The Hills I’ll Die On as a Blog Strategist & Mentor
If you Google “how to start blogging” you’re going to be bombarded with a gazillion different rules and tips and best practices.
Because the thing about blogging is that everyone who does it/teaches it has their own slightly unique way of doing things.
Which, if you’re just getting started, is inconvenient and confusing AF.
This post isn’t meant to be a list of blogging “rules” you MUST follow. Think of it as a list of ~considerations~ to take into account if you’re a business owner using blogs to market yourself.
These are the beliefs I’ve developed over years of experience writing blogs for businesses and spending time in the online space.
Not everyone will agree with me on these, but they’re the things I WILL absolutely die on a hill about:
Blogging on your website > blogging anywhere else
Platforms like Substack have their place, but if you’re blogging for business, doing it on your OWN website is going to give you the most SEO benefits. It also helps keep visitors on your website longer, where they can browse your offers and learn more about what you do – which, if you’re running a business, IS the goal.
I’m not saying publishing on third-party platforms is always bad. It’s just not a smart move from a business standpoint. You want your content to exist on a platform YOU own, so that it builds YOUR authority and SEO.
👇 Still questioning whether to blog on your website or somewhere else?
REQUIRED READING: Is Substack a Good Marketing Platform?
The earlier you start blogging, the better
You don’t need to have an established business to start blogging. You can start before you have clients. You don’t even have to have a super-defined “niche” before you start.
Yes, having an established niche and audience can make blogging easier, BUT blogging can also help you figure out those things when you’re new. And you can always go back and update your old blog posts as your business evolves.
Ideally, you’ll have a handful of things in place before you start blogging, but as far as I’m concerned – the earlier you start, the sooner your efforts can compound and the more chances you’ll have to start ranking on search engines.
And you’ll be in the habit of writing longform content, which will make all your other marketing efforts easier, too.
Not every blog post has to be written for SEO
Or *gasp* even target a specific keyword!
Don’t get me wrong, SEO is important. Keyword research is how you find and target topics your ideal clients are already searching for.
But sometimes… the BEST blog post topics are the ones that come from your own brain, not a keyword research method or tool – the things your clients have asked you about and the things you intuitively know your audience needs to hear.
RELATED: 5 Different Types of Blog Posts to Write as a Business Owner
I’m a big believer in NOT outsourcing all of your decisions to a robot (*ahem* AI), and that also extends to keyword research tools. SEO tools are NOT the end-all, be-all of blogging.
Blog post writing is its own unique thing
Writing a blog post isn’t like writing an academic paper, a diary entry, or a personal essay. Blog posts need clear structure for search engines to understand the content (think subheadings that break up the content, internal links to other relevant places on your site, and skimmable sections).
Blog writing is one of those things that you really just have to practice and learn by doing.
Need some help understanding proper blog structure? Check out these posts as an example:
- How to Turn Your Old Email Newsletters Into Evergreen Blogs
- WordPress for Business Owners: What to Know
Consistency helps, but it’s not a blogging requirement
The more blogs you publish, the more website authority you’ll build and the more opportunities you’ll have to rank. So, blogging consistency *does* make a difference, especially if your website/business is new.
BUT blogging isn’t like social media where the algorithm punishes you for not showing up regularly, or like email marketing where your list will go cold if you ghost for six months.
And that’s the real beauty of blogging! It’s okay to ditch the content calendar and skip a month (or three or six!) and come back to it later. You won’t lose all the authority you’ve built up.
This is what makes blogging such an ideal marketing strategy for solopreneurs and business owners who are already stretched for time, multi-hyphenates juggling multiple things, or neurodivergent baddies (ADHDer here! 🙋♀️).
Blogging FOR business and blogging AS a business aren’t the same
Blogging for business = your blog is a stepping stone, with the ultimate goal of getting people interested in your paid offers/services via your blog.
Blogging as a business = getting people on your blog IS the goal, because the more traffic you get, the more affiliate/ad revenue you’ll earn.
I really believe people need to start being more upfront and clear about this, because if you’re blogging FOR business, there’s so much advice out there that either:
- Won’t apply to you, or
- Will actively harm your blogging efforts
Anddd on that note…
If you want to work with a blog strategist and mentor whose *entire* thing is blogging for business…
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