When I first started blogging, I didn’t have a clue as to where to begin. I just knew that I loved reading, Googling (research), writing and sharing what I had learned. I may have actually been “blogging” before I realized what the term meant!
For me, blogging wasn’t easy in the beginning. There were a lot of nuances to the style of writing that we know today as blogging. Also, it wasn’t nearly as popular then as it is now. Now, there is a much larger assortment of books on the subject than there were back then (2000).
Read, Read, Read
In the beginning, I read a lot of books on the subjects of home-based businesses and freelance writing, but there was very little information on the subject of blogging. I went to several websites to learn about the term blogging. I wanted to know what it was, how it worked, how was it going to be beneficial to me and, most importantly, how I could create an income as a blogger. Now, on the internet, you can find a wealth of information about blogging, how to blog, how to make money blogging, etc.
Since there is an overload of information available online, I advise every new blogger (and veteran blogger) to be very careful to not get caught up in things that can take away your time and money and leave you with nothing. The new blogger has this thirst to learn everything, and sometimes makes the mistake of buying or signing up for stuff that doesn’t fit what they need. Trust me, I know this all too well first hand. I have made several mistakes in doing this by getting, buying or signing up for things that did not benefit me in the least. Why? Because I didn’t start at the place where I was: a beginner.
Every Blogger Needs to Learn
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a beginner blogger. Don’t think that you have to know everything at once. There is not one blogger who “knows it all.” This journey is a work in progress and it’s always changing, shifting. What worked in blogging 10 years ago, may not necessarily work now. Some things are constant (good, quality content), while other things have to be tweaked and changed as you go along (keyword optimization, traffic generation).
If there’s a business ebook that you want to buy or a course that you’re thinking about taking, be sure that it will deliver what you’re seeking. Read reviews. Google the author’s name. Poke around on related forums and see what other people are saying. Check out the business’ Facebook or Twitter page. Ask questions. In other words, do your homework first. And after that, always follow your gut instinct.
The Buy Everything Syndrome
There are a LOT of bloggers and tutorials online that will show you how to get started and make money through blogging. Not everything is good, nor is everyone going to take your money either. You just need to make sure that the fit is right for YOU. Everyone learns at different levels and have different requirements for where they are in their business journey. If you find an online tutorial or course that you’ve paid for but you’ve gotten nothing out of it, that doesn’t mean that the business or blogger that you signed up with is a scammer. That just means that the course wasn’t for you at the time and you got nothing out of it. And that’s ok. This blogging journey is a live and learn process, so you’re going to make mistakes. Just understand that it’s very important to get a clear idea of the tools or resources that the person recommends and that it’s something that’s going to be beneficial to YOU.
For instance, if you are a newbie, you need a course designed to teach you the basics to get started. Going from a newbie straight into SEO, keyword tracking or monetizing your video landing page before you understand the basics is going to be a recipe for overwhelming disaster. Remember: everyone is at a different level in their business journey, everyone learns differently, everyone has different requirements and every teacher has different and unique teaching styles.
In the end, you want to have a solid foundation for growth as you start blogging. You want to be sure that you’re starting at a place where you can learn, grow, develop and change directions if that’s ever needed. Blogging is not necessarily a sprinting race to see who’s the best or the fastest. It’s a long run where you’ll slow down in certain spots (to learn) and speed up in others (to grow) so it’s important to take your time and get a firm grasp before moving on. You can and will make a lot of money by blogging. It takes perseverance, patience, learning, and tweaking. Just keep those things in mind. It can be done.
