Blogging is a evolving game. What worked five years ago to grow your blog, might not work in 2017. It is so important to stay on top of our blogging game with strategies that will make it easier for us to be successful.

In this post I share with you my top 13 blogging trends (plus a bonus trend!) that will impact blogging this year. Ideas from more community to action based opt-ins to Facebook Live plus many more. This is a jam packed post that will be full of tips that you can use all year long! Don’t forget to pin it to come back to when you need a dose of blogging inspiration!

1. Blogging Communities

Over the last 12 months Facebook groups have exploded. That trend is going to continue to grow. Why? Because we are all craving community and connection. Never before in our history have we been so connected as a world. Yet we feel less connected than ever. We are on our phones more than we like to admit and not plugged into what is going on around us.

That makes us more lonely. We are connecting without really connecting. This is going to shift in a big way in 2017. We are craving real connection with other people. We are going to find that in our own real lives, but I also think we will find that in our online communities too.

We are looking for safe places where we can let our hair down, get the help we need, help others, and be ourselves. More importantly we are looking to connect with other bloggers that are like us. People that understand the highs and lows of blogging. It’s not always easy to explain what we do to our friends in real life. Our online communities become our safe haven where people get us. They understand why we work so hard on our blogs.

That being said we are going to pair down the number of Facebook groups we are apart of. We don’t have time to be active in them all or even read what is going on in all of think. We will focus on a core 3-5 groups that we feel comfortable in and that are helping us grow as bloggers.

What does this mean for you: Your time is limited as a blogger. Focus on those key communities that you feel are helping you grow. Focus on groups where you are making authentic connections. Get involved in groups by asking questions and answering other people’s questions.

2. Facebook Groups

Like I mentioned above, Facebook groups are growing like crazy! This isn’t only for bloggers either. This is for “regular” people that are looking for more information online. This is for people that want to find like-minded souls that understand our worries and our wins. We are all craving that sense of community and we will work to find it online this year.

Facebook knows this and is ready to capitalize on it too. In Australia and New Zealand, Facebook is testing out putting ads in Facebook groups. That means in a Facebook group newsfeed you will see the prompts, questions, and posts from group members. But then then every few posts there will be an ad placed in the feed.

As a group owner I hate this! I don’t want my group cluttered up with ads! But the bad news is that even though it’s my group, it’s still Facebook’s platform and they can do whatever they want with it.

Placing ads in groups shows how important groups are becoming to the owners and the members. We are craving connections with other people. We are having fun getting to know people from all over the world that are like us.

What this means for you: As a blogger it is not too late to start your own community for your niche! In fact this may be the best year to create a group. Focus on a creating a group that has authentic connections, an engaged community, and people helping each other.

3. Blogging Alone

The days of blogging alone are coming to a close. Yipee! It is lonely and depressing to blog and not get any comments or shares. We want our words to be read! We want them to impact people, to help people. We aren’t writing to hear ourselves talk. We want to make a difference.

In 2017 we are going to go after finding our tribes in a big way. We are going to narrow down our focus on where our readers are hanging out. We are going to find them online and connect with them. We are going to engage with them and help them in any way we can.

Why?

Because we know when we do this people will flock to our blogs. Our tribe will see that we are giving them so much help for free in different communities. They will want to see what other good stuff we have on our blogs.

What this means for you: If you are tired of blogging alone, it’s time to find your tribe. Figure out who your ideal reader is and go out there and find them. They are not going to find your blog on a whim. The internet is too busy for that and we are too busy for that. So go out there, find your tribe, and bring them back to your blog!

Do you want an easy way to find your tribe in 2017? Heck yes! Check out Find Your Tribe Online, skip the research, and grow the blog of your dreams in ’17!

4. Facebook Live

At the end of October 2016 the Snyder household was all consumed with the Chicago Cubs. I have never in my entire life watched so much baseball, a sport I don’t even like that much!

What does this have to do with blogging? There was something else I watched while pacing the floor during those two weeks. The commercials. When I saw a Facebook Live commercial for the first time I said out loud to my husband “No way.”

I was truthfully in shock by this! Why would Facebook run a television commercial during the World Series that was crazy expensive? Why would they do this when they have access to over 1.79 billion readers on their own platform?

Facebook Stats courtesy of Facebook source: http://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/

A month later I saw an ad for Facebook Live during the Thanksgiving parade. I bet you dollars to donuts that we will see one during the Super Bowl too. The end all be all of commercials that cost millions of dollars to air.

What does this mean? Facebook is putting a ton of stock in Facebook Live. A ton. If they are willing to shell out that kind of money on ads, it means that it’s important.

What this means for you: Get comfortable with Facebook Live! The sooner you start, the easier it will get. Set a goal to do a Facebook Live on your Facebook page at least once a week. It will help you ease into it and it will help your page grow too!

5. Periscope

I feel bold saying this and maybe I will be wrong, but I don’t see Periscope surviving much past 2017. Facebook is working hard to crush their competition in this area and will continue to do so.

