The Internet gives the chance to do almost anything online. You can pay bills, watch movies, buy and read electronic books, listen to music, and more.
With the growth of social platforms came the change of jobs. Many people chose things like blogging as a career others ventured into the world of YouTube. Others are not in front of the cameras but coding the pages to navigate the world wide Web.
So maybe you want to start a blog or change careers and work from anywhere, but is it as simple as it sounds? Blogging has pros and cons, and we will tell you all about it here.
What Is Blogging About?
Before you start showcasing your writing skills, before you hit publish and start a new adventure, there are things you need to know.
Blogging is a form of content posted on the Internet. This content is self-produced and can be slightly more informal than running a webpage. Blogs are written almost like a diary entry, and their posts are shown in reverse chronological order, meaning that whoever engages with your content will see the most recent entry.
Sometimes you will find blog pages on platforms like WordPress other times, you’ll see that some website owners start blogging on their pages, creating a “Blog” tab for it.
For many people, blogging is not a hobby. Many use this content form as a means to get revenue and can have a full-time blogging career. If you are considering the online writing world, there are a few other things you must know to bloom in the blogging business.
Types of Blogs
There are several blog niches. You can find personal blogs, business blogs, fashion blogs, and more.
You must make sure you have a preferred niche before you start so that it will make the process easier for you. Be mindful that you might choose a popular topic with many successful blogs, so you must make sure you have time to spend hours on the Internet perfecting your content and improving your page.
Blogging and SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and blogging go hand in hand.
Let’s say you are doing this activity as a hobby, to share something you care about with the world without trying to gain money from blogging. Or, let’s say you want to use blogging to boost your sales. In either of those cases, SEO can help you spread your message or online brand.
To carry on search engine optimization on your blog, you’d have to cover some blogging needs, such as content writing, keywords, image optimization, and more. Here are some things you can look into when taking your blog to the next level:
Targeting Audience
You must know the type of blog you want to create by now, so the next step is knowing the audience you will speak to. View it from this perspective: say you’re running a photography blog but have not determined who you want to reach. You can talk about photography in general, but you must target a primary audience.
Using this scenario, let’s imagine you would like to work with influencers, which means you would have to create posts giving tips, insights, and more about photography related to this job.
Using Keywords
Another tip you must consider for successful blogging is using keywords. Of course, this isn’t as easy as posting new content with keywords. This process starts from researching to incorporating the keywords in your blog.
Keyword research will help you understand what web users are searching for. This process is particularly beneficial for SEO, as it will help you add new content to your blog that will generate a better ranking for your overall page.
Creating a Striking Title
This item might sound obvious, but adding a title that catches your audience’s attention is important.
Your blog posts’ titles are the first thing potential readers will come across and it can be a dealbreaker in many cases. Consider adding the keywords you find when you research as this action will make your posts appear on SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).
Adding Visual Content
To succeed as a blogger you must keep every aspect of it in mind, including visual content. Some search engines, such as Google, use visuals for their SERPs. Try creating valuable blog content even for your visual aspect. Add alt text to your pictures as this also helps these images come up on SERPs and provide a better navigation experience for people with visual impairments, as screen readers will identify the content.
Keep Your Readers’ Experience in Mind
You must keep your readers’ experience in mind when running a blog. Blogging requires you to create comprehensible posts with an organized structure. Use headings (and subheadings, as needed) to create easily navigable content.
Another thing you must keep into account is the time a blog post takes to load. If you add several images and videos, your page might take longer than usual to load.
Furthermore, keep accessibility as a priority on your list. You want to create engaging content for all users and that includes creating optimized posts for people with impairments. Using tools like a photo enhancer can improve image quality, making visuals clearer and more accessible. Alt text, uploading content that is easy to interact with, removing photosensitive visuals, and many other things you can do to provide access to anyone are part of blog optimization.Â
Pros and Cons of Blogging
You have seen the basics, but what about the pros and cons of blogging? As with everything, this form of content creation has many benefits but drawbacks as well.
Here, we will meet some of the top advantages and disadvantages of blogging.
Advantages of the Blogging
We’ll start this part of our journey by talking about the benefits of the blogging world.
Blogging Anywhere in the World
The first, and perhaps one of the most notorious reasons people choose to become written content creators, it’s the chance to become a digital nomad. Many bloggers share their experiences of choosing blogging as a profession and how this allows them to work from anywhere with access to the Internet.
This particular reason is one of the best advantages of blogging for many, as travel and work mode becomes trendier as time goes by.
Building an Online Brand
Another great reason to start a blog is that it helps you build or further your online brand. Blogging helps put your brand out there and shows the world what your business is about. You can create online conversation through the content you create, and by having a set brand image it will be easier for users to recognize your page.
