I started this blog you are reading now in 2014. I never knew it would turn into such a long-term success (for the most part) in 2023.
This is probably my 5th blog, so I knew a little when I started.
I started this blog February of 2014, but didn’t start writing in it until August 2014.
I realized that parking a domain, meaning setting it up but not writing in it, did not really improve its placement on the internet.
When I started to write on this blog I knew I was going into a competitive market, that of network marketing.
But, I didn’t know anything about ranking keywords. I basically tried writing like every other marketer who starts out. . .
My titles were short and generic, which meant I would have little chance even ranking for some of these keywords.
Titles like, “How to Get Leads with Twitter.”
Little did I know that big sites with a lot of authority, like Entrepreneur and Forbes, had dominance when it came to Marketing and getting leads with social media.
I had no chance there and started to write about topics in sub-niches in my industry, like “How to overcome Anxiety in Network Marketing.”
Now, I was writing about something that was more specific and less competitive.
WordPress Platform Websites
I knew setting up a WordPress site was the best. Google likes WordPress sites and they are easy to optimize using plug-ins.
Do not confuse WordPress with WordPress.com blogs.
We are using the WordPress platform on a self-hosted server, like Bluehost and creating a unique website.
Setting up a WordPress-based website is easy. Figure out a domain name and buy it and install WordPress all at Bluehost.com.
Back to Blogging. . .
When I began Blogging, I had three other websites I was writing on. So, I put maybe one post on erikchristianjohnson.com twice a month.
I did this for about a year. I wasn’t getting results.
One day I was assessing which websites I should discontinue to get more serious about just one and looked at the stats on erikchristianjohnson.com and saw I was getting 60 views a day without promoting it.
I decided that this website would be the one I focused on.
I believe in having laser focus on one thing and that one thing was this blog from now on.
I was going to make it work no matter what!
Starting September of 2015, I began writing two big posts a week, averaging about 2,000 words.
Traffic was a little better, but not much.
I realized that there was a 3 to 6 month delay before you see results on the internet from everything you do on your blog.
I also heard about Google’s Sandbox.
It’s basically Google’s way of keeping new blogs from getting too much attention too fast. They want to give the most authority and traffic to more established and older websites.
I believe I am still in the Sandbox, for my views from Google have didn’t exceed the 100 views per day mark for a long time:
I read an article on this about a woman who blogged for two years and never got above the hundred mark also, but when most people quit, she went on to get thousands of views a day. . .
I love that story and it’s what kept me going. . .
I’m on my 19th month of writing. This is my 181st blog post. I average 1,000 words a day.
Let’s talk about blogging daily. . .
I decided to ramp up my blogging even more and started a 90 day blog blitz challenge on January 10th, 2016. I had 117 posts when I started.
Blogging every day is like starting a long hiking trail. . .
At first, you are excited and full of energy.
A few days later, you are dirty, tired and there’s still no incredible views.
I’ve done 64 posts since January 10th and I feel like I’m at 4,000 feet of a 14,000 foot mountain. It’s still not glamorous, nor incredible views, but little surprises have kept me going along the way.
I have had some big names in network marketing mention me, like Ray Higdon.
I have seen more backlinks come into my site from authority websites.
The better content you write, the more people will link to you and backlinks mean everything to your site.
Writing everyday forces you to write, this is sometimes not so good, but then there are the brilliant little gems.
One article stated that you get one great blog post out of every ten.
These blog posts don’t go anywhere unless you delete them, so it is not a waste at all to write the best content you can.
Blogging every day has improved my traffic:
When I started blogging every day the weekly traffic increased by about 20%.
Back to the Sandbox theory and hiking analogy:
There will be times during your blogging journey that you hike into a valley. This valley seems to be depressing because you are hiking downwards instead of upwards towards the summit.
This is like the paradox of life. You feel like crap when something happens but then that incident gives you something better in the end.
Same with blogging.
I am blogging every day and Google sometimes gives me less traffic. I am going through a deep valley right now, but guess what?
Big things happen right after a big dip.
Look at the stock market after a big decline, it then goes back up.
Look at a big storm. It passes and it is then the best sunshine ever!
With blogging, like that lady I talked about earlier, most people would quit if they saw stats like hers or mine.
But, right when most people quit, that day of sunshine happens when Google and the other search engines give you a flood of traffic and it just keeps climbing.
Nothing can stop you when you start to receive 2,000 to 10,000 views a day, all free traffic from the search engines.
And, this traffic is searching exactly for what you offer because they found you first!
This doesn’t work when you go after them and bash your opportunity over their heads. . .
They want to feel proud and that it was their idea that they found you.
Conclusion
How do I get ideas every day to write about?
I keep a notepad nearby and think of titles all day long.
I have nothing but blogging on my brain, so if I read or hear something throughout the day I try and turn it into a blog title. Yes, crazy, but effective.
Another great source of inspiration is to decide what you want to write about, let’s say “Branding,” then go onto YouTube and type “Branding” in.
Get out your notepad and select the top videos on Branding. Takes notes.
Turn those notes into a blog post. Boom!
Here is the best kinds of posts:
Do top 10 Lists, like “10 ways to get out of bed without killing your alarm.”
Do “How to’s”, like “How to blog every day without killing your typewriter.”
Etc.
If you love writing, you love blogging.
If you love doing video, you love Vlogging.
It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you create content on a consistent basis.
If I can do this, then anyone can blog better for business!
Keep going, keep growing, and keep blogging!
