It's been 13 months since I first started this website Researching the Internet!!! It doesn't even seem like it's been that long since I've created this website, but it's been an interesting experience. A lot of people have been asking me about blogging and what I've learned so far. So I decided to create a mini post about some of the things I learned within the time of starting this website.
1. Write about topics you are actually passionate about.
I have noticed that the topics I write about that I am in love with are usually the topics that gain a lot of traffic, are liked, and are shared. I believe that people can tell when you aren't really into something. With that being said, write about things that you are into.
2. Facebook Groups can send you tons of traffic.
I discovered a ton of Facebook groups involved with my topics about 3 months ago and they have sent me some pretty decent traffic as well. I would recommend typing in topics relatable to your website in the Facebook search engine and seeing what groups come up and then joining them.
(Leave a comment down below if you'd like for me to write a post about what Facebook groups I share my posts to..)
3. You probably won't make money for a while.
Money is sometimes the main reason why people want to start a blog and I get that wholeheartedly, but do not let that be your only motive. People visit websites to either learn or be entertained. So help educate or entertain your readers. The money will come in due time after you gain a following, do some research, and find out what works for you.
4. However, you can get free stuff.
I've been getting free stuff for a long period of time. I am signed up with Influenster, Crowdtap, and BzzAgent which are a few places that send me free items.
5. You should directly target people who need help with a topic you posted about on your website.
For example, let's say you write a blog post about your "Top 10 Places to Shop for Jeans." On Twitter, you type in the search bar "jeans" and you see a ton of people tweeting that they are having trouble finding a pair of jeans that actually fit. You could then tweet all of those people like
"Hey... I made a list of stores that sale some great jeans recently on my website... Check it out. Hope it helps you! *insert link to your website*"
And boom... You're done!
It may not get you a ton of traffic, but it will grab the attention of some possible new readers and maybe even gain you some new followers.
6. People actually care about what I talk about.
This website has made me realize that there are tons of people from various parts of the world that have similar interests to mine or are going through similar things. It's kind of comforting to know that I can talk about different things and people will comment with their thoughts on the subject. I absolutely love it.
7. Gifs get more views!!!
All of the moving pictures within this post are gifs and if you have a gif as the headliner photo at the beginning of your blog post, people tend to be more drawn to clicking that picture when you share it in Google Plus communities and other social media websites.
I'd definitely recommend using gifs in your blog posts to reach more people.
Through it all, I am happy that I started 'Researching the Internet' and I hope it continues to grow towards success. I'm learning a lot about other people and myself during the process of running this website.
If any of my readers own a website or a blog, what's one thing you've learned since you've started blogging?
If you do not own a blog, would you start one?
What would be your purpose for wanting to start one?
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