Are you considering becoming a full-time blogger? Well, you have landed in the right place. Today I am sharing with you 8 Steps to Quickly Grow Your Blog and Become a Full-time Blogger.
This post blog post topic was suggested by Diana a lifestyle, travel, and wellness blogger. Please check out her blog, Inspiring Positively.
Becoming a Full-Time Blogger
When I decided to become a full-time blogger it completely changed my life personally and financially. It’s one of many things that I choose to work on and do everyday that I absolutely enjoy.
And this is what makes blogging worth it for me.
But, to be honest, when I first began my blogging journey I did not realize the impact that it would have on my life and career as a whole. I really underestimated the influence that I now have within the blogging community.
Through the years the mission of my blog has changed slightly as I have evolved from blogging as a hobby- about overly general topics to blogging more about blogging and social media tips.
As I sit here now and look back on all that I have learned when it comes to the hard work and patience that it requires to grow your blog and become a full-time blogger, I wish I had more resources like this available.
Note: If you are a beginner blogger don’t forget to sign up to receive your FREE Blogging for Beginners Checklist.
If you are still on the fence about whether or not you have what it takes to grow your blog and become a full-time blogger I recommend that you check out my post 5 Things to Know Before Starting a Blog in 2021.
I am often asked by other beginner bloggers: “How and where should I start in order to blog full-time?” It takes time but by following these 8 steps you will surely be able to quickly grow your blog and be able to blog full-time.
So let’s jump right in…
8 Steps to Quickly Grow Your Blog and Become a Full-Time Blogger
1. Write out a blog plan
Deciding to blog full-time is a decision and a major commitment. All major decisions require a lot of thought and planning. Not just for the present time but also with consideration of the future.
If your goal is to blog full-time the first step you must make is to write out a plan.
I would suggest writing out a 1 year, 3 years, and 5 year blogging plan. Within this plan write out the goals that you want to achieve. Along with writing down your goals, clearly write out your blogging expectations.
Some aspects that you want to consider when writing out your blog plan and expectations includes:
- Calculate your bills and expenses: Have a clear understanding of how much money you need to make from blogging in order to support your current lifestyle.
- Savings: Do you have enough money saved in order to transition into blogging full-time?
- Plans to grow your blog/brand: Things never stay the same. What plans do you have to grow your blog/brand? The average blogger brings more to the table than just a blog post each week. What other type of content/resources can you produce?
Before you make a decision to blog full-time review your blog plan to make sure you are ready and have planned successfully.
To start a blog costs money. From purchasing your domain to paying for a host. Are you prepared to pay for monthly blog operational costs?
Writing out a blogging plan will ensure that you are prepared to take the next step. The worst decision you can make is to decide to blog full-time and not be financially ready to run your blog full-time and sustain.
2. Decide what type of content you are going to produce
What are you bringing to the blogging table?
Deciding what type of content that you are going to produce and blog about is the next step to quickly grow your blog.
Are you a lifestyle blogger? Do you plan to blog about food? Travel? Resources?
Determining what topics you are going to be blogging about is crucial so you can plan and have an understanding of who your target audience is.
There is no way you can grow your blog without an audience.
I highly suggest for you to pick a topic that you are an expert in and most importantly a topic that you are passionate about. Your passion is the one thing that will determine your blogging success. If you are truly not passionate about what you are blogging about you will find it challenging to stay consistent and committed to blogging.
If you are still stuck on what exactly you want to blog about, check out this post from Abby Lawson at Just a Girl and Her Blog: What Should I Blog About? 10 Ways to Discover Your Perfect Niche
Abby’s post really helped me decide what type of content I wanted to blog about. And the one thing that she really pointed out was the consideration of the type of blogs I personally enjoy reading. So, this is something that I want you to consider. What type of blogs do you enjoy reading? And why do these blogs appeal to you?
3. Launch your Blog
Once you have created your blogging plan and decided on what type of content you are going to produce, your next step is to go ahead and launch your blog.
Trial and error. You don’t know if you really like blogging until you try it. It’s a real commitment that requires you to show up daily.
If you are unsure whether or not you are ready to take on blogging full-time start blogging as a hobby before you commit. There are free platforms that you can use to blog before committing to a self-hosted platform.
When I first started blogging I used wordpress.com which is a site that allows you to create a free blog or website for your brand or business. It’s super easy to use and navigate. I would highly recommend launching your blog on a free platform if you are not 100% sure if you want to make blogging a career.
4. Focus on creating quality content
Focusing on creating quality content is important! Quality content is what will attract the reader.
Creating quality content includes:
- writing content that is useful and informational to your reader
- write about relevant topics
- conduct keyword research
- research your blog topic thoroughly and provide supporting resources to compliment your blog post and add value for your reader
- write content that will engage your reader
- proofread all content prior to publishing [ I use grammarly to spell check my content]
5. Find passion in blogging
As I mentioned true blogging success is driven by the passion you find in blogging.
As I network with others within the blogging community I have seen bloggers start off strong but then fail, and I believe it’s because of a lack of passion.
When you enjoy what you do (blogging) it makes it a job that you enjoy.
Blogging requires the devotion of a lot of time and planning so you MUST have a passion not only to blog but also a passion for the content you are creating.
Finding passion in blogging makes it easier to learn new things and connect with your audience and other bloggers to grow your blog.
This leads me to the next step…
6. Connect with others
Connecting with others is a great way to quickly grow your blog. There’s no way you can build an audience and even potentially strive to one day monetize your blog if you are not connecting with others.
