7 Harsh Realities Of Blogging That Bloggers Should Know

If you are a blogger or thinking of venturing into blogging, then you ought to know these harsh realities of blogging.

Whether you just started blogging or are already a seasoned blogger, I think you all have gone through difficult times in blogging, isn’t it?

I think every blogger experiences the bitter truth about blogging, especially when they start blogging.

Blogging is good, but its better to know its practical aspects before plunging into it.

I’m sure even the existing bloggers would like to know them as there is always has a scope for improvement and no end for learning, provided you are ready to learn.

Most new bloggers get tempted with the myths of blogging and build wrong blogging ideas or strategies.

I don’t blame them because that’s what they have observed and learned from others.

As popularly known, blogging is maintaining a personal journal where you showcase your thoughts and views about various aspects of your own life, or things that affect it directly or indirectly.

Well, that may not actually be an ideal start; however, it also depends on your purpose of blogging.

Is blogging just a hobby for you? Or is it a source of earning, a medium to help others, or is it a way to achieve a set goal?

If you’re serious about blogging and want your blog to become successful, besides becoming a popular blogger – you need to think differently.

I agree that the meaning of success would differ from blogger to blogger, but the most basic and common aspect would be that more people visit your blog and read all that you write.

If you think people will come on their own to your blog and you’ll start making money overnight, you need to wake up!

You’ve to give in a LOT for blogging because there’s more to it than meets the eye!

Don’t think this is a post to demotivate you – no! I’m not discouraging you from going ahead with blogging.

However, I want you to be prepared and know the reality, so that you are able to develop a better strategy to be successful in blogging.

In this post, you’ll know what blogging is all about in a nutshell and might be able to clear your misconceptions by learning the secrets of successful blogging.

“Blogging is an art, same as any other method of self-expression. Some are better at it than others.” ~ Hugh Macleod

Debunking The 7 Myths of Blogging

As a blogger, you’re independent. You have the freedom to make your own way.

However, it would be wise to learn from the experiences of other bloggers.

Mentioned below are seven important realities of blogging that you should know to dispel any myths that you might be holding onto.

1. Blogging is all about helping others, not self-promotion

This breaks your first myth that blogging is self-promotion. Blogging is not about “me”. It’s all about “you”.

Why do you think anybody would be interested in your life and what you do or don’t do, unless you are a celebrity? How does your personal blabbering help the readers of your blog?

Having said that, being a hobby blogger, you’re do to do and write whatever you like.

But if your motive is to be a successful blogger and have a successful blog, then you need to rethink.

Your blog may be your personal diary, but the fact that you’re now in the blogosphere, requires you to cater to its readers.

If your blog has more of “you” and “your” words than “I” or “me” or “my”, then I’d say you’re well on track.

You need to learn to give more than receive, and believe me, you lose nothing by helping and giving more to others. Tweet

TIP: You should blog about your life and experiences in such a way that readers can take back something from your posts, which would help them change or improve their lives. Ask questions and put a “Call to Action” at the end of the posts.

2. Blogging is about informational content, not just great writing

Don’t get me wrong – you need to write well, use simple English, and the language should be free of errors. I personally get put-off when I see blogs that aren’t written and formatted well.

However, I often visit blogs where the language is far from perfect, yet they’re popular. It’s because the readers find substantial information and ideas that can help them.

Your writing style may depend on the kind of blog audience you have, as some bloggers might require extra ordinary writing skills to meet the expectations of their readers.

Having said this, it’s great if you can have a blend of good writing and good information, and definitely, deliver useful content.

You definitely need to improve your content by improving your writing process. Besides that, you should have a voice in blogging – your own voice that is unique and impressive. Tweet

TIP: Give your readers valuable information that they’re looking for, and they will keep coming back for more, even if at times there are a few writing errors. However, you must develop your writing skills over time and find your own voice.

3. Blogging is about becoming social, not being a solitary blogger

Even the greatest of content won’t directly bring people to your blog. This is another harsh reality of blogging. Tweet

Blogging is a social activity where all bloggers support each other. You just can’t create a blog, sit idle, and think your job is done – this may work only for a very few!

Such bloggers might have achieved their goals or are probloggers, or have a huge email list, or a large fan following. But this doesn’t work for most of us.

Being a blogger, you need to visit other blogs, develop relationships with fellow bloggers, spread your word in the blogosphere, and even help others to popularize their work.

The one thing that works in the blogosphere is reciprocation, especially for most bloggers.

That’s the way to go! I know I have always believed in this and even practice it to date. 🙂

The Aha!NOW Blog Community (ABC) is one such a place to achieve your social blogging aspect and improve as a blogger.

