Some people blog as a mere hobby, others do it professionally. I consider myself a mix of the two, leaning more toward a profession at this point. If anything, whether I blog professionally or not, I want my blog to look professional and my writing to be a representation of my professionalism. As with anything you do, professional or not, there are considerations that should take place and things that need to get done to get to the place you want to be. Here in today’s post I’ll provide you with some considerations and things to get you started on the route to blogging professionally:
The Feel & Voice of Your Blog
The overall feel of your blog needs to be professional, welcoming, and informative if you plan on blogging professionally. You need to have something to offer, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be a service. You can be offering advice or simply giving tips on how to do certain things. As long as you make it so that your content is such that people seek it out to help them in some way, you’re well on your way to blogging professionally.
The Look of Your Blog
For starts, nearly everything in the world is about aesthetic. People like pretty things. You want your site to sound nice, look good, and make people happy when they visit it. It might not seem like that big of a deal, but it really does impact how people feel about the quality of your content.
Make Your Site Professionally Appealing
Here are a few ways you can get your site there if it already isn’t:
1. Have an actual domain for your site. If you are not self-hosted, I strongly urge you to do so. Take that leap (and investment) and do it. Brands, especially look for these type of things when considering whether to work with you or not. You can get hosting and a custom domain through a hosting service like Bluehost. Through Bluehost, you can get hosting as cheap as $4/mo and their customer service is awesome. You can purchase your domain right with your hosting for around $11.99. GoDaddy is also a good place to buy domains, because they tend to run promotions where you can get a domain for as cheap as $8.99. Once you have your domain, you can always transfer it over to Bluehost.
2. Make your site is SEO optimized. You’ll want to do this, because you want to make it as easy as possible for search engines to find your site as a they crawl the web. The Genesis Framework has SEO optimization built in to it, so if you have a site built on the framework then that’s a ton of less work you have to do in the SEO maintenance department. All of the sites I build, including my own are built are on the Genesis Framework and I can attest that I’ve seen an increase in my stats since having a Genesis Framework built site.
3. Proofread and check your grammar. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of not proofreading in the past. Let me tell you, proofreading is your best friend when it comes to writing. Our fingers aren’t always as fast as our brains, and you can mistype an entire phrase or mispell several words throughout your post. A quick proofread can catch these things and its better you catch them than your readers.
4. Establish a posting schedule. This doesn’t mean you have to post daily or even weekly, but it does mean that you have some type of schedule to post consistently. Your readers will come to expect content from you, and you don’t want your posting to be so erratic that people have no idea when to expect to see posts from you. So whether you post twice a week or once a month, be consistent. Your readers will appreciate you for it!
5. Post quality content. Content is king! I know we’ve all seen and heard it before, but its true. Don’t post just to post, I sure don’t. Even when I feel pressure to post, and don’t really have anything worth while to post, I don’t. Its just not worth it, because that energy comes across in the post. People can tell when you’ve just thrown together a post. Its not worth compromising your blogging integrity just to have something up on your blog. Be inspired and post content that people can use and appreciate.
Many of the above wickets are maintenance things, meaning that you will need to do them for every post or at least once a week. Blogging is maintenance, so if you’re going to do it professionally you need to have a good understanding of that. Your blog can be the most beautiful blog on the block, but if you haven’t put in the time and done the legwork to make it professional its going to be very noticeable.
Blogging is also a job, don’t let anyone tell you its not…and yes, you deserve to get paid. You deserve to get paid for your time, effort, and the skill you put into doing it. Make sure that you are putting yourself in a position to where you are, by making sure that you’re crossing all your t’s and dotting your i’s. If you want to blog professionally do it! There enough of the pie for everyone! The only way you will become one of the big guys is to get out there and do it, so DO IT! 🙂
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of my links, I will receive a small commission.
I never knew blogging involved so much until I started taking it seriously. Thanks for all your great advice.
You’re very welcome! 🙂
You know what I don’t think a lot of people do! It can be a bit of a rude awakening of sorts.