Networking is one of my favorite parts of blogging. Since I started blogging I have met so many different amazing people from all over. And each blogger that I have connected with has taught me something new about blogging.
Note: Attend as many blogging conferences and webinars as you can. Some of my favorite webinars are hosted by Bree Pair over at Thrive.
Check out this upcoming Thrive Class here:
How to make Money From Your Blog without Wasting Time– FREE Workshop for Bloggers
And even connecting with my readers teaches me something new daily.
When connecting with my readers I always like to include a call to action or a direct question to my readers within my post. Something that will provide me with more information on ways that I can help them.
Recently, I have started something new on Twitter. When connecting with my followers/readers on Twitter I have been asking them to post topics and suggestions for my next post. This is now the second post that I have created based on what my readers want to read about.
This ensures that I am keeping a strong connection with my readers, as well as staying relevant within my blogging niche. I will always believe in giving my readers what they want. Knowing how much I am helping others is such a great feeling!
7. Research methods to monetize your blog as a full-time blogger
Monetizing your blog is essential if you plan on becoming a full-time blogger. You have to monetize your blog in order to earn a profit to support not only your blog but your lifestyle.
A few ways that I have monetized my blog is through the use of:
- Affiliate marketing: Amazon Affiliates, Convert Kit Affiliate, Tailwinds Affiliate
- Running ads: Google Adsense
- Advertising/ Product Sponsorships
Currently, I am working on a blogging resource paid product that I am on target to release later this year. Stay tuned!
Please be sure to subscribe as a VIP member to ensure you do not miss an exclusive update. As a VIP member, you will have first access when my product is released.
8. Continuously work to improve your SEO
Continually working to improve your SEO will ensure that your content is optimized to rank in search engines.
If your content is SEO friendly this will drive your page views up and growing your blog will not only be quick but also, easy.
The more page views the higher potential of income you will have as a blogger.
Some ways to ensure you improve your SEO includes:
- Improve your site speed
- Create high-quality content
- Optimize your images with alt text
- Include key phrases
- Conduct keyword research
- Use headings to break up your content by topic
- Include outbound links
- Correct broken links within content
- Create a balance between text and pictures
- Include social media sharing options
- Write a awesome meta description
- Be sure to include your keyword in your title
Note: Are you struggling with keyword research?
Check out my post: How to Master Keyword Research as a Beginner Blogger - Blog Life with Erica
Are you ready to grow your blog and become a full-time blogger?
After reading this post and applying these 8 steps to your blogging strategy you will have a better idea on whether or not you are ready to take the next step in your blogging journey and become a full-time blogger.
And even if you decide that this is not your season to take this leap into a full-time blogging career you will at least be able to begin preparing yourself for that next potential chapter of your life by applying these 8 steps to quickly grow your blog.
In the meantime, please be sure to subscribe and sign up as an exclusive VIP member here at Blog Life With Erica and never miss a blogging and social media tip.
Until next time... comment below a topic suggestion and you may featured on next weeks blog post.
Talk to you soon!
Heidi Bruaw
Great post! I am working on becoming a more serious blogger and hope to eventually monetize and transition to full-time blogging. These are all excellent tips to help me get there. Thank you!
JamieAdStories
This is cool advice. I hope to follow some of these and grow my little blog.
Karalee
This is such a helpful post! I’m currently a hobby blogger, but it would be nice to make more money from my blog. I’ve also been slowly working on improving SEO for my older posts.
bloglifewitherica
Karalee,
Definitely keep working on improving older posts for SEO. Never let your hard work or good work go to waste. I like to pick one day out of the week and work on a few older posts. It doesn’t ever take much to rework it for SEO.
Thank you for reading.
xo Erica
Monique
I love this post, Erica! Right now, I’m struggling with finding money for a self-hosted WordPress site. But what’s good is I now know that I need WordPress. Learned a lot from your suggestions — currently I’m working on Pinterest and SEO. Thank you for sharing your tips! You are an amazing help to many new bloggers out there.
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
bloglifewitherica
Hi Monique,
Thank you so much. When I initially decided to switch over I looked at it as an investment. Once I made that decision to switch to blue host through WordPress I knew that I was making a commitment. That decision really pushed me to be consistent with blogging.
At that point I knew blogging was more than a hobby. That was my turning point for my blog and I haven’t looked back since.
If I had of known the impact and success I would have had, I would have decided on a self-hosted platform in the very beginning. But you learn, as you go.
I won’t lie, the transition was overwhelming- but worth it!
xo Erica
markstraveljournal
Great post. You definitely need a plan as you point out. Just throwing up a blog with no thought may feel good but won’t get you anywhere. Thanks for the reminders and sharing,
Tiffany McCullough - Metaphysical Mama
Great post! My SEO could definitely use some improvement and I need to learn more about affiliate marketing. I always learn so much from you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
bloglifewitherica
Hi Tiffany,
I am so happy that you found my post helpful! I will work on creating a post covering affiliate marketing. Be on the lookout!
xo Erica
Diana
This is such a well-written and informative post Erica! Thank you so much for sharing this with myself and others! I will definitely save this to refer back to and implement all these tips and hopefully overtime I can turn this hobby into a full-time sooner than later 🙂 !
bloglifewitherica
Hi Diana!
I am so happy that you found this post helpful. I am looking forward to following you on your blogging journey. As along as you remain consistent and passionate you will be a full-time blogger before you know it!
Your blog is already so amazing.
xo Erica