TIP: You should leverage the social media and blogging communities as much as possible and comment on blogs of other bloggers to build relationships. Do not forget to share their posts too, after all sharing is caring.

4. Blogging is also for search engines, not just for humans

Yet another bitter and strange blogging reality, but that’s how it works, especially for new bloggers.

Optimize your blog for the search engines and facilitate great user experience. Tweet

If you’ve done your content optimization task smartly, then people from search engines will get redirected to your blog.

Voila! You not only impress fellow humans but also make friends with the search engines. After all, most successful bloggers look for traffic, don’t they?

I know many bloggers tend to ignore search engines and keyword optimization, but then they suffer from less organic blog traffic.

However, this doesn’t mean that you don’t write for humans – you need to strike a balance such that it is not at all apparent that your article is optimized.

Remember, that times have changed since the Google ‘animal updates’ started to control and regulate the web in terms of SEO.

So, you need to keep abreast with the latest happenings in SEO and follow the latest trends.

TIP: Whenever you write a post, optimize it with a long tail keyword phrase that people look for in the search engines. Also use synonyms and semantic variations of your keyword phrase.

5. Blogging is a serious job, not just a time pass hobby

You know that by blogging here I mean successful blogging, that is becoming a professional and popular blogger, besides having a high ranked blog.

Do you think you can just blog whenever and whatever you like and expect to become a successful blogger?

Absolutely not! Blogging requires consistency, persistence and dedication. It’s a full-time job, if taken seriously. Tweet

In fact, blogging requires your undivided attention, if taken seriously. The components of blogging, namely creation, promotion, and administration take a lot of your time.

When I blog, I try to make it as helpful and useful as possible for my readers.

Sometimes that takes more time then expected. I know it’s bad, and lately I’ve not been very regular with my posting schedule too (thanks to the active and vibrant ABC!!).

However, I believe in giving quality rather than just focusing on punctuality. More so, I know you all understand, don’t you?

But if you can maintain both, that’s great!. 🙂

TIP: Manage your time by creating a daily schedule and distributing various blogging tasks throughout the week so that everything is taken care of. Quality is important, don’t compromise on that.

6. Blogging is a tool, not just your business

I know many of you will jump and say – blogging IS business. 🙂

Yes, blogging is a serious business, but it may not directly earn you a substantial amount of money, not initially at least.

You need to treat blogging as a means to attain the end, which depends on your personal expectation and needs.  Tweet

I agree that bloggers who wish to make money, should blog with a business-like attitude, but you do not start and end with your blog, rather you go beyond.

Blogging helps you to develop relationships with clients and customers, and extend your business. This would in turn help you sell your products and services.

It’ll open up the communication channels that can pave the way to new frontiers and possibilities.

But remember that you won’t achieve success overnight. Just like everything else, blogging also takes time to produce results, so be patient.

TIP: If you wish, you can leverage or use blogging as a way to promote your business, products, or services. Your blog can  help you create multiple revenue streams by helping you develop a mailing list.

7. Blogging is difficult, not easy as it might appear

Successful blogging is not a piece of cake. I know you didn’t want to hear this, but this is yet another harsh reality of blogging.

You need to keep blogging consistently – consistency is a virtue that makes you stand apart.

Being original and constantly on the lookout for opportunities might make you weary, but you need to go miles and miles before you achieve what you aimed for.

You need to be unique and different to stand out from the crowd. How else would your blog be different from the rest?

There are no shortcuts to success in blogging. Tweet

You can use a few tricks or apply some smart blogging tactics, but eventually blogging is hard work, just like any other career or business.

Approach blogging with diligent planning and rigorous hard work – be prepared for the hard times, for success comes to those who wait.

However, tough times don’t last, tough people do, and it’s a matter of time before you enjoy the seeds of success.

TIP: Just like you create a life plan and a business plan before you start a business, develop a blogging plan. List out your purpose, objectives, short-term and long-term goals, the tools and strategies you can use, and most importantly, define your niche.

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” ~ Brian Clark

After going through this little write up, I hope you’re inspired.

If you are motivated, which would be great, then I hope you will follow all the tips and avoid the mistakes of blogging that many bloggers make.

I’m sure that if you recognize these harsh realities of blogging, you’ll achieve success and not get disappointed with it.

You can transform to become a really successful blogger, if you want to – it ALL depends on your will. 🙂

Share Your Thoughts:

What are your views about blogging? What were the harsh realities of blogging that you have faced as a blogger?

If you’re interested in some wonderful discussions, then join the Aha!NOW Blog Community (ABC), where you get all the answers and help to your questions. You can even promote your latest posts there to get a lot more eyes on it! 🙂

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