You probably know someone with a blog. You might even know someone that blogs professionally, takes it seriously, and makes a living from their work. In 2019 there are over 500 million blogs in the world.
These range from hobby to full-time living. They vary in topics, which can include lifestyle, finance, business, parenting, food, automobile, and travel. You might read blogs yourself; sometimes to get advice before making a purchase, or to find a recipe to follow and sometimes to learn about the latest adventures and exploits of your favourite influencers.
But, you may have also heard that blogging is over. It’s hit its peak. Blogging as a career is on its way out, and it’s certainly not worth starting one if you haven’t already.
This isn’t true. Blogging is certainly a hugely competitive market, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get your voice heard, or that it isn’t worth carving out your own little corner of the internet. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself if you are thinking about starting a blog.
Do You Have Something to Say?
Many people start blogs just because they want a blog. They’ve got no idea of what they want to say or write about. They don’t know what their blog will be about. They just want one. These are often the blogs that fail and the bloggers that get bored and give up. Start a blog if you’ve got something that you want to write about.
Are You Keen To Learn?
Blogging is often much harder than we think. It’s not just about writing something for people to read. There’s design, coding, promotion, photography and plenty more involved. You don’t need to know it all to get started, but it helps if you are willing to learn.
Do You Have Design Ideas?
Many successful bloggers look for someone to handle website development. It’s important that they stand out from the crowd, and they don’t want to use a standard theme. But, whether you choose to use a designer or buy a ready-made theme (or even use a free theme), it’s a good idea to have some design ideas for yourself. You might want to make some customisations, and you’ll be keen to have input.
Are You Willing to Commit Time?
Blogging takes time, and the more that you know, the longer each post takes, as your to-do list grows. If you want your blog to do well, you need to be willing to commit time to it. It’s not just a case of quickly writing a post and pressing publish. Those bloggers that make a full-time income usually work full-time hours.
And Money?
Blogging doesn’t have to cost money. You can set up a free WordPress site easily, and you don’t need to spend any more to write. But, if you want it to be more than a hobby, and you actually want people to read what you are writing, you should at least be willing to pay for a domain name and hosting.
Do You Care About Fame?
If you want to be famous, or well known, blogging might not be for you. Yes, some bloggers are well-known, but this is a tiny percentage.