I have seen quite a few bloggers that had Periscope “shows” move their shows over to Facebook Live. It seems to me the few times I have logged in recently that it is full of spam in the stream and in the comments. Finally it doesn’t seem that Periscope itself is out there promoting the company. I always forget they exist and I am guessing I’m not alone! As Facebook Live grows I can see Periscope taking a hit, one they might not survive.

What this means for you: If you haven’t started using Periscope I wouldn’t start in 2017. I would put all my efforts into Facebook Live. If you have done Periscope and you aren’t getting the results you want, it’s time to check out Facebook Live. Either way this is one less thing you will have to worry about in the marketing world. Isn’t that a relief?!

6. Email Lists

Building and growing your list in 2017 is going to be more important than ever in 2017! In fact I was not surprised when Sue Dunlevie, Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, Suzi Whitford, Elna Cain, and Monica Froese said in this blog post that building an email list is the number one thing bloggers should focus on in 2017.

Why is this true though?

Email subscribers are the most loyal people for your blog. They show up and read your blog posts. They share your blog posts. They are there when you have your first product to sell.  They show up time and time again for you.

It goes beyond that though to me. I have seen bloggers say “do I need an email list if I am not going to sell anything?” Yes! Yes you do! Email is it’s own community of blogger talking to reader, one reader at a time. And as Candice so eloquently said, if you can focus on helping one person, you will grow your blog. (CHECK THIS) You can do this through talking to people on your email list. It is very powerful.

As our need for community grows, so does our need for connection. We talk on social media, but we connect over email. I equate email and social media to going to a party. When you go to a party, do you stand in the middle of the room and tell every single person there what is going on with you and what you need help with? No you do not. Even the most extroverted person doesn’t do that.

On the flip side, at a party do you gather in smaller groups or with one person and share what’s going on in your life? Yes, of course you do. Why? Because you are more comfortable sharing this information with one person.

Isn’t the same true of social media? Are you out there telling every single person about your life and what isn’t working? Heck no! We only save the best part of our lives for Facebook. Now in email to your best friend, do you let your hair down and say what you are struggling with and how you need help? Of course you do.

This, this is why email is so important for bloggers. We are writing posts that are changing people’s lives and helping them. They are going to trust you and they are going to want to talk to you. They will share their stories with you, one-to-one, over email.

What this means for you: If you haven’t started building your email list, this is the year to do it! You want to connect with your readers and they want to connect with you! Make it easy for them by staying in front of them via email.

If you are already doing email, make sure you are connecting with your people! Actually send them emails once a week. Put questions out there and get to know them. Don’t just send them emails when you want something or worse, not send them emails at all. Engage your audience– this includes your email list!

7. Landing Pages

On January 10th, Google started to penalize any mobile website that has a welcome mat or a pop-up that shows up when people first come to the site. They did this because they want a mobile friendly experience for the end user. Right now only mobile sites are penalized, but I see that expanding to desktops too.

When Google announced this in the fall last year, I thought to myself “And landing pages just became more important than ever in 2017.”

Landing pages are one single page on your website that asks your reader to do something. This is usually subscribe to your email list or buy something from you. There are no distractions on the page, no navigation menu, no sidebars. Only the offer to subscribe or buy. To see examples of landing pages check out mine here, here, and here.

Again we want to build our email lists and landing pages do that. With pop-ups taking a hit by Google, we need something that is focused only on collecting email addresses.

Enter landing pages.

Landing pages are easy to setup on your website and easy to create over and over. I have a complete tutorial on how to install a landing page plugin on your site and how to set up your first landing page. Create a landing page to grow your email list and share the link everywhere!

What this means for you: With landing pages becoming more popular the time is now to jump on the landing page bandwagon. You need to learn how they work because pretty soon they will become a specialized art form, much like Pinterest graphics. You want to get in on this early plus you want to grow your email list. Jump on this one early in 2017!

8. Interactive Opt-Ins

I think there is going to be a big shift in opt-in lead magnets this year. Lead magnets are something that you offer to your readers in exchange for their email address.

First, unless you have an opt-in offer you won’t grow your email list. It will stay flat with a few new subscribers a month. We are particular with our email addresses. We get so many emails that we can’t handle anymore. We don’t have time to constantly trying to achieve inbox zero.

We only give our email addresses out to the best offers out there. The offers that solve our problems. Offers that will make our lives a little easier. Offers that will make us happy.

To be blunt offers like “Join my email list to get my latest blog post delivered to your inbox” will not work! There is no value for the end user. There is nothing in that offer that helps them or makes their life easier. In fact it does the exact opposite of making them happy. It makes them feel like “oh that’s one more email I’m going to have to avoid.” You don’t want your opt-in offer to send that message!

Instead in 2017 opt-in offers are going to be actionable. Action based items that people can use and get quick wins. Ideas like de-clutter your house in 5 days or save $50 in 5 days. Look for ideas that people can see a result from after using the ideas you gave them in the opt-in offer.

