The Blogging Musician has just published its 200th article! Here are 5 lessons I’ve learned since 100th Blog Post : My Blogging Journey so far
Identify your Niche
The Blogging Musician covers a fair amount of differing themes. Music, Travel, even Gaming. However, looking at the traffic stats reveals one clear winner: Guitar (Lessons, Gear Reviews, Tips). I’m never turning my back on the other themes, it’s what I love to write about, but looking at it from a purely business perspective, If a want a boost in traffic/revenue, I simply focus on Guitar related posts for a while. Occupying a not too overcrowded niche is the key, and Guitar seems to have been a successful niche for me, with Travel being way too competitive to make a significant impact thus far perhaps.
Content is King
It’s true I’ve spent a vast amount of time working on the site layout, visuals, SEO. At the end of the day, this counts for nothing if you’re not producing regular, quality, relevant content. So build it up and improve your writing. What I will say is work on yourself your own way, keep it authentic to you. Absolutely do your research but don’t follow the rule-book or others. Learn your own lessons. It’ll pay off sooner than you think.
Google hates Tinkering
I recently went through a number of site name changes, switches from http:// to https:// etc. My traffic absolutely bombed! So whatever you do, think of a name and stick to it. Keep things as stable as you can hosting wise and be patient. Your traffic WILL increase if you keep blogging! If you can go over to https as soon as you can as Google is favouring secure sites going forward.
Revenue Streams
Always be on the lookout for new revenue streams. You can never have too many, and they all add up. For example, I recently offered a paid service allowing site links on my homepage. I’m also in the process of writing my second book Prague: The Musical City which I hope will at least double the income I receive from Goa: A Lesson in Life.
Expand your Network
Like revenue streams, you also can’t have too many connections. Work on them. Look after them. They can take your blog in completely unexpected directions. For example one of our fantastic contributors Niko Lalangas has had great success getting his Line 6 Gear Reviews on Line 6’s very own Newsletter. Expanding your network also has the potential to greatly boost your revenue through paid blog posts.
200 Blog posts on and Blogging is definitely getting easier. Organic traffic is on the rise, and it’s this solid foundation that’s driving the overall traffic towards the goals set out in our my five-year plan. The Blogging Musician community is also building thanks to its fabulous range of contributors. We’d love you to join us, all the info is here.