Welcome to 2014! The beginning of a new year is often a time when bloggers create goals and resolutions for their blogs. You may resolve to post more often or more regularly, or to interact more with commenters. You might decide that this is the year for a major redesign, or to become more involved in social media, or to grow your monthly traffic a certain percentage.
And creating these goals is a great way to grow and improve your blog, and to challenge yourself. But before you get involved with these goals, it’s important to define the overarching, capital-G GOAL of your blog. Basically, you need to ask yourself this:
What is the point of my blog?
There are lots and lots of reasons that you might blog:
Are you blogging to feature your DIY projects, recipes, home decor, or outfits like Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess? Did you start a blog because you’re an entertaining writer with a strong point of view like Allie of Hyperbole and a Half or Jenny of The Bloggess? Are you looking to become an influencer in your favorite interest or hobby like Rob of Rob Around Books?
There are plenty of other reasons to blog. Do you blog so that friends and family can keep up with you and your life? To develop your writing skills? Is your blog a cathartic online journal? Or a way for you to become more involved with something you’re passionate about?
Don’t stress or panic about defining your blog’s goal. Your goal may evolve and change over time, and that’s fine! But by having a goal for your blog, it’ll be much easier to deal with everyday blogging questions and issues, like your blog design, content strategy, blogging frequency, and promotion. In general, having a blog goal will help you to focus your time and energy on what’s most important to you and your blog.
For example, if the goal of your blog is to feature your amateur photography, you’ll want to be sure that your blog template is wide enough that your photos are clear and easily visible. If you’re using your blog to document your weight loss journey, you’ll need to decide how often you’ll want to update with your progress and what else you want to include (workouts? recipes?) in your content strategy. If your goal is to earn income through ads and affiliate links, then you’ll want to work to feature products that your readers will be interested in, and to promote your blog heavily through social media.
Once you’ve defined your blog’s goal, these everyday blogging decisions get easier. Then, instead of spending time and energy worrying about how often to blog or what kind of content to feature, you can spend your time on the fun part: blogging!
So if you haven’t yet figured out your blog’s goal, take some time to think it over. Then, write down 3-5 things that you can do to ensure that your blog is in line with your goal. Keep those things in mind when blogging in order to help you stay focused and determined. And good luck!
Have you figured out the point of your blog? If you like, share it in the comments with the rest of us!
