Blogging in 2017

This post is a little different today compared to my usual pretty interior images! But I used to write about blogging a few years ago and do talks and I even taught some classes for a while. Then the market got saturated with “how to blog” blogs and I stepped aside. But every now and then I might get thrown a question from someone, or get asked again to hold a class. I also like to know what’s new in the world of blogging. So I go searching for the latest marketing ideas and trends to see what else I should (or should not) be doing.

Here are some blogging stats you might like to take on board…

This infographic above lays it all out. If you’re new to blogging or an old hag like me (who needs a kick up the bum sometimes) then following these 13 basic stats might put you on the right path.

Here are a few things I’ve taken away from the infographic…

Quality Content – this will always be at the top of the list won’t it? The usual finding your niche, sticking to it and providing useful and topical information in that area.

A Good Design (which I have changed 40 times in the last month because I can’t get it right!) – I am always the worst at sticking to a design! It’s annoying I know, so I am going to try very hard to leave the “designing” alone for a bit. Cough cough. Maybe. But in all seriousness, if you’re looking for a blog design checklist then I wrote this one up ages ago. It might help.

Frequent Posting – did you read the stats above? It speaks for itself. The more often you post the more traffic you will get. Ask yourself – where are you getting your traffic from? You can’t just rely on Facebook. To gain good solid traffic you’ll also need to consider writing for Google. That is – people can find you without already “liking you”. I have 2,274 posts on this blog and that means I get a lot of traffic from google. While I think newsletter emailing is handy, I don’t think it’s as useful as it used to be (who needs another email subscription right?).

Social Media Presence – this one is a no-brainer. Free traffic to your blog without doing too much! Pimp out your content via other social media channels and you’ll get some lookers. Here’s a blog post I wrote about how to do just that.

So where will blogging take us in 2017?

Is blogging still relevant? Is it over-saturated? Fair questions aren’t they?

Personally I still blogging is as relevant as ever. But the way in which we do it may have changed. While SEO and keywords are still important I think we need to be mindful that most people visit our blog posts to seek out answers to questions they may have. For me, it’s about sharing information and knowledge to do with DIY, houses, design, shopping etc.

Here are some ways to get your blog going…

• Tell a story – perosnal, funny or interesting.
• Be creative – you’ve got to try and be a little different to everyone else.
• Images are key – visuals are important for rentention.
• Solve a problem – find a reason why a reader wants to stick around.
• Entertain and educate – a reader who is nodding as they are reading is a good one to keep.
• Be personal – everyone loves to sticky beak and get an insight in to who you are.

Whether you’ve been blogging for a long time, or only a short time, there is plenty of room for us all in this world wide web. Be useful, be creative and shout it from the roof tops. Read and write every day. Do a blog course and keep it real. Slowly but surely your own blog will find its place in this busy online world.

♥ KC.