| I think I'll just go somewhere and put myself out of my | | | | Now that you have some content (after the first |
| misery...having similar thoughts? Maybe I can help. | | | | month), get your blog registered with google, Yahoo!, |
| I've been working at this blogging thing for more than a | | | | and MSN. Also learn to track your search engine |
| year and I haven't really made any money and I don't | | | | rankings to figure out where (and if) people are finding |
| get many visitors and I am a miserable failure. My blog | | | | your site in search engines. Signup for some of the |
| is a failure and I think I'll just go somewhere and put | | | | social blogging networks and reach out to other |
| myself out of my misery... Have you ever read a blog | | | | bloggers. Check out myBlogLog, BlogCatalog, |
| post like that? I have, and I've seen very similar ones all | | | | Bumpzee, entreCard, or one of the many other ones |
| over (not quite as bad) from people that were | | | | out there. You can do this by messaging people, |
| certainly discouraged by their lack of blogging success. | | | | commenting on their blogs, offering to guest post, or |
| That one was about one of the most extreme posts | | | | advertising on blogs. The more you interact with other |
| I've read, and that person has pretty much just given | | | | bloggers the more exposure you will get. |
| up. Have you ever been at the end of your rope with | | | | Explore new wordpress plugins (if you use |
| your blog? You're not getting any comments, you don't | | | | Wordpress), or figure out ways to creatively expand |
| get many visits, you're not making any money, you | | | | your site and make it more useful for your visitors with |
| don't know what to post about, you're not meeting | | | | plugins and modules. Regularly vivew your blog stats |
| your goals - maybe you don't even have any goals | | | | and learn which google analytics are most important. |
| yet! You are thinking about the success you once | | | | You should be learning How to do Basic Keyword |
| dreamed of as a blogger and you're now thinking of | | | | Research, and How to Build Links. If you're using |
| yourself as a failure. | | | | Wordpress Learn How to Manage Wordpress More |
| That post I read resonated with me because I've been | | | | Effectively, if you're using another blogging platform - |
| at crossroads like this before myself. Time and time | | | | learn more about it, how to hack it, and customize it |
| again I was ready to quite because I didn't think I was | | | | more to your liking. Also begin to learn How to |
| getting anywhere. In the back of my head I always | | | | Monetize Your Blog if you haven't already. Learning |
| remembered something Shoemoney wrote on his blog. | | | | how to convert your traffic into a monthly income is |
| It was about people having the perception that he was | | | | possibly one of the most important things you can do - |
| some kind of "overnight sensation" raking in tens of | | | | and may (in the future) be the only thing that keeps |
| thousands on his site with ringtones. He pointed out | | | | you from quitting. Nobody wants to blog for free |
| that the first two years he tried to make money online | | | | forever. |
| me made nothing. Not a single penny. He even got | | | | At the 90 day mark you can expect to have some |
| fired from his day job for working on his ringtone site | | | | kind of regular traffic, whether it's 15 visits a day or 100. |
| at work (that wasn't making any money yet). | | | | You should be on a regular posting schedule and have |
| Success is never overnight. Success is a learning | | | | posting ideas backed up. You should know the ins and |
| process, and with blogging it's "learn as you go". I think | | | | outs of your blogging software and be comfortable |
| of Stevie Ray Vaughan who rose to fame in 1981 with | | | | making some custmizations. You should have some |
| his first album and hit single "Pride and Joy". His | | | | type of monetization, and be constantly learning how |
| success seemed overnight. Most had no idea he was | | | | to promote your site in as many ways as possible. |
| born in 1954 and had been playing since the age of | | | | You may or may not be getting regular comments on |
| twelve. From 1970-1980 he played, and played, and | | | | your posts at this point, and your traffic may not be |
| played, and played on stage some more perfecting his | | | | that great. You might not even have a google |
| craft. It's not to say that he didn't have true natural | | | | pagerank yet or good search engine results, but you |
| talent. But his incessant passion for music and refusal | | | | are in "build mode" at this point. You should be both |
| to give up on his dreams and goals drove him to never | | | | reading and writing a lot. Think of this phase as your |
| give up and press on. The fact that he did nothing but | | | | "blog internship". |
| eat, sleep, and breathe his craft for more than a | | | | The 6 Month Blogging Milestone |
| decade while practically living as a vagrant made him | | | | This should just about be the turning point for your blog. |
| into the talent that he was. | | | | If you've been posting 2-3 times per week (at least) |
