6 Important Things I’ve Learned About Blogging!

It feels like yesterday I nervously signed up with a blog hosting company and picked a name for my blog. This past weekend I started to think of how far I’ve come.  I remember spending hours (and I mean hours!) trying to figure out my “theme” and how to create a menu! It’s been just over 8 months since I created my newest blog “This Mama Loves Life” and I’m sharing the 6 things I’ve learned so far as a Mom Blogger!  There’s probably a lot more than just 6, but we’ll stick with the top 6 for now!

1. BLOGGING IS WORK

It truly is. You need to constantly plan, organize your thoughts, write, proofread, edit, and promote your posts.  Not to mention photography and photo-editing if you use your own photos (like I do).  Luckily for me this is a hobby I really enjoy!

2. PINTEREST IS KEY

I’ve started using Tailwind to schedule PINS.  I’m still learning the power of Pinterest, but let me tell you – it’s a HUGE tool when you are trying to build your blog traffic!  Tailwind has been a game changer when it comes to Pinterest and Instagram. Tailwind knows your ideal posting times and saves tons of time doing a lot of the work for you!

TRY TAILWIND for FREE with this link! Also attached is a $15 credit.

3. CONSISTENCY IS IMPORTANT

This goes for your branding and how often you post.  If you are trying to stick with a specific genre and vibe, you need to stick with that.  It’s been temping at times to completely go off track and blog about something unrelated, however I try to stick with motherhood, lifestyle, beauty, or travel.  I know I have quite a few catergories, however everything is related to why “This Mama Loves Life”- literally! I would like to post twice a week, but I’m currently happy if I get in one post weekly.  It’s important to have a schedule and I’ve noticed that brands and sponsorships will look for this consistency when considering to work with a blogger or instagrammer.

4. FACEBOOK GROUPS CAN HELP

I belong to a few mama blogger facebook groups and I have learned so much from them!  If I have a question or need some blogging advice, I usually find the answer I’m looking for in one of these groups.  The Blogging Community is usually very helpful and love to share info related to their blog success. “Mom Bloggers” are a pretty amazing group of ladies I must say!

5. SEO IS A MONSTER

I’m still learning what exactly SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means!  There is so much information out there and I’m not too worried about having large amounts of traffic to my site, but eventually I would like to understand more and use it to my advantage.  I have installed a plugin on my blog that suggests how to improve my SEO with each post, so at least I’m starting out somewhere.

6. YOU CAN’T COMPARE

It’s easy to look at another person’s blog and feel discouraged about your own.  Perhaps they have 100’s of comments on their latest post, or they have posted an income report showing the thousands of dollars they made last month.  Lots of bloggers have been at the game for a long time or blog full-time. Heck! A lot of bloggers have a whole team of people working full-time on their blog. I haven’t had a chance to do a lot of things I want to do with my blog, but for now content is key, and the rest will come with time!

Any tips for Blogging or things you’ve learned along the way? Please share them below!

XO, Candice (thismamaloveslife)