My One Year Blog Anniversary: The Good, Bad and Ugly!
I made it!!!! After an exciting year blogging I’m here to share my ups and downs. I’m also going to share lessons learned from creating and running my own blog for the past year.
The Good:
So much has happened that makes me proud to say my blog is still growing. I decided to monetize my blog six months into blogging. Meaning I’m able to make money from my blog posts. (Let me just add, I’m not making an insane amount of money) I’ve made just under $100 so far. Working with companies like Expedia and Amazon I’m able to share products and resources from my favorite companies with my blog subscribers and visitors. I also have to celebrate the my growth on social media. Although I have tons of followers on Instagram most of my blog traffic comes from Pinterest and Facebook. My most popular blog post has been 7 Ways to Enjoy Washington D.C. on a Budget, bringing in thousands of page views a month through Pinterest. I’ve also traveled to some amazing places like Spain and Montreal, places that have enabled me to share some great travel experiences with you. Experiences I would’ve never dreamed of a few years ago. I am also happy for all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way and the amazing Facebook Groups that have supported me.
The Bad:
Although I started 2017 on a high note, the summer seemed to bring less traffic and overall less motivation from me. I take full responsibility for my decrease in blog traffic. Because honestly, there were days when I really didn’t feel motivated to write a blog post. The worst part of this feeling is the fact that I let my blog subscribers down. I started a newsletter that I couldn’t keep up with, making me lose credibility with my subscribers.
The Ugly:
Dedicating myself to this blog is like having a full-time job. There’s so much work and planning that goes into managing a blog. From taking quality shots of essential for travel photography to understanding WordPress codes, blogging requires a lot of you. There are days when I feel there’s not enough time in the day to work, take care of my family and manage my blog. For a new blogger this can be very discouraging.
The Year to Come:
With all that I’ve learned over the past year, I’ve created an action plan for the next year, including the resources I’ll be using to increase blog traffic. I’m going to continue to travel and share my world experiences. I’m looking forward to my upcoming trip to Iceland in two weeks, where I plan to expand on my passion for photography and take the imagery of my blog to new heights. I’ve made a lot of new connections and friends in the blogging world. Bloggers with a passion for travel and food who have been very supportive in my blog growth. I still have more to learn about Plug-ins and SEO’s but Rome wasn’t built overnight. I’m making it an essential part of my day to spend at least 2 hours on my blog. And another hour of my day on social media engagement. Creating a calendar and blog post schedule I can stick to will be essential for keeping in line with building a successful blog. Thanks for sharing this amazing anniversary with me. Let’s hear it for next years adventures to come along with more blog wins.
Happy Anniversary!!!!
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Happy Anniversary ! I am having blog a bit longer than you but I haven’t made any money yet so you can say you very pretty successful over this time! 🙂 Yes, I do agree having a blog is like a full time job but after all we do what we love so I don’t even know sometimes the time passing by. I wish you more and more successes on your blog!!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I wish you all the best as well.
This is a great post. I’m current dedicating all my time to blogging and it is not easy. This is definitely like a full time job, you have to work hard and some days you lose focus and your motivation goes nowhere. Blogging could be the best of both worlds but, you always have to put yourself on the line, hard work and effort is necessary.
I really wish you good luck I hope see you around much years.
Wishing you all the best too Sandrina. What we do takes a lot of work, but if you have a passion for it and stay persistent, things will work out.
Congrats on the one year anniversary. As a blogger it can definitely be tough to maintain that motivation of churning out blog posts! Keep on it, you’ve gotten so far already!
Thanks for the kind words Victoria. Wishing you all the best too.
Congrats on your 1-year anniversary, KJ! It’s such an exciting milestone and I know how long and hard a journey it is to keep going. It’s always great to have a plan to help keep you motivated. I can’t wait to see pictures from your upcoming Icelandic adventure!!
Thanks Rachelle 🙂
A full time job it is. But don’t give up, practice makes perfect 👌and good things come to those who wait 😍
Thanks. I will keep working at it.
You’re right, blogging is hard and requires a lot of effort, but marking the milestones is something important. Congrats:)
Thanks Diana 🙂
Congrats on your first year! It’s the most rewarding to realize you have put a year into your passions and how much the blog grows. I always think its fun to look back at some of my first posts and realize how – lets be real – bad they were. Keep it up 🙂
Happy blog-iversary! Love how open and honest you are when talking about everything that happened the past year! I think you have a solid plan for year 2, and creating a solid schedule is so important and helpful when sticking to your goals.
p.s. have fun in Iceland!!
Congratulations on the milestone. I am sure this is just the beginning and you will forge ahead conquering many a frontier in your stride. It is always hard work the first year, but the dividends start accruing soon after. All the best for the years to come.
Thank you so much Sandy. It has been challenging at times, but it is certainly worth it.
Congratulations on your first year anniversary! Building a website is sometimes frustrating and overwhelming. It requires a lot of time and learning! I hope you will have a successful blogging journey ahead! Cheers!
Thanks for all the kind words 🙂
There’s a bazillion travel blogs out there, but yours stands out in one very special way. More on that later.
I’ve been blogging for years – at one stage I was running a blogging empire out of the front seat of my cab. I could whip out the Macbook Air, register a domain name, set up a theme and make my first post in a matter of minutes. Fun, but confusing after a while.
My own blog is approaching a year. I haven’t made a lot of money – it seems you’ve done better than I – but I’ve enjoyed myself, shared a few photographs and a few stories, learnt a lot. Yes, it’s all in the social media, and I’ve got a long way to go there.
What stands out about your blog is your voice. Genuine, honest, thoughtful. It’s not about the journey around the world so much as the journey through life.
Give you joy of your blog, success for the future, and I’m glad to be sharing the journey.
Wow! You’ve made my day with this comment. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I’m glad you have noticed it is more about the journey than the travel itself. I’ll definitely be checking out your blog. Congratulations on reaching such an important milestone. Many give up after a few months, but you keep going, you keep pushing and encouraging yourself, which is what we all need to do in this life.