| I'm not saying you need to blog for 10 years without | | | | you should now have more than 50 posts. For me, it |
| making money or being successful in any way, but you | | | | just seems like that's the point where things start to |
| need to be realistic about what it is that you expect. I | | | | get a bit easier. It's like being on the job a year or two |
| put this blog online in June 2007. I am thankful for the | | | | or getting halfway through high school or college. You |
| growth I've had so far in the last 10 months and look | | | | know what to expect, you know what's going on - |
| forward to the next year. I by no means think that I'm | | | | you seem to have a pretty good handle on things. If |
| a huge blogger (yet). I do think I'm in a position to tell | | | | you did everything I said to do for the previous two |
| you about what I've experienced so far, and maybe it | | | | milestones than you should have 50+ articles with a |
| will help you. | | | | few "pillar" articles being the attraction and the rest |
| What to Expect Your First Month of Blogging | | | | contributing a little bit each day. Hopefully you've got |
| If you're brand new to this "blogging" think the first | | | | 50-100 comments on your posts at least, and 100-300 |
| month is where you will have your first challenging time. | | | | visitor's per day. You're somewhere "in the mix" out in |
| I think it's honestly where most people quit. They quit | | | | the blogging community and you have some followers |
| because they don't have a plan for blog success. The | | | | in your own blog community, and other bloggers may |
| first challenge you actually have is setting your blog up | | | | know you as part of theirs. You should be used to |
| the first time, getting a theme you like, and learning | | | | posting and writing, so it's time to do a few additional |
| your way around your blog. The next issue you have | | | | things to give you an extra push. |
| is posting content, and create quality consistent content | | | | Check Your Sitemap against your SERP's to ensure |
| that people will read. My answer to "what to expect" | | | | indexing in the search engines is going well. You should |
| your first month blogging is "a lot of work"! Whatever | | | | have enough posts now to think about going back and |
| you get, you get, but dont expect much of anything | | | | making previous posts more profitable. Now that you |
| your first month of blogging in terms of visits or money. | | | | have lots of posts stacked up, think about organizing |
| Think of it as the first month on the job or first term at | | | | your site using pages. Monetize your Search Results |
| school. You're still trying to get acclimated to how | | | | with products or Create your own theme. You could |
| things work. | | | | even add content by creating an entire affiliate store |
| Here's a (very) short list of things to think about the | | | | from a data feed. Now that you have enough articles |
| first month: | | | | you can seriously consider submitting your best |
| - Does your blog have a (topic) theme? | | | | content by learning how to do article directory |
| - Did you ask a few friend or fellow bloggers to test it | | | | promotion. |
| and give you feedback? | | | | Create Your Own Blogging Milestones |
| - Is your blog sluggish, or do the pages load fast? | | | | If you haven't already realized it, everything you do as |
| - Did you post a least 2-3 times per week each and | | | | a blogger is just a building block. Like a lawyer building a |
| every week? | | | | reputation, a pastor building a congregation, a mechanic |
| - Do you have a contact page and about page? | | | | building a customer base, or a doctor building a base of |
| - Are you tracking stats somehow, like Google | | | | patients - YOU as a blogger are creating your own |
| analytics? | | | | milestones. You should be making goals and plans to |
| - When you type your domain name in Google - do | | | | reach them. Analyze where you are now and where |
| you get results yet? | | | | you want to be. What will it take to get there? Make a |
| What to Expect Your First 90 Days of Blogging | | | | short, medium, and long term goal. If you have 100 |
| After your first 3 months of blogging you should feel | | | | visitors per day now what would it take to get 200? If |
| like you have a bit of a routine. You should be regularly | | | | you make nothing on your blog now, what would it |
| posting, and even have a few ideas for posts stacked | | | | take to make enough to pay for your hosting bill? How |
| up. If you don't (like I didn't) you need to get more | | | | many posts and comments do you want by the end |
| organized. Keep a pen and paper handy and write | | | | of the year? Goals that you achieve will be your own |
| down all of your ideas as you get them for later use. | | | | milestones. Do what I did awhile back and analyze |
| Also read lots and lots and lots of other blogs - and | | | | what are the habits of successful bloggers. |
| you will get all sorts of ideas to write about. Make sure | | | | Your blog is not a failure. It's 5,000 mistakes from |
| spending quality time blogging and not wasting time. | | | | success... |