What 17 Bloggers Wish They Knew Before Starting A Blog

Starting a blog and don’t know where to begin? There’s so much information out there for new bloggers, that knowing what is and isn’t essential is hard. Don’t panic though! These 17 bloggers are coming to the rescue. They break down what things really matter when it comes to starting a blog. With these bloggers covering a wide range of niches, there’s great advice for everyone. I know I’ve learnt a few tips!

Natalka – iwanttobuyahouse.co.uk

Before I launched my blog I really didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I hadn’t even researched the other writers in my niche (can you believe it!?). I tried to put my personality into my writing, and the results really had no benefit. Rather than providing readers with helpful and informative content, I was giving them 1,000 anecdotes about the time my car broke down. I knew nothing about SEO, social media marketing, domain authority, or all the other stuff you accidentally become an expert as when you start a blog.

So the main thing I wish I had known before launching my blog was what other people were writing, and what they wanted to read. I recommend anyone who is thinking of launching their own site to spend a few days, weeks, or even months exploring other bloggers in their niche to gain a well developed insight into the content they need to write and how to promote it.

Em – yellowstheword.wordpress.com/

I wish I’d known how to engage with other bloggers within the community and that social media is a really useful tool for do this, I think it would have really helped me to find inspiration and support from the blogosphere!

Rachel –  rachaelstray.com/

I wish I’d known that it’s ok not to have a specific niche and not to get too caught up with the numbers. Focusing on your stats can be disheartening especially when you’re a new blog. Instead I’d recommend focusing on building your blog up, connect with other bloggers and enjoy the learning curve!

Alice – aliceinsheffield.com

When I first started blogging I wish I’d known just how hard it would be, so many people get into blogging assuming it’s a quick way to earn money or write about something. What you don’t realise is just how much hard work, blood sweat and tears goes into each and every post. You become a content creator, photographer, social media manager, Seo specialist all balanced, marketing specialist and pitching queen. Seriously if you’re going to blog be prepared for the hard work.

Sam – griffblog.co.uk/

When I first started blogging I wish I’d known how to do basic SEO. This is basically the process of increasing the likelihood your blog posts will appear in search engines like Google. I didn’t learn this until after I’d been blogging for a couple of years, so I have tons of old blog posts which I need to go back and optimise. It’s a huge task which I could have avoided if I’d learnt SEO sooner!   

Eric – locomotiontoday.com/

Creating new and informative blog posts require a significant commitment of time. As a blogger, I want to provide my readers with content that is both entertaining and informative; therefore, I spend an inordinate amount of time coming up with ideas, researching, writing, editing, etc. It’s rewarding once completed, but I had no idea regarding the amount of time one or two posts a week would take.

Aisling – thisdreamsalive.wordpress.com

My first blog, which must have been back in 2010/11, was pretty much an online diary. I wish I’d known what SEO was and the importance of promoting your content back then, because the many blogs I’ve had and deleted over the years either stayed small, never grew or became stagnant. There was no point hoping it was magically gonna go viral overnight! It was only when I started promoting and learning about SEO that I saw some growth almost three years after starting my current blog.

Elin – myblurredworld.com

When I first started my blog, I thought blogging was something to be loved 24/7, so when I hit my first bout of writer’s block, I was quite shocked, I thought I was doing something wrong and I felt quite guilty for not feeling enthusiastic towards my writing. The truth is, although it’s amazing, blogging isn’t something you’ll love all the time, it’s ok to go through spells of feeling unmotivated with your content, it’s only natural. And more importantly, it’s ok to take a break.  

Ruth – craftwithcartwright.co.uk

I wish I had known about the importance of owning your own domain if you want to make money from your blog. Three years blogging before I bought my own domain!

Emma – emmasjots.co.uk/

When I started blogging I wish I had known how much technical jargon and things you needed to know about just running a website! Also, a lot of people said “oh doing a blog is so easy” but it’s really not! I wish I had known how to properly schedule when it came to posting blogs and Instagram posts. I also didn’t realise it would be a continuous learning curve!

Emma – beemoneysavvy.com

I wish I’d have valued the work I put into my blog more than I did when I first started. I was in such a rush to try and monetise my blog and collaborate with as many brands as possible that I found myself compromising the kind of content I enjoyed writing. I think it’s really important to stay grounded when you first start blogging, don’t just take on every opportunity that presents itself, this is your blog and you’re in charge of what goes into it! Only take on work that is inline with your values and only work with brands that are willing to compensate you fairly!

Chantelle – thatyorkshiregirlchantelle.com

Something I wish I’d known before starting blogging is how much time it would take up! Sometimes I feel so bad if I don’t finish a post on time. Also I wish I’d known to not feel disheartened when things weren’t going perfectly! Learning that it takes time to grow a blog and to just keep going with it, as long as you’re enjoying it.

Cat – whatcatsays.co.uk/

I wish when I started off as a blogger, I wish that I would have known about the importance of content. When I started blogging 9 years ago I blogged whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to. I didn’t really think about who would be reading it or why and I didn’t have any true purpose of my blog. My content was very random and was more or less a place to dump thoughts and record life like a diary. If I knew about that, I would have thought about my content a little more and hope that I may have been a little more successful with it.

Jade – jademarie.co.uk/

I think the main thing I wish I’d known is it’s okay to be different. Don’t try to do the same thing as everyone else; do what you want to do (however you want to do it) and don’t worry about what everyone else is creating! I felt so much pressure to fit in when I started blogging, and I made me really upset and discouraged when I didn’t. Now I just do things my way and I’m so much happier because of it.

Michaela – youthsoloartsy.ml/

I thought once I’d done writing your thoughts/experiences on your blog post, it was perfectly done but it’s not! It has a long way process to be done perfectly without mistakes which includes copywriting, proofreading, photographs, making graphics, website development and etc. It might be hard for you as a newbie but eventually as you practice everything will fall into place.

I really thought making your content a bit personal would make you feel uncomfortable, having to deal with consequences. I guess not. As a private person, I tend to be cautious on what should I blog about and I still prefer not to post about personal stuff. Sometimes making personal content could help you grow as a better human that can help others feel motivated and inspired as they read your content and that’s how it works!

Abi – whatabigailsays.co.uk/

Blogging has a community! When I started blogging, I wasn’t actively sharing my posts across social platforms and had no idea at the extent of the blogging community. If I could go back, I would have prepared my social channels for this better by branding them from the start, and engaging with the community from the very beginning!

Whilst it isn’t essential, it’s handy to know a bit about SEO and writing for online purposes. This is something I have learnt gradually and whilst I’m not taking over the first page of Google just yet, I am seeing increased views from search engines which is helping bring new visitors to my blog!

It takes a lot more time than you think. When I started blogging, I would write a post in a few hours, post it straight away and be done with it. I now realise that it is so much easier to write posts in advance, schedule them and plan the promotional social content so you have more time to engage with others and get working on the next post!

Victoria – blog.victoriaaustin.co.uk

This is always a hard question to answer actually because originally I started blogging so long ago! One thing I’d always say though is no one will automatically know your blog exists, getting viewers takes time; obviously SEO helps but immerse yourself in the blogging community. It’s such a supportive group of people. Join in with Twitter chats, they really are invaluable if you want to grow your blog.

Thank you to all the bloggers who contributed. There’s a lot of information to take in about starting a blog. Nevertheless, I hope that you can find something that helps you on your journey.

Megan x

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