Once upon a time in a far of land… Oh no, that’s not what I wanted to cover.
How I started blogging.
My original choice of profession was to become an engineer. But one day, the lead engineer approached me with a stack of papers. He handed them to me, and I asked, “What are these for?”
He told me that they were installation and troubleshooting procedures (that were half-assed written; that’s my interpretation). He needed me to write and correct them because I was a low man on the totem pole, and no one else wanted to do it.
From then on, writing had me hooked!!!
My original blog was “The Nuts and Bolts Blog,” but that didn’t last very long, maybe a month or so. I was new to blogging and didn’t have a clue as to what to do. So, I needed to figure it out. I started reading and listening to podcasts to learn all the things that I needed. And while I was learning, I started jotting down notes. And those notes are what I used to create my first blog posts on danswords.com.
What you are seeing here is the second iteration of my blog post. The first version was very successful. I posted up to three times a week and had a very successful series called “Featured Writer Friday.” If you google me and my website, we took up the first three pages of Google!! I was rocking my blog!!!
Then life happened. I accepted a new job at a different company.
One day, I had a really bad day and let the new job get the best of me. I wasn’t blogging because I was working too much and getting lots of overtime!! Like I said, I let the job get the best of me and deleted all of my work. (Insert a very sad emoji here.) That was around 200 blog posts – about five years of hard work and dedication.
- I reached the top spot on Google Page One with my blog post, Five Qualities of a Great Blog Post. I just happened to save this post in a Word file.
- I ranked my website and other blog posts on Google.
- I worked with bloggers from all over the world.
- I was an authority guest on multiple Twitter Spaces and other sites.
- and many other great highlights…
Becasue I was consisten in posting. I was consistent in my content. And in each and every post, I strived to be best in class; I started making real money. It wasn’t from affiliate links or advertisements but from companies paying me to post their content on MY WEBSITE.
My website was in its PRIME!! I finally made it!!! I was making some decent cash. Then, in a moment of crisis or weakness or, in reality, stupidity, I deleted it all.
Everything gone. Erased.
Now, here I am, building it all back up. This post isn’t supposed to be about how I screwed everything up, but it’s about how YOU CAN MAKE IT TOO!!!
- Stay focused. Keep your eyes on the prize!!
- Create great content. I know you’ll get discouraged from time to time. That’s normal. Just remember it will happen, but don’t let “the moment” stop you.
- Keep learning all you can. There are some outstanding books out there on content creation, SEO, and social media. Some of my favorites are:
- Content Inc. by Joe Pulizzi
- Anything by Pat Flynn
- How to Get to The Top of Google by Tim Cameron-Kitchen
- Explore others…
- Don’t start monetizing your website from the start. If you are monetizing, turn it off. Then, go back and read bullet number 2.
If I can do it with absolutely no knowledge of blogging, no knowledge of SEO, and no knowledge of social media, I know you can, too!!!
He’s what you need to do.
Creating a successful website takes time and dedication. You will not get there overnight. Concentrate on learning all you can. Create content that engages your audience and keeps them coming back for more.
The formula is simple.
Time + (Great Content) + SEO = SUCCESSFUL BLOG
There is no way around that.
To Your Success!!!
I Hope You Enjoyed This Post.
I thought I’d do something a little different and give you an inside look at my story. I’ve had some success and some failures, but for the most part, I really enjoy blogging about blogging. It makes me happy. It’s how I unwind.
Be sure to check out my other posts. I cover everything from content creation to SEO to Social Media. So be sure to give it a look!!
Please leave a comment to let me know if you enjoyed this post, or drop a comment if you didn’t. It’s all good!! And follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more behind-the-scenes stuff.
Until next time, everyone,
Peace, Love, and Happiness