Top ideas for opt-in offers in 2017 are:

• Quizzes
• Worksheet
• Action based lists and tips
• Reference guides

What this means for you: Take a look at your opt-in offer. Is it awesome or is it falling flat? Be real and be honest with yourself. Growing your email list will be critical for the success of your blog this year. Give your readers an opt-in that they are excited to download. One that makes your list growth explode!

9. Mini-Masterminds

Staying with the idea of building community, I think blogging mastermind groups are going to spring up in 2017. It has always been important to network with other bloggers to grow you blog.

But it’s more than that. Other bloggers understand what you are going through. The highs and the lows. How awesome it feels when you get your first 100 email subscribers. How frustrating it is when your opt-in isn’t converting.

Mini masterminds let you share these moments with other bloggers that completely get it. A group of 4-6 like-minded bloggers is a great support group to lift you up, encourage you, and inspire you. You can help each other with strategies, collaborate on blog posts, and even create courses together. It’s a win-win for all!

In 2017 we will see more of these joint ventures and collaborations between bloggers. If you can work with someone and serve both your audiences, you will expand your reach. More importantly you will get to help more people!

What this means for you: Don’t blog alone! Reach out to 3-4 bloggers that are at a similar place in the blogging journey as you are. Take the time to form a mini-mastermind and look for creative ways you can help each other. Don’t worry about overlapping what you are offering to your readers. It truly is better for your readers if you have even more resources to offer them!

10. Strategic Blogging with Heart

I loved this quote that Jill Stanton gave me in this post:

The biggest thing I think bloggers need to be focusing on for 2017 is to start blogging with a purpose.

What I mean is, you need to get clear on the major interest areas for your audience, start creating content around them and use each post to lead to a specific (and relevant) offer!

Whether that is a quick course, a downloadable, an ebook, a call with you, hell, even a freebie! The key is to use your content to fuel your business!

 

After all, blogging for the sake of blogging is sooooo 2016.  –Jill Stanton, Screw the 9-5.com

It’s so true! Blogging, good blogging is intense work! A well written blog post can take anywhere from 4-8 hours of time. That’s a lot of hours on one post!

Because of that we will become more strategic with our blog posts. If our goal is to get more readers to our blogs and to monetize we will have to get more strategic. We don’t have time to write without it having a purpose. This is especially true when blogging has become 20% writing blog posts and 80% promotion!

Bloggers will write longer posts that pour on a ton of value. Like so much value that the reader thinks “Wow I can’t believe they gave me that information for free. I have to follow this person! I have to pin this post to keep coming back to!”

But we can’t write these longer posts and do it several times a week. We would burn out! Plus we don’t have the time to do that. We need to be out there networking and promoting our blogs! So we need to make our blog posts work for us.

What does that mean? A good blog post should be one of your biggest sources of traffic. A few weeks ago I wrote an epic 5,000 word post. It has become my number one pin after nearly a year of blogging. In three weeks that beefy post is driving a ton of traffic from Pinterest and Facebook.

These longer posts will be a lot of upfront work but will be a gift that keeps on giving. You will need to be strategic in these posts. Include content upgrades to encourage people to sign up for your email list. Then when they get on your email list you have to be strategic again. Build an email autoresponder series to engage your new subscribers.

An autoresponder series is a series of emails that you send to your new subscriber after they join your email list. It takes them down a path of building a relationship with you. If you have a course or an affiliate program to sell you can include links to these in your autoresponder series.

In short your long blog posts should have a purpose. They should lead people to your email address, into an autoresponder series, and into a potential sales funnel. Your blog post should have a ton of value and work for you to promote your blog while you are out there networking.

What this means for you: To write posts that are strategic but full of heart, you must plan ahead! You must have an editorial calendar that makes sense, that ties in with your opt-in offers, and any programs you want to sell. When you are strategic like this you will work smarter not harder and couldn’t we all use a little bit of that?!

11. Tighter Security

Tighter security for our blogs is coming in 2017! Google Chrome is releasing an update that will show sites that are insecure. It will show a message that your site isn’t secure. This could freak out readers that are on your blog.

Here’s an example of a secure site:

Here’s Women Winning Online not secure (not yet anyway!)

Not glaringly obvious but it will become the expected standard to have a secure site.

Also WordPress itself is pushing for WordPress sites to have an SSL certificate. The thought is this will make your WordPress site a more stable and safe site.

What this means for you: It’s time to talk to your hosting company. Make sure you have the option to set up a SSL certificate with them. This used to be such a cumbersome process, but thankfully it isn’t anymore. Any good quality host will help you set this up for your blog. I use SiteGround for my hosting company and they are helping me to install it on my sites. If you don’t have a good host I highly recommend switching to SiteGround. SiteGround offers one year free Wild Cart SSL on their Grow Big Plan which is extremely important for all bloggers!

