Unsolicited Advice About Starting a Website
Now and then, I will receive a message from someone about starting a website. If I had a guess, about 99.9% of the people are specifically wanting to start a blog with the sole purpose of making money. My journey with blogging did not start that way, not at all.
I began blogging before the term “blog” was created. And I have the wrinkle cream to prove it. Back in the day, I used online journals to pour my thoughts and heart into as a high schooler. Over the years, my writing, my skills, and even the blog itself evolved. But the constant element for me was that writing has always been a passion of mine. So blogging was pretty natural for me. My website now serves as not only a blogging platform, but also as a portfolio. This website of mine has put food on my table for years as it has led to me receiving full-time jobs and various contracts.
That said, here are three things to consider if you want to start a blog.
1.Understand that having a website is a longterm relationship, not a summer fling. Most people think you create a website and then voila, done! This is not even close to being the case. Once you build a website, you have to drive traffic to it. It is unrealistic to expect that people will serendipitously find your website.
2.Do as much as you can yourself. There are so many resources out there that illustrate how to create a website. While it is a ton of work, don’t rob yourself of the opportunity to learn new skills that make you a more credible marketer. Plus, when your website acts out, you’ll be in a much better position to troubleshoot.
3. You better be passionate about something relating to your blog. The time it takes to manage a successful website is serious. If your reasoning for starting a website or a blog is to make money, you will likely not make it. You’ll burn on out producing content that you’re not interested in or inspired by. If you’re going to go down this path, make sure to incorporate what you’re most passionate about. Your “why” has to be bigger than money.
There are so many other things to think about in starting a website. Marketing strategies to drive traffic to it, optimizing the site, content calendars… to name a few. While there is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that go into managing a website, it’s absolutely worth it.
