Birmingham, UK

TRYING TO GROW YOUR BLOG? IGNORE THIS ADVICE*

* This is a sponsored post

Over the years I've consumed tones of advice on how to grow my blog, but there's always one tip which seems to come up time after time - pick a niche. Now there are plenty of tips and tricks I'll happily listen to in the hope that my online presence grows however, this will never be one of them.


Grace is facing the camera, holding the laptop she has just been working on

While I agree that by picking a niche and focussing on one area to write about, your blog may grow quicker, and yes it will probably help with SEO too, but I think it also hinders your creativity and limits your blog's potential. That's not to say you shouldn't pick a niche when starting a blog. If you have a passion for something in particular or you run your blog alongside your business it makes sense, but for budding bloggers just starting out, I don't think it helps to restrict yourself.


Why am I so against this advice? Well, there are a few reasons. The first reason I never took it onboard was simply that I have so many interests. Right at the start when I created my blog I knew I wanted to talk about fashion, and makeup, and travel tips, and anything else I found interesting. I simply didn't want to chain my blog to one subject.


Another reason I steered clear of picking a niche for my new creative venture was that I saw it as a hobby and not a revenue stream. Making money from my little space on the internet was not my priority. That's not to say blogs featuring various content can't be profitable, many bedroom bloggers have gone on to make millions from their diverse, multi-subject blogs. It is possible to be a successful lifestyle blogger while also covering a multitude of areas. Which brings me to my next point...


The problem with so many articles on growing your blog is that they suggest you cannot be a successful blogger without picking a niche. This is an issue because not only is it false, everyone's idea of success is different. To one blogger success might be achieved with a certain amount of monthly views, to another, it might be when their blog starts to generate income, it depends what each blogger is hoping to get out of creating their blog.  


So what advice should you take when trying to grow your blog? While I'm no blogging expert, I've read a lot of blogging advice over the years and these are the tips which seem to pop up quite a lot:


  • Use social media. Instagram, in particular, is one of the best platforms to get your creative content seen. You should also share your new blog posts on social media and engage with other creatives too.
  • Get to grips with basic SEO. Yes, search engine optimisation can seem like a minefield for newbies but it's an important technical part of growing your blog.
  • Leave meaningful comments on other blog posts and social media content. Generic 'nice post' comments may get you noticed but building relationships is much more important.
  • If you don't already own a custom URL for your site it would be worth buying one as it makes your blog look more professional and can help build trust with your readers. 


To conclude, there is tonnes of really great advice out there that may help budding bloggers to grow their platforms. Whatever you chose to do it's important to pick the advice that works for you and your blog, and if that means writing about a whole host of subjects then so be it. There are some things you'll need to do to grow your blog, but picking a niche isn't necessarily one of them.


Thanks for reading!


If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!


A Pinterest image. Grace is looking into the camera holding the laptop she has just been working on. Below here is text that reads " Trying to grow your blog? - Ignore this advice"


7 comments

  1. I definitely agree. I started as a fashion blog but felt a bit too tied to it, now I’ve branched out it feels a lot more freeing to post whatever I want -@sunsetdesires

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that's it, it's a shame to constrict yourself to one area when you can have so much fun blogging about all sorts! :)

      Delete
  2. Oh my god - AMEN! There are so many bloggers and creators pushing that push the narrative of needing a niche to be successful and it does my head in. Especially those who are monetising it! Niching only guarantees one thing - stifled creativity!

    www.leighmegan.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly this! While choosing a specific subject might be helpful to some, it just wouldn't work for me and so many others!

      Grace x

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Latest Instagrams

© GraceBee. Design by Fearne.