For more information on this check out these Posts:

Imminent: Non-HTTPS Sites Labeled “Not Secure” by Chrome

Moving Toward SSL

12. More Visual

We have the attention span of goldfish. A whopping three seconds long. That means you have three seconds to capture someone’s attention with your headline, your Pinterest image, your social media post.

That’s a lot of pressure!

We are getting so many messages thrown at us between our emails, social media sites, and news agencies. It’s message after message after message. It’s exhausting on our brains. We can only handle so much.

Enter images.

Images we can process. We can slow down and look at images and see if they apply to us. We can process them quicker and with more meaning. This is one reason Pinterest works so well and Instagram is so hot.

This trend will continue and be more important this year. Images are going to need a lot more white space to capture our attention. Less clutter and more clarity on what we are getting if we click on a link. We need to be clear in our descriptions on exactly what the person will read when they click our link. But first we have to capture their attention with an image that can’t be missed.

What this means for you: Take a look at your Pinterest images. Are they clear? Are they branded? Are the pretty and not cluttered? Test your pins by pinning them on a group board, then come back the next day, scroll through the group board feed and see if your image stands out. If it doesn’t go back to the drawing board and design a pin that sticks out!

Then once you have mastered Pinterest jump on the Instagram bandwagon. Start sharing your story. Let other people see the real side of you. Share your blog posts and make pretty images.

13. Repurposing Content 

Like I have mentioned in this post we don’t have time to do all the things. As consumers of blog posts we don’t have time to read all the things either!

Remember those epic blog posts I told you to write? Don’t write them and not think about them again. Re-purpose the content in your blog posts. This will save you a ton of time!

It takes us 5-7 times to learn something before it sticks in our heads. We are consuming more information than ever before and we can’t remember it all the first time around.

Do your readers a favor and make it easier on them to consumer your blog posts! Take a look at your epic blog posts and pull 3-5 main points out of those posts. Then repurpose the content across other platforms.

Repurposing ideas include:

• Doing a Facebook live stream to share the main points.
• Creating images using one main point and sharing it on Instagram.
• Adding a main point to your email autoresponder series for the same post.
• Doing a YouTube video on the main points.

Get creative with this and think outside the box. All too often we think we are letting our readers down if we don’t give them new information all the time. But truthfully they can’t handle all that information! Make it easy on them and yourself and repurpose your content.

What this means for you: When you are planning out your editorial calendar make a note of the epic posts. Then when you are done writing make a list of the 3-5 main points you can repurpose and share with your audience. If you already have epic, pillar posts take a look at them and make a list of ideas to repurpose. You will fill your social media calendar before you know it!

Bonus Trend: More Freedom

Our society is on a quest for more freedom. More freedom from the cube and the 9-5 job. More freedom to spend time with our kids. More time to spend together as couples. More time to travel. More time to actually enjoy our lives.

The great news is that we live in a time that affords us that freedom if we take the brass ring and go for it. Blogging is that brass ring! We can work our tails off, grow successful blogs, and have the freedom to live life on our terms. To retire our husbands, to bring the kids home from daycare, to get in an RV and travel the world!

In 2017 even more blogs are going to be started. There are women out there that are dying to blog and you and I are their inspiration. If we keep working our tails off and showing them it is possible, they will go for it and grab the brass ring! Aim for the freedom in your life, show other women it is possible, and be a good blogging ambassador when they join our ranks. We are lucky ladies and blessed to blog every single day!

What this means for you: Keep reaching for your dreams! Blogging isn’t always easy but when you love it, it’s so worth it! Remind yourself why you are doing this every single day. Then show other women how to create their own sense of freedom in their own lives!

Conclusion

Blogging has changed and evolved so much over the last 15 years and it will continue to do so! In 2017 we will see some more changes, new inventions, and ideas that we haven’t even thought of yet!

To recap these are my blogging predictions for 2017:

1. Blogging Communities
2. Facebook Groups
3. Blogging Alone
4. Facebook Live
5. Periscope
6. Email Lists
7. Landing Pages
8. Interactive Opt-Ins
9. Mini-Masterminds
10. Strategic Blogging with Heart
11. Tighter Security
12. More Visual
13. Repurposing Content
Bonus Trend: More Freedom!

What do you think? I would love to hear your opinion on how blogging will change and grow in 2017. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments below!

Yay! You have started a blog and are dying to get it out there. You want more traffic and more people to engage with you. You want followers and people to share your words. Maybe you even want to make money. You are ready to have a successful blog.

But you have no idea what to do next. You’ve started this blog, now what?

You know you have to get your blog out there for people to see it, but other then posting it on Facebook a few times you aren’t sure what to do. In fact you are kind of feeling overwhelmed, like a fish out of water.

Who can blame you. Look what has happened to blogging in the last 10 years!

While all the things that are available to us are great, they are also overwhelming! Where do you even start?!

