057- Blogging: am I doing the right things?

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I'm always trying to find ways to make my blog more helpful to others, while enjoying the process of sharing it with the world. I want it be valuable to anyone who may read it, but I want it to also be *real.* Those that know me well know that I am about as real as it gets. I don't do fake. One thing that I've been doing is reading different articles or other blog posts about ways to improve my blog. There's a lot of info out there... some useful and some, not so much. It's kind of like a winding staircase- it seems to never end.

There's a quote that I saw in a magazine a year or two ago, and I think it fits perfect with this topic. “A lot of us spend so much time making sure we’re doing things right that we never have time to consider whether or not we’re doing the right things,” John Locke, CEO of the Locke Division of JD Hudgins Inc. says.

I started this blog for a creative outlet and to share the things I was learning in all areas of my life. I have done some research on ways to reach more people.

Things I SHOULD be doing with my blog as per Chat GPT and the "blog experts" out there... here's a quick list of things that I've come across many times as things that are "must do" items.

*Define your niche- or "niche down" as they say: What does this mean? It means to clearly identify the niche or topic your blog will focus on. This helps attract a specific audience. Some people say that you really should only write about a focused topic. I can see how that may be true for certain subject matters, but I enjoy writing about more than one thing. I'd say it all relates, in one way or another, to improving one's life.

*SEO optimization- optimize your blog posts for search engines to improve visibility. Use relevant keywords, meta tags, and descriptions. This is a bit above my pay grade. I've used fiverr.com to do some of this for me, but how do I really know it's working? Not to mention the fact that it seems like the powers that be within Google are always trying to change things around so who knows what truly works.

*Pinterest promotion and posting: share your blog posts on various social media platforms, including Pinterest, to increase visibility. I love looking at Pinterest but I think it's more of a search engine than it is a social media site. If I need a recipe for something or figure out how to do something, Pinterest is generally my go-to. I can post "pins" on Pinterest about my blog posts which is supposed to drive more traffic to my blog site. So far, I'm not seeing much coming from Pinterest, but maybe it's too early to tell.

*Build an email list: encourage visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. This allows you to directly reach your audience with updates and promotions. I have a built in email list to this site. People can choose to sign up. I sent out an email with post link whenever I publish a new post, but I also post the link to the new post on Instagram and Facebook. Some people check their email; some people don't. I'm not convinced it is something that gets more people to read this blog.

*Analytics tracking: use tools like Google Analytics to track your blog's performance. Analyze data to understand your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly. There is a section of my website that I can go look at to see how many people have visited the site, how long they stayed, how many people read each post, etc. While this can be useful info at times, it is also something that can be disappointing to me. I will admit, when numbers are low, it makes me wonder if I should keep doing this.

*Offer value: Provide valuable information, solve problems, or entertain your audience. The more value you offer, the more likely readers will return. I read somewhere that because I don't sell anything on this blog, no one is going to be interested in reading it. I've spent some time thinking about whether I should be selling a product or service. Right now, the answer is no. It's not in my immediate game plan. Someday maybe.

Back to the quote above.... am I doing the right things with this blogs? The "experts" out there would probably say no I'm not, based on the things above. Should I care? I would love some insight from anyone who reads this blog. What can I do to make you more interested in reading and/or sharing with a friend? I am trying to make this worth your time to read and hopefully help improve your life. I want to make myself proud!