Furthermore, this is an excellent content marketing strategy.
Generating Website Traffic
Let’s say you are not on a blogging platform, but have a webpage with a blog in it. Well, these blog posts can help you generate traffic to your website, and that is one of the most important parts of any page, right?
The process for this website traffic generation begins with SEO work. Once you have keywords to add to your titles and overall content, your page has a bigger chance to show up on SERPs when users search for any of those words. And with that, potential readers might choose your blog to learn more about the topic they are searching for.
Makes Link Building Easier
One of the most notorious advantages of blogging is that it helps with link-building. Backlinks are one of the factors that Google uses for its algorithm. Many believe that link building is one of the main factors when it comes to SEO.
On the other hand, inbound links are a crucial factor for SEO, too. Creating valuable content for potential readers and other pages can help you gain recognition across the web.
Disadvantages of Blogging
As with almost everything in life, there are some drawbacks related to blogging. Maybe you will believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but you need to know about these nonetheless.
It Needs Constant Maintenance
One thing to be mindful of is that blogging requires constant maintenance on the server you choose to have your blog on.
Sure, it’s a given fact that we must keep an eye on all our social media platforms, but when it comes to the blog world it isn’t just checking your profile information or uploading a new picture. It requires you to verify your links are working, that your blog’s accessibility and overall navigation are optimized, and more.
It Requires a Special Amount of Time and Work
This item is at the top of the list of cons for many people. Even though many view blogging as a job, others want to blog for fun. Either way, if you wish to have a successful blog, you must invest considerable amounts of time and work. And these days, there are a lot of blogging tools that are available you to do this.
Also, you have to take into account the speciality of the niche you intend to write in. If, for instance, you write about a topic like cheap semaglutide, you’ll have to compete with telehealth sites, and you’ll likely lose to them.
If you work alone this could be a noticeable disadvantage, as it will give you a level of work that you might have trouble keeping up with. Furthermore, blogging isn’t a stable source of income for everyone, which itself turns this item into one of the biggest disadvantages of blogging.
You Might Run Out of Ideas for Your Content
Running on the same idea that you run your blog by yourself, another drawback of blogging is that you could run out of ideas. If you post blogs regularly, it can be easy to come to a point where you don’t know what else to write about.
You have probably heard of writer’s block, right? The blogging industry is prone to give you a moment of writer’s block. Of course, this doesn’t mean you won’t get to write again but it means you must take some time to get back on track.
Not Everyone Will Enjoy What You Post
We are at a part of the cons of blogging that you might find a little obvious. Yes, it’s a given fact that not everyone will like your content. Blogging success isn’t about everyone loving your posts but having a steady target audience instead, among other things.
However, one truth about blogging is that with enjoyers and people who don’t like your content but move on also come the people who take their time to let you know they don’t like what you do. Constructive criticism is always welcomed but these people, otherwise called trolls, tend to leave offensive comments that could make blogging hard for you.
In those cases, and if available, it is recommended you flag or report the accounts that are leaving comments. If not, some platforms offer the option to prohibit anonymous feedback.
So, What Can You Do About It?
As you saw above, there are some things you can do regarding these cons. Here are some tips for you to take into consideration:
- Report comments and accounts that are leaving offensive comments.
- If possible, hire people to help you run the page. They can help you upload blogs regularly. Leveraging a ATS HR system can significantly streamline and automate this crucial process, enhancing efficiency and ensuring a more thorough evaluation of potential candidates.
- Create a schedule in which you got a specific blogging time. Try to stick to your agenda as best as possible.
- Use all the blogging tools available for you. Blogging courses, free blogging masterclasses, and other instruments can help you make maintenance easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Most Common Mistakes Bloggers Make?
Some of the most common mistakes you can make can be posting too often or every once in a while. Furthermore, blogs that are hard to navigate or with faulty links can lead potential readers to leave your page.
How Many Views per Day Is Beneficial for Blogs?
The answer to this question depends on your blogging goals. If it’s not a hobby, and you want to monetize your blog, try for at least 1.000 unique visitors daily. However, if you just want to share your interest with others, 100-300 visitors per day is an excellent number.
What Are the Most Profitable Blog Topics?
Some of the most profitable blog topics are personal finance, health-related subjects such as fitness or well-being, travel, food-related themes, and education.
Conclusion
If you wish to become a professional blogger, you must know the advantages and disadvantages of blogging to help you make up your mind.
We hope this article helped you take a look into the online writing world and helped you analyze whether the pros outweigh the cons in it.