Blogging is like taking a road trip. If you have a goal for a destination you follow a map. The same is true for blogging. You start with your blogging roadmap!

1. Start with a Plan

A lot of people start blogs because they want to help people through their writing. Others start blogs because they want to help people and earn an income online. Whatever your motives are, it is good to start with the end in mind.

Is your goal to make money blogging? It’s okay to say yes! If earning an income from your blog is your goal it is good to know how you will get there. You may not know exactly how you are going to do it now, but it is good to have some ideas on how to make it happen.

When I first started blogging I devoured every single income report I could find. My favorite was Pinch of Yum’s because they live in my area and that inspired me. I like how their income reports started from when that made $21.97 a month all the way up to $92,900.54. I feel like Lindsay and Bjork left a great roadmap of how to earn an income blogging.

But as I read these income reports I realized it wasn’t only about the money. These bloggers had shared what worked and what didn’t. Some left a detailed plan of how to start, grow, and make an income from their blogs. As I read these reports I could see my own plans come together. I realized that yes, I do want to make an income blogging, and I want to leave a roadmap for other women to follow.

If you want to have a successful blog you must have a plan to get there. Look at the people that started from zero and grew their blogs into a success story. Take the time to learn from them. What mistakes did they make? What were their wins? How did they figure this out? To learn from other bloggers’ income reports, check out this income report board on Pinterest. (And don’t forget to pin this post while you are there!)

Then set your goals. Aim to reach the first 100 people with your blog. Set a goal to hit 1,000 pageviews. Then shoot to make your first $100 through affiliate income. Yes you want to reach more people, have more pageviews, and make more money, but you have to crawl before you can walk!

Then celebrate each milestone along the way. Blogging is a journey, not a sprint. When you have a dedicated plan to follow and are consistent with it, you will hit your goals! Make sure to start with the end in mind!

2. Know Your Why

Blogging is incredible! You get to connect with people. You get to help people. You get to have your words, thoughts, and ideas matter to someone. It really is an amazing journey!

But not every path on this journey is smooth. Just like there are highs along the way, there are lows too. Rude comments, lack of traffic, and working many hours for no money is hard. That’s the dark side of blogging.

I don’t mean to be a downer, but I also want to be real with you! It isn’t all a roses and champagne! That’s why you must know your why. Why are you blogging? Who do you want to help?

It has to be more than about the money for it to be worth it. You and your words are worth so much more than money. You are valuable and have a unique perspective that we all need to hear.

What is your why for blogging? Write it down, print it out, and place it by your computer. Heck put it right there on your computer. This will help you keep going when it gets hard!

3. Define Your Niche

Now that you have a plan and know your “why” it is time to figure out your “who.” Who exactly are you writing this blog for?

The number one thing bloggers overlook when they start blogging is defining their niche. We have some blog post ideas, we write, and then hope the magic will happen. We are missing one key ingredient: knowing our niche and what they want to read.

When you know your niche you can write posts they want to read. You can offer freebies they are dying to download. You can offer courses they are happy to buy. The reason knowing your niche is important is because your blog now has a purpose. You have well defined content with a pattern that people want to read.

How do you define your niche? First you go out there and you research them. Learn all you can about their wants, desires, and needs. Then you write about them. You write their story, who they are, and what they want. To help you with this process I have a worksheet inside the Women Winning Online Facebook group you can download called “Know Your Niche.”

4. Clear Blog Categories

Maybe it’s my Type A personality but I like everything to be organized. The same is true for my blog. I learned this tip from Elite Blog Academy and I love it. Organize your blog categories into 3-5 main categories. Then have each category have a few subcategories.

This makes it easier for your niche to find the content they want to read. It makes your site look more put together and not as all over the place. It also encourages people to look through your blog more and get hooked into your content. All this is a win!

How do you come up with your categories? First think about the topics you want to write about. Also take into account the topics your niche wants to learn more about. Then brainstorm some ideas.

For example, I use online marketing as a main topic. Then I include subcategories for email marketing, landing pages, freebies, etc.. The easier you make it for people to find your content the more likely they will stay around and read it. Make it easy for them!

5. The Right WordPress

Now that you have all the pre-work done on your blog it is time to start it, the right way! A lot of bloggers will start out on free platforms like WordPress.com or Blogger. If you are serious about making a go at blogging I would start out with a self-hosted WordPress site.

Don’t let those words scare you away! I can help you with this! Self-hosted means you own your website domain name and your blogging platform. With a self-hosted WordPress site you can add a bunch of plugins to make your blog better. You can also monetize your blog with a self-hosted site.

The reason I suggest you start out self-hosted right away is because it is a pain to move everything from a free site to a paid site when you decide to make the switch. You can’t take your free theme with you and it’s not easy to move all your posts. Plus hosting for the year through SiteGround is only around $47 a year for their beginner plan, $95.40 for their Grow Big plan, and $179.40 for their GoGeek plan. I am on their GrowBig plan and I love it because my site is so fast and I can host multiple sites under this one plan!  There aren’t too many businesses you can start for under 50 bucks!

