Why You Should Definitely Start A Blog in 2023
This is a blog post that I’ve been itching to write for a long time now, and so I’ve had a while to think about what I really want to say. I was going to title this blog post, “blogging should make a comeback in 2023,” but I thought that was a little too subtle. You know? So, I opted for the “Why You Should Definitely Start A Blog In 2023” but fear not for those who already have a blog or any other type of business, this post is for you. Especially for the people who have a product-type business or a podcast or a YouTube channel, I want you to pay attention.
But honestly. Why should you start a blog in 2023?
You own the content.
This one’s a no-brainer. When you set up a blog on a self-hosted platform, like Squarespace or WordPress, and you invest the time and money in it, you own your content. Period. Don’t get me wrong, I love (and hate) Instagram because it’s so direct to consumer. But with a blog? I can go back to an old blog post—and that old blog post can also drive traffic to my blog even years after it’s been published.
Blogs are SEO-friendly and not controlled by an algorithm.
One great thing about owning my own content is my books page. I can see all the books I read in each month. It’s better than Goodreads! I have my #bookstagram, but that would mean scrolling back to my old posts (that takes forever) and skipping through my highlights (that usually are very long if I save all the books I read in a given year) to track all the books I read in a year.
It sharpens your writing skills.
This also includes your photography, graphic design, editing, social media, and search engine optimization skills. But I think blogging mainly sharpens your writing skills. Whatever “niche” you decide to blog about (and you can blog about multiple niches!), you’re going to have to write at least one paragraph per blog post. If you love to write longer blog post entries, then this will definitely sharpen your writing skills. I encourage you to continue blogging even if you don’t get a lot of views because it sharpens your writing skills, and honestly, sharpens your critical thinking and communication skills.
It’s something that you can enjoy doing.
Do you find yourself bored sometimes? Especially while you’re watching TV or scrolling through TikTok for the thousandth time that day? Same. When I find myself bored, I open my computer and work on a blog post. Even if you do monetize it, you can still enjoy what you’re doing. I’m a believer in love what you do.
It’s a place where you can share your opinions and what you’re passionate about.
And with that, there are many topics that you can choose from. Whether it’s personal finance, DIY, business/entrepreneurship, fashion and style, beauty and makeup, fitness, inspiration, faith, pets, gaming, education, parenting, books, or pop culture, there’s room for you to have a blog of your own. You can talk about any one of these topics (and maybe even 2-3 of these topics) and share your opinion and your unique voice. That’s right—your unique voice. Having a blog means you get to share your unique voice. Why should your readers keep coming back to your blog? For your voice. Why do you keep coming back to watch your favorite YouTubers? Because you value their opinion and like their voice. Even if you don’t get a lot of attention on your blog for months (or years), I encourage you to keep writing and sharing what you’re passionate about because those people—those people who care about your opinion—will come.
A blog can connect you to your ideal customer.
I’m not the business-savvy gal that some are (love y’all), but I do recommend that every business (that has a website) has a blog. Consider this my application to even freelance write for your blog to get you started. Every podcast, business (yes, that means Etsy stores), and website should have a blog, mainly evergreen articles. Podcasts? Write a blog post that round up a specific group of episodes related to a broad topic. (All the beauty tips episodes go in one blog post. All the content creation tips go in one blog post.) I’m sure that the big podcasts that get questions all the time about “have you done an episode on this,” you can then direct them to that blog post rather than directing them to the general link to your podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and have them scroll for it. I’m saying this as a podcast consumer myself, but I know that would be helpful. For a business, you can create blog posts on business tips for other entrepreneurs, how you got started as a business, interviews with other business owners, or a day in the life of a business owner. This also increases your search engine optimization (SEO) which, with the right keywords, increases your rank in Google, thus increasing sales on your website (with the right website copy).
It’s profitable.
It’s hard to write this as someone who barely made any money on her blog in the past four years of writing on this blog. I say this with caution—blogging doesn’t have to be profitable. You can certainly start a blog and make no money from it, and still love what you do. If you really do love blogging, you’ll continue to do it. Money shouldn’t be the sole intention of blogging. (However, it can certainly be one of the intentions, let’s be real.) However, you can make money through your blog through ads, affiliate marketing, digital products like e-books and guides, and brand sponsorships (like a brand is sponsoring you to write a blog post). However, I encourage you to continue sharpen your blogging and writing skills and focus on building your community with consistency and passion for what you’re writing about. That way, once you start making money, you can continue focusing on growing and connecting to your audience.
Did you like this blog post? Check out my other blogging and career tips on my Career page. Stick around for more blog posts on lifestyle, faith, and pop culture!
