Blogging – The journey so far

Having tried my hand at the web design business back when the very idea of a website was somewhat of a novelty, I sometimes look at this particular blog I have today and marvel at just how far the industry has come. After all, this is merely a WordPress template which, granted, has been professionally developed and tweaked to my personal design specifications, but just trying to think about how a blog like this could never have existed back then has me wondering how things are going to be like in the next ten years or so.

For now though, I reckon it makes for some interesting reading to look back on the journey so far, particularly with regards to the often hidden part of blogging.

Focusing on high-quality content

As I’ve come to learn, focusing on high-quality content is the holy grail of blogging, because at the end of the day this is what retains visitors who subsequently become subscribers, followers and repeat visitors and it’s also what makes your blog discoverable to new readers whom one naturally wishes to turn into repeat visitors. I think I was perhaps fortunate enough to emphasise a focus on high-quality content from the get-go, because the creation of this blog stemmed from my own need for information around establishing one’s professional career, maintaining one or even switching careers.

As one inevitably works towards the monetization of their blog, as part the #SEOYourBlog strategy, naturally some pay-per-click (PPC) marketing would be incorporated to complement the long-term organic SEO strategy, but all of this will mean absolutely nothing if the content you provide isn’t up to standard. So yes, I’ve definitely made use of the services of a PPC agency, with great results too, but never with the intention of making a quick buck.

Reputation management

Bloggers are naturally drawn to the online space in this way because of the relative anonymity with which they can operate, which opens up the door to some borderline if not outright nefarious activity as far as building an online presence goes. This is why reputation management is essential for bloggers. Not only does managing your reputation protect you from unscrupulous activities, but it also gives people an opportunity to see you in a positive light, which can help you to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Need help navigating how it is done? Consider checking out some articles on https://blog.whitehat-seo.co.uk/ and similar sites.

Talking about my personal experience with the prevailing online negativity, I’ve personally sought to stay away from those dodgy dealings through which people are ultimately found out to be peddling information that ultimately proves to be useless – information which doesn’t come cheap, mind you, such as what is referred to as “big ticket” training programs and the likes.

Instead, I choose to focus on the primary content published being of a high quality. That is the “event” created with the aim of then subsequently monetizing peripheral events around that primary event. For instance, if about 1,000 readers get some very useful information from my blog per month, in order for them to “pay” for that useful information they could perhaps reward me by completing any related online purchases through my affiliate links. This way they’re not spending anything more than they’d otherwise be spending, but at the same time I manage to make a bit of money for my efforts as a blogger who has delivered some real value to my readers.