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You’ve got a blog. It seemed like a great idea when you started, but now, you aren’t so sure. Things are not going your way. You want to quit. But should you?
No matter where you work, you will have those moments when you want to quit. For bloggers, it is pretty common. After all, you have invested time and money into your site, and if things are not going well, it can seem that it has all been for nothing.
It would be easier to quit.
But don’t. Please. There are times when you may feel like giving up completely. However, that’s not the answer.
I know many bloggers who have been in your shoes. Me included. I remember when I nearly lost my entire business and wanted to quit. But you know what? I didn’t.
Instead, I used that as an opportunity to learn and see what I could change. I had to figure out what was going wrong.
If you find yourself beating your head against a wall and aren’t sure where to turn, you aren’t alone. Before you give up and close down your site, try again.
Struggling to know what to focus on with your blog?
What to focus on, and the mistakes to avoid making, to turn your blog from a hobby into a business.
What to do before you quit blogging
Follow the experts
There are plenty of people who have been blogging for years. They are the ones to turn to. What are they doing? Where do they hang out? Follow and listen to them. Read their articles. They will often show you the way.
Look at your niche
If you aren’t getting traffic or making an income, it could be nothing more than your selected niche. It could be that it is not profitable or that your niche is too broad.
Many bloggers select lifestyle as a niche. That is not a niche. It is a collection of random content.
Take another look at your avatar and think about what he or she needs. What problems are you solving? Does all your content connect to do what they need?
Maybe it is time to drop some topics and narrow your niche so that your content attracts the right person to your site.
Invest in your education
Sometimes it seems that you need a Ph.D. in computer language to blog. But you don’t. There are courses, books, and mentors who are more than willing to help. Rather than give up, try to do what you can to learn.
Courses, such as The Blogging Playbook, will walk you through the technical side of blogging. A small investment in learning the ins and outs of your blog’s technical aspects can make all the difference.
Think about learning a foreign language. No one expects you to sit down, read a few articles, and then be able to understand and speak it fluently. Right?
The same is true with blogging. It takes time to figure it out. Don’t give up. Ask questions. Read articles. Find your person who can help you learn all you need when it comes to how to do all of the blogging things.
Stop comparing yourself to others
You may be in blogging groups, and you see others are making money after just six months, and here you are, nine months in and are lucky to make $50 a month. What are you doing wrong?
Honestly? Probably nothing.
The truth is that people who are making money sooner may have found a better niche, have prior experience, are just better at writing and marketing, or were just lucky. And the truth is that making money within six months is usually due to a bit of luck.
You have to stop comparing yourself to others. That will be the death of your blog. Trust me.
There are countless articles about people who are making money blogging. But who would ever write something saying, How I Made $127 In My Sixth Month of Blogging? No one.
Only good stories are shared. People don’t share reality. And the reality is that it can take 12-18 months before you really start to see any steady or significant income on your blog.
Continue working on getting more traffic so you can get in with an ad network. Learn about and use affiliate marketing. Brainstorm the types of products that you can sell.
Just know that you won’t make money right away. But, if the only reason you are blogging to make money, then you are in this for the wrong reason.
Diversify your traffic and income
You are going to be going along, and things will be great. The money is starting to come in. You are getting traffic. Then, you wake up to an algorithm change, and suddenly it all comes to a screeching halt.
At this moment, it will feel that you’ve done this all for nothing. But that’s not true.
Think about the people who have visited. Those people loved what you wrote! They like you.
When you lose traffic, then it is time to diversify better. It may be time to change what you do on Pinterest or invest in SEO education. When you rely on just one traffic source, you are setting yourself up for failure.
The same thing with your income. If you were making money only from your ad revenue, you need to diversify that. You need to properly implement a good affiliate marketing strategy and create courses, books, or other products you can sell.
Don’t just give up. Use this as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Take time away
Sometimes, all you need is a vacation from your blog. Don’t worry that you aren’t posting for a week or two. Just stop. Don’t worry about your site for now.
Read a book. Take a vacation. Whatever you need to do to separate yourself from the site and don’t think about it.
Think again about why you wanted to start blogging
When you first started blogging, there was a reason. You need to go back to that place again. Ask yourself the reasons behind your blog. Was it to share your knowledge on a topic? Maybe it was because you love to help others. It could be that you were hoping you could one day make money at it.
Step back for a minute and think about your why. What is your purpose? Then focus again on that.
Stop looking at the stats
You may want to quit because your traffic and stats are underwhelming (to say the least). Just write. Don’t look at your analytics. Don’t look at traffic numbers. Just write content and enjoy that part of blogging.
Then, come back to those numbers again after 30 days. You might rediscover the reason why you loved to blog. There are less stress and pressure put on yourself to succeed.
Limit your research
Another reason many bloggers want to quit is that there is just so much noise. You may read five articles on a single topic and get five different solutions. That is overwhelming.
Stop that.
Just find your person. Who is the one you will listen to? Who is the person you will go to with your questions? When you know where to go for your answers, you will feel much more in control.
Struggling to know what to focus on with your blog?
What to focus on, and the mistakes to avoid making, to turn your blog from a hobby into a business.
Thank you for this! I have really been struggling with my blog and whether I wanted to continue. Rather than throw in the towel I am going to take a break from analytics and remember why I wanted to start in the first place. This is exactly what I needed to read right now!
I am so glad to hear that it was helpful! Blogging can be stressful when you have to learn all of the things and aren’t seeing much happen. I hope that your break from checking the stats helps you find that renewed interest and love for blogging again!!
Thank you. I’m not thinking about quitting but I have had those down days where I doubted my ability. Thank you for this encouraging post.
We all have those days! Hang in there and it will get better!
Yeah, I’m done. I have a personal blog and don’t want to play the SEO or social media game. It’s been 3 years. I don’t want to make money from it or have a business. It’s getting less traffic each post. I don’t want to do this as a career. I’ve begun to hate writing. I began blogging as a way to make friends and connect with people and it’s not happening.
It can be so disheartening. It is not for everyone for sure. Blogging is also nothing like it was years ago….with a way to connect with people.