It’s been almost 4 years since I started my blog, and so many people ask me if I’ve ever lost my blogging motivation. The simple answer is YES, of course, I have! I aim to blog consistently, at least twice a week, and I’ve done this whilst training for a half marathon, buying a house, setting up a business and finishing a degree. Sometimes though when my calendar is chock a block, I wonder if it’s all worth it.
Every time those feelings go through my head, they never last longer than a couple of days because something incredible always happens. Whether I receive a rush of traffic on a particular blog post, or I’ve been invited to an event and meet some incredible people. However, as your blog grows, your design, domain and content need to develop, too. Here are some ideas that I’m looking at exploring over the next few months:
Buy a new domain name
When I first set up my blog in 2013 I struggled to come up with a domain name. Initially, my blog was anonymous, so I couldn’t choose my name, and I wanted to keep it vague as I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to write about. Usually, when people start blogging they know exactly what niche they’ll be targeting so choosing a URL is slightly easier, but for me, it was more of an explorative practice. That’s why I’ve considered changing the name of my blog for the last few months because a lot has changed over the past 3.5 years.
Buying a new domain offers your website a fresh identity, and can really impact the success of your blog. If you decide to buy a new domain and move your website, don’t forget to implement 301 redirects. 301 redirects indicate to Google that a page has moved, and this way you won’t lose any ‘link equity’. Sound complicated? Don’t worry – you can download a plugin for this or ask an SEO Consultant to help you.
Invest in a new theme and logo
Whether you decide to change your domain or not, investing in a fresh theme or logo design can create a whole new feel for your website. The layout of your website can seriously impact the experience, thus user engagement, on your blog. It doesn’t have to be expensive either, you can find plenty of high quality, cheap logo design services online, that will really give your blog a professional look!
Define your photography style
Great blogs all have one thing in common – beautiful imagery. Photographs not only break up articles into digestible chunks but also improve user experience. Investing in photography will undoubtedly improve your blog, it’s fun and you’ll learn a thing or two. Define a style that reflects your style that you can implement across your blog and social media channels.
Set up a mini studio at home, so that every time you need to take a photograph you have a consistent setup. Alas! Photography can be expensive and so time-consuming (especially if you’re juggling a full-time job!). Consider hiring a local photographer or buying high-quality stock imagery from creative marketplaces such as Etsy.
Expand your product or services
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you’ve probably got a loyal following just like me (thank you so much, everybody, you are enough motivation for me! 💖). Once you’re established it’s a great time to offer products or services across your blog. Initially, I only offered sponsored posts as part of my offering, but now I offer social media posts, photography and even video occasionally.
That’s not all though, so many interior designs and fashion bloggers sell their craft and promote their online stores. Some bloggers have done so well that they have even opened up physical stores. Sound daunting? It doesn’t have to be, there are plenty of companies out there, such as L.C.P Properties that offer properties to let for young buyers as well as business owners.
Begin a new blog post series
If you’ve been blogging for a couple of years, you might find it difficult to keep coming up with fresh ideas all the time. Or perhaps you feel like your content has no consistency and your mind goes blank when you sit down? Spending an afternoon content planning can lift your writer’s block and get your creative juices flowing. Starting a new blog series is a great way to create a hub of informative content for your users, and to organise your content.
How do you keep motivated?