For more on how to start your blog off on the right foot using WordPress check out my tutorial here: https://womenwinningonline.com/startblog/

6. Post Once a Week

There is a myth out there that to grow your blog you must post every day. Or at least 2-3 times a week. That is crazy to me! The only time I can think of that working is if you have a site that is dedicated to deals or coupons. Other than that niche, that is a lot of content to put out there every week!

I actually tried my hand at this on my first blog. I committed for to post every single day in the month of November. I did this to see if I liked blogging or not. The good news is that yes! I fell in love with blogging that month. The bad news is I almost burnt myself out on it.

Then I stumbled on this post on SmartBlogger. In short it said posting every single day on your blog is one of the worst things you can do. First, it pushes all your good content to the bottom and people don’t see it. Second, people do not have the time to consume all that information!

I also learned something from writing a post everyday. My content at the beginning was awesome. In fact some of that content is still getting shared today. But as the month wore on, the content started to go from really great, to mediocre, to blah.

Save yourself some time and commit to posting once per week on your blog. As you will soon learn below, you will have plenty of other things to do for your blog!

7. Start with Email First

When I first started blogging I read two quotes by Amy Porterfield and Pat Flynn, two incredible internet marketers. Both Amy and Pat said the biggest mistake they made when starting their online businesses was not starting an email list right away. They both said they wished they would have done that first because they missed out on a bunch of potential subscribers as their sites grew.

I took their advice to heart and started my email list right away. I lasted for one week on MailChimp before I switched over to ActiveCampaign. I can’t on good faith recommend MailChimp. I know it’s free, but like the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

ActiveCampaign is $9 a month and for that low price you get a ton of features! They have automations set up that will share your freebie for you and help you grow your list. I know this might sound overwhelming, but they have an awesome support team that will walk you through these steps. I am also here to help you!

Starting an email list is the best thing you can do for the future of your blog. I started my list for Women Winning Online the same week I started the blog last year. I have people on that list from February that purchased Find Your Tribe Online when I launched it in August. Email subscribers are just that loyal. Do yourself and your blog a favor and start your list right now!

8. Create an Opt-in Offer

Once you have your email system all set up, you need something to offer people to subscribe to it. All too often I see bloggers make the crucial mistake of asking people to sign up the wrong way. The two common things I see are:1.

1. Sign up for my email list and get my posts delivered right to your inbox!
2. Sign up for my list to get printables, downloads, and more!

Why don’t these work? Our emails have become a precious commodity. We get so.much.email. We aren’t willing to give out our email to just anyone because we don’t need something else cluttering up our inboxes.

The reason those two “offers” don’t work is because there is nothing in it for the subscriber. Nothing of real value that they can see. For the first one, they think “I don’t need another post in my inbox. If I want to read the blog I will come back and check it out.” Yet they never do because we have short attention spans and even shorter memories.

The second statement doesn’t work because they don’t know what they are getting. Whenever I see this I always wonder “What printable am I getting and what’s the more?” It’s not clear what the value is here so people won’t sign up for your list.

Remember how in step 3 you defined your niche? Go back to that. Go back and look at what your niche is struggling with and what they want to learn more about. Then create a simple worksheet, cheatsheet, or quick tips around a solution for that problem. Give people what they want and they will gladly sign up for your email list!

9. Get a Landing Page

You have a good email service, a freebie that is rocking so now it is time to kick that into overdrive! It’s time to create your first landing page!

What the heck is a landing page? It is one page on your blog that is dedicated to your freebie. It doesn’t have:

• A navigation menu
• Sidebars
• Footer
• Links to other posts
• Links to other pages

It is one page that you use to share about your freebie with a sign up box for people to download it. To see an example check out my Email Worksheet landing page.

Most bloggers are scared to do a landing page. I get it. You are asking people to sign up for your email list without even seeing your blog. What if they don’t sign up for your list and then never get to see the goodness of your blog?

It’s a risk for sure. But you know what’s riskier? Having them go to the home page of your blog and never come back. At least if you capture their email address you can send them blog updates. I also take my email list very personally. To me it’s a way to connect with my followers, help them, and build relationships. I would rather take the risk of having them not sign up, then not come back at all.

To make your life easier use a landing plugin like Thrive Landing Pages to create your first page. They have awesome templates you can use to get up and running quickly. Something that helps me create landing pages really fast is to add in all my information and save it as a template. Then when I want to create a new landing page, I have the bones ready to go!

Use your landing page when you do Facebook promo days, guest posting, and on your social media sites. Create the best freebie you can and then share it like crazy!

10. Get Pinterest Down Pat

Pinterest is a gold mine of traffic for all bloggers. It has become the number one source of traffic for most bloggers out there. If there is one thing I wish I could do over my first year of blogging it would be Pinterest. I didn’t pay enough attention to growing that platform.