It can be a little overwhelming some days, but you just got to keep going and doing what you can do. You can’t do everything all at once. And then you come across great info like this and it helps you refocus. :o)
Ditto! I’ve been blogging off and on for 2 years, only for the past couple of months have I been more involved and consistent and you’re right, it’s a lot of work!! What makes it enjoyable is writing about what you’re passionate about. 🙂
You know, I have been mulling over an idea for a post on a pet peeve of mine. Know those posts How To Start A Blog In 5 Minutes Or Less? Those irk me to no end. You can set up a blog in 5 minutes but starting a blog is much more than just installing WordPress. It does take some prior planning and deciding otherwise you may wind up with a domain name you start disliking, or one that is too narrow for everything you want to encompass; and that should be emphasized even more if you want to be professional.
I agree Ana! I think a lot of those posts are meant for people to just get their feet wet, but I don’t think many of them realize it. I have strayed from doing such posts, and instead do posts more like this one, where its more maintenance based. There is a lot more involved in blogging professionally than getting a site up and going in five steps. I feel like its one of those common sense things, but unfortunately some people may take those posts too literal and think it all happens with the snap of a finger.
I totally agree Ana! Building a successful blog takes time! I loved this post Tenns!
YES!! These are awesome tips 🙂
I feel like I’m almost there.
As much as WordPress has been a headache to deal with, I think it has really helped me to be a WordPress blogger.
XOXO
A shift definitely happens when you move from hobby blogging to job blogging. It takes so much behind the scenes work! Great post!
I had to tone my blog voice down to make it more professional. In real life, I am a character, but I tend to be calmer on my blog because people can’t see my facial expressions. Also, I agree with not posting for the sake of posting. I joined the NaBloPoMo challenge for this month on my fitness blog but I haven’t blogged everyday. I refuse to just slap something up for the sake of say I blogged everyday. I have Sitsgirls writing prompts from the past few months , but I have to chose a topic that speaks to me.
The way a site looks and the spelling/grammar are what I pay a lot of attention to. Someone could have a great topic, but if I can’t read it for all the spelling errors, or it’s one run-on-sentence after another, or the font is too light or small to read, odds are I won’t share the post.
I also have stopped visiting some blogs I use to enjoy because there are pop-ups asking me to like their Facebook page or sign up for their newsletter on EVERY page I click. Once is fine; more than that on the same visit is just frankly kinda rude.
Thank you for the information! I’ve been blogging for about a year now as a hobby, but since I’m a SAHM now, I would like to do it as a profession too! I will look into bluehost and really invest into it, as well as, buying a customized web design.
Love your posts!
-Danica
The Memoirs of a Mommy
I definitely agree with all of these. I’ve only started on the more professional track in the last 6 months and it certainly takes a lot more time and energy, but it’s so worth it. My New Year’s resolution is moving to self-hosted and switching from Blogger to WordPress. Very well written post!
Great advice! (I found your post through the Pin It Thursday linky party on Sweet Bella Roos!)
You are so right! Blogging is definitely a job, lol! SEO is something I still struggle with. I’m not techie, and will likely hire a professional later on to help me with it. Thanks so much for the tips!
I think a lot of people just think a blog is an “online journal” or a way to get attention. They really don’t have a clue how much work and effort that it is. I had someone (even another blogger) comment that my blog was “cute” and I felt offended. I don’t blog to be “cute” and blogging isn’t just a “fun” adventure, it is work. Now, I do it because I love it, but it is work. Great post!
I’m working on a new site in for the new year. These are some great tips!
Thanks for sharing your fantastic blogging advice at the Say G’Day linky party. I’ve just pinned this to the Say G’Day Saturday board. I’ve decided I really need to work on scheduling a lot more after reading this!
Hope you have had a fabulous week!
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
I just popped back to let you know I am featuring you this week. x
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[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]
[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]
[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]
[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]
[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]
[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]
Great tips! I will have to look into the genesis framework later.. thanks!
Thank you so much for your post. I love reading blogs about the things I’m passionate about. This helps me to get more serious about blogging myself!
[…] chose NaBloPoMo | Blogging As A Profession from New Mama Diaries. “Tenns offered some amazing points to go by for making a professional […]