unnecessary and repetitive posts, if valuable, readers are more than ready to read long posts.
Besides, your blog gets a better search engine ranking through long, valuable, quality posts deep in content. Write to cover practically everything you can in a topic, leaving no stone unturned.
Include as many relevant keywords and explore as many avenues about the topic as possible. The longer, denser, and more valuable your post is, the better it is for your blog.
Cover a subject from multiple angles and points of view so that it’s interesting for everyone. Try to answer as many questions your readers may have through one or a string of blogs. Readers prefer visiting and using a single resource for answers to all their questions than referring to multiple sources.
So if you ask me if it’s worth starting a blog in 2021, I’d say no if you expect:
- Overnight money
- Easy work
- Instant results
However, I say YES if you know what goes into a successful blog-
- Persistence, Hard Work, Consistency, and Patience.
Blogs are in no way irrelevant, and blogging is not at all dead! They are the pillars of valuable content and an earning machine if written and optimized well.
You just have to take the proper steps, be committed and determined to write as valuable and unique content.
The returns will be well worth it!
P.S. I hope you liked this post and found it helpful! Do drop a comment with your feedback and perhaps some sugestions! I’m always ready to hear your thoughts!