My advice to you is get to know everything you can about Pinterest! Devour any blog post you can find on the subject. A few of my favorite resources are my dear friend Suzi Whitford as well as McKinzie Bean, and Elna Cain. They all have great posts on Pinterest and how to grow your traffic using Pinterest.

My personal plan for Pinterest this year looks like this:

1. Update my profile to describe who I help.
2. Add images to the new slider thing.
3. Organize my boards better.
4. Delete pins that aren’t performing well.
5. Update call-to-actions to my pins.
6. Add SEO friendly words to my pins.
7. Add infographics to some of my posts.
8. Use Tailwind religiously.
9. Pin 3 other bloggers’ posts for every 1 post I share of mine.
10. Get more active on group boards listed on Find Your Tribe Online.

I have learned that Pinterest isn’t something you can haphazardly do. Like anything else you have to have a strategy to be successful with it. Part of my strategy involves using Tailwind to make my life easier. I love how easy it is to schedule my pins and others with Tailwind. If you haven’t tried Tailwind I highly recommend it. When I started using it, my Pinterest traffic increased by over 35%! As a bonus when you sign up with my link you get a free month to try it out–bonus!

Pinterest is key for any bloggers growth. Focus on a good Pinterest strategy and your blog traffic will grow!

11. Go Find Your People

At this point on your blogging journey you have done some serious work! Now it is time to get out there and find your readers!

The number one thing bloggers tell me they want is more traffic. More traffic means more engagement, more pageviews, and more money. Heck yes we want that traffic!

But unlike the Field of Dreams, the saying “If you build it they will come” does not work for blogging. Or any business really. You have to go out there and find your people and get them to come back to your blog.

Like I mentioned above, Pinterest is your best first start to go find your people. Join group boards in your niche and share your pins on those boards every single day. Share other bloggers’ pins to spread the love around.

Next you will want to figure out where your people are hanging out. Are they in Facebook groups? On Instagram or Twitter? On other blogs? Where is the main place your niche is hanging out? Figure that out and then be there and be visible.

Need help finding your people? Did you know that Find Your Tribe Online has 174 Facebook groups and 154 Pinterest group boards that will make it easy to find your people? It’s a resource many have used to triple their traffic in only days!

12. Engage with Your People

Once you know where your people are hanging out, talk to them! Ask them questions about what is going on in their lives. Ask them how you can help them today. Ask them if they could wave a magic wand over something in their lives, what result would they like to see? Ask them questions and take the time to get to know them.

On the flip side also take the time to answer their questions. Look in different Facebook groups and see what questions people are asking. Then go in there and offer your opinions. Take the time to help people for no other reason than to help them.

This is the core of providing value to your niche. Do this and people will flock to you and your blog. When you help people you are investing in them. This investment will build your tribe and grow your blog. Plus it’s just nice to do!

13. Pick One Social Media Site

Raise your hand if you are overwhelmed by all the social media sites out there.

Oh my gosh doesn’t it seem like we add something new every six months to the social media world? Just when you thought you had a handle on your Facebook page, Facebook adds groups and livestreams to their site. Then Periscope comes along and you haven’t even mastered Twitter yet. And why are you getting hits from SumbleUpon? Then there’s Pinterest and Instagram, both a blogger’s best friend.

Plus about 50 more that I am sure I haven’t mentioned. Holy moly! It’s enough to make you dizzy isn’t it?

The problem when we start blogging is we feel like we have to be on all the social media sites to grow our blogs. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

We actually do more damage to ourselves trying to be everywhere all the time. It’s too overwhelming to try to grow your blog and your email list and all your social media sites when you are new. It’s too much.

The best thing you can do for your blog and your sanity, is to grow one social media site at a time. Take a look at my Facebook page for Women Winning Online. It has a really low following. Why? Because I am not focused on growing my Facebook page. I am focused on growing my Facebook group because that is where my people are hanging out.

I have a goal and a plan to take on one social media site at a time. I know that I can’t do it all and do it all well. I would rather grow my blog, my email list, my Facebook group, and Pinterest before I tackle another social media site. Those four things alone are enough to keep me busy for the whole year!

I also know that I can’t focus on growing my social media site by myself. I don’t have the time to constantly be in my group posting information even though I wish I could be! I rely on PostPlanner to help me stay organized and visible online! I can loop my blog posts with PostPlanner and never have to worry about scheduling them to be shared again. It’s great! If you are looking for a social media scheduler this year, check out PostPlanner, and use WWOLOVE to get a 30% discount.

Do yourself, your blog, and your sanity a favor and focus on one social media site. Choose the site where your people are hanging out and do it really well. By staying focused on one site your following and your blog will grow!

14. Send Emails

Remember how you set up your email service, the best opt-in offer, and an awesome landing page? Now that you have started to collect those emails it’s time to actually send emails!

So many bloggers say “Well I can’t send an email to my list yet because there are only 10 people on my list.”

Why not?

