Why You Shouldn’t Start a Blog in 2024!

Why you shouldn’t start a blog in 2024: Thinking about starting a blog? That’s so exciting!!!! I will tell you it’s a fun, creative, and rewarding job!! I just wanted to give you 10 things to think about BEFORE you jump in head first! I want you to be equipped with all the knowledge and information you can about blogging to help you decide if it’s the right job for you!

The internet is full of incredible bloggers and content creators! If you’ve read income reports or know how bloggers make money, it looks like such an enticing lifestyle, right?!

But it’s not all sitting at your computer writing about something you ADORE and then watching the money roll in. There is SO MUCH to blogging that you would never even know existed until you’re knee-deep into it (that was me!!).

The purpose of this post is to give you a little preview of some of the struggles of being a blogger. Equipped with this info, my hope is that you will have a better understanding of what’s involved in blogging and whether it’s a good option for you!

I learned this about 4 months into my blogging journey after writing lots of those types of posts! It wasn’t until I took Cooking with Keywords (also Blogging with Keywords for non-food niches), that the light bulb went on and I realized I was doing everything wrong! #facepalm

2. There is a lot of “techie” stuff you’ll need to learn

If there is one thing that makes my skin crawl, it’s technology-related things! As a blogger, though, you are going to have to roll up your sleeves and dive in!

From getting your website theme set up, to connecting to Google Analytics to track your blog’s traffic, to learning a zillion other “techie terms,” I will tell you – it’s A LOT!

It’s overwhelming and I will say this is one area where blogging has made me shed some tears! But listen, if I can do it, you can too! You just need to be determined and open to learning new (hard’ish) things.

It’s A LOT! I feel like no one really tells beginning bloggers how much work ONE blog post is!

4. It can be really lonely

There is a small fraction of people who will actually understand and APPRECIATE what you do as a blogger.

You’ll find it HARD to explain what it is that you do to friends and family!

5. Your blog will likely grow a lot more slowly than you think

Blogging is DEFINITELY a marathon. Yes, it’s very possible to monetize in a year like I did with my food blog, but that is NOT typical AT ALL!

In order to build your authority on Google and build your Pinterest or social media following, it takes TIME!!! Two years is probably a good bar to set as to when you can have traffic levels high enough to reach a premium ad network like Mediavine or Raptive.

6. It’s a business investment – you need to spend money

If you want to make real, stay-at-home money from blogging, you need to treat it like a business from day 1. This means INVESTING in your business!

I don’t know many businesses you can start (MLM’s included!) where you can launch for roughly $100! Blogging has a VERY low start-up cost but you NEED to spend money to make money. Here are some ROUGH costs:

• Website Theme: $100-$200 (one-time cost)
• Website Hosting: $10-$25/month
• Domain name: $20-$50/year
• Keyword research tool: I use Keysearch (~ $10/month), and RankIQ (~$49/month)
• Courses/Education: Anywhere from $50-$1,200!

7. Work-life balance is a huge challenge

Working at home can be super challenging for some people. Because you are working remotely, the lines tend to blur between work and home.

See a load of laundry that needs to be folded? It’s so easy to just get it done when you SHOULD be working!

On the flip side, because you’re working on your computer, it’s sometimes hard to STOP working and shut your brain off because your work is always “there!”

8. It’s about WAY more than just “blogging”

You might go into blogging thinking you are just going to be a “blogger.” Surprise! Once you start blogging for a while, you will realize there are so many paths you can take with your business…and that you will probably NEED to take!

You really need to see yourself as a business from day one and not just a blogger.

9. You will probably want to give up

As I mentioned in #4, blogging can be lonely. It’s tough to find motivation when no one around you really understands what you do.

That, coupled with the fact there are SO MANY freaking new things to learn, push most bloggers out of the business in less than a year.

10. When you think you have it down, things change

Blogging and content creation is probably one of the most dynamic, creative, fun, and exciting jobs! But because it’s technology-based, you better believe things can change overnight.

From Google or social media algorithm changes to technology updates to good old AI, as a blogger and business owner, you’ll need to be willing and open to adapting to embracing these changes.

6 Expert Tips for New Bloggers

Ok, I know all of that sounded super bad, and it is NOT meant to discourage you from blogging in any way! Instead, I hope it gives you a clear picture of what to expect. From that, you can decide whether blogging is right for you.

Most of the things I mentioned can be overcome, too! Here are a few tips on how to overcome some of the challenges I listed above.

1. Google the crap out of everything

There is SO MUCH to learn with blogging. It’s like learning a new language! I spent the better part of my first 6 months just GOOGLING EVERYTHING and watching YouTube videos.

Things like “What is SEO?” or “How do I set up Google Analytics” or “How to make those pretty underline links on my blog.” I swear, I Googled EVERYTHING!

2. Find a community

If you can find some Facebook blogging groups and connect with a few other bloggers, that is ideal! It’s so nice to have someone you can message to ask questions or just VENT. Someone who will understand!!

3. Invest/Take Courses

I talked in #6 above about treating your business like a BUSINESS (not a hobby) if you are serious about making money. Businesses NEED to invest and spend money to make money.

Yes, be smart about it. You should be spending your money on a nice, fast website theme, a good keyword research tool, and courses that will walk you through, step-by-step things you don’t understand.

4. Have work hours

This is SO IMPORTANT when you work from home! Set work hours and stick to them so you’re not doing laundry during work hours or working during family time!

5. Have a workflow

Figuring out how much time you have to blog and WHAT needs to get done might be the biggest puzzle for some people. But once you have a solid workflow in place, it will skyrocket your productivity!

I walk you through exactly how to make your own workflow here.

6. Have a growth mindset

I talk in this post about one of the keys to my blogging success is having a growth mindset. The blogging business is constantly changing and if you don’t embrace this change, things get hard really fast!

It’s definitely a mindset shift — you have to embrace every change as it comes and look at it as an opportunity! (it’s easier said than done, I am sure you know that!)