Here’s the thing. Those 10 people don’t know they are only 1 of 10. For all they know you have 300 people on your list. They signed up for your email because they want to get emails from you!

I recommend starting first with a welcome email when people sign up for your freebie. Send out a welcome email and start building a relationship with your subscriber right away.

Then after that work on two things. First a weekly email newsletter. Let people know that you are going to email them once a week. In that email newsletter include exclusive tips you only share with your email subscribers. Share tools that are working for your blog or in your life. People love getting this kind of personal and exclusive content. For more ideas on what to send your email list, check out my email newsletter worksheet!

15. Network with Other Bloggers

Networking with other bloggers is one of the best things you can do for your blog and for yourself. This is a tip that has been around since the beginning days of blogging and one that holds true.

Making blogging friends is great for getting your content shared. You share their posts, they share your posts. It’s a win-win!

But it is also goes much deeper than that! Blogging is not easy work and it can be lonely. Connecting with other bloggers that get it makes it a lot less lonely. Your blogging friends will celebrate your wins with you and pick you up when you are having a rough day. That’s how important it is to network with other bloggers.

So where do you find these bloggers and how do you approach them without sound like a weirdo? Good question! One way is to create a mastermind group of 4-6 bloggers in your niche. Form a small Facebook group and help each other out. This is one way I met a few of my best blogging friends.

Another way is to simply reach out to bloggers that you admire online. Maybe they are in a similar niche as you and you admire the work they are doing. Take a moment and reach out to them on a Facebook message and introduce yourself. It doesn’t have to be weird or awkward because you are paying them a compliment. Ask them more about themselves and why they got into blogging. Let them know you are looking for a few new blogging friends to connect with. Taking these baby steps will help you to build a network of bloggers that you can lift up and vice versa!

16. Guest Post

Guest posting is a long held blogging strategy that still works today! Guest posting on someone else’s site is a great way to get your name out there to a new audience. It also helps build external links back to your blog.

The first thing you want to do when guest posting is look for blogs in a similar niche as yours. For example I blog about the business of blogging so I would look for blogs with similar topics like email marketing, getting blog traffic, and so on.

Another idea would be to look for blogs that are one step off of your main niche. For example, if there was a popular coupon blog that also writes about starting a blog, I could write a post on the top 10 reasons to start a blog today. The readers are used to seeing only coupon posts and might be drawn into blogging posts like these.

The next thing you want to do when you guest post is to look for blogs with a larger audience size than you. You want to look for popular blogs in your niche so you can have a shot at being seen by more people. Guest posting is a win-win because the host blog gets a break from creating content and you get your blog name in front of more people. It’s blogging collaboration at it’s best!

Three more things to consider when you write your guest post are:

1. Write your very best post. You want this post to be so detailed and filled with valuable information. Make sure your spelling and grammar are perfect too.

2. When you guest post you usually get a 1-2 sentence bio at the end of your post. Do not, do not, do not use a link and send people back to the home page of your blog. Send them to your landing page to grab that valuable email address!

3. If you can include links or images of your blog in the first two paragraphs of your post do it! This will help drive more traffic to your blog.

Guest posting is an incredible strategy to network with other bloggers and get more eyes on your blog!

17. Get Exposure

I think there is one key to all these 16 steps above. One thing that will set you apart from other bloggers.

Exposure.

You have to go out there and get exposure for your blog. You can’t write and hope people will come to you. The internet is a huge place and it is hard for one blog to stand out. The only way to stand out is to stand up and let people know you are here. Go out there and be consistent with your message. Talk to people, get to know them, help them, and write for them. Work hard and go out there and get exposure for your blog.

Post consistently on your blog, on social media, and in Facebook groups. Be faithful with your email list and send emails to your subscribers. Get to know other bloggers and help them out. Do these things to get exposure for your blog and to help others. This is the roadmap to growing your blog the right way.

Conclusion

The road to creating a successful blog is a long and winding road. It’s a fun road trip but one that’s better if you follow a roadmap. It makes the peaks and valleys so much closer and not as hard.

To recap, here are the things that you should include on your blogging roadmap to make your journey to a successful blog easier:

1. Start with a Plan
2. Know Your Why
3. Define Your Niche
4. Clear Blog Categories
5. The Right WordPress
6. Post Once a Week
7. Start with Email First
8. Create an Opt-in Offer
9. Get a Landing Page
10. Get Pinterest Down Pat
11. Go Find Your People
12. Engage with Your People
13. Pick One Social Media Site
14. Send Emails
15. Network with Other Bloggers
16. Guest Post
17. Get Exposure

This list is extensive and in and of itself overwhelming. I get it! Take a few moments after you read this to pin it to Pinterest so you can come back to it. My best advice is to go through this one step at a time. Just like you have to take stops along the way on any road trip the same is true for blogging. Rome wasn’t built in a day and your blog won’t be either! Take your time to do each of these steps and you will be rewarded with a successful and thriving blog!