6 Discoveries I Made My 1st Year Of Blogging

 

I’ve now completed my first year of blogging!  Yes, Pitter Patter of Baby Feet is over a year old now. 

While I’m just one blog in a sea of other amazing blogs, blogging taught me a lot about myself and running a website.

No one said it was going to be easy… And it hasn’t been.  

Throughout the year, I’ve discovered things along the way about myself, my writing skills, my audience and how to succeed at blogging.  

Stroll with me down memory lane for a minute and I’ll share with you 6 discoveries I’ve made during my first year of blogging!

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission.  Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases.  The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

1. Blogging Is Extremely Rewarding

I started blogging as a creative outlet. 

I use to write as a freelance writer getting paid peanuts for writing articles for other bloggers.  It just seemed like I was going nowhere.

Plus, I was spending so much time writing about things I wasn’t passionate about.

One day I thought, “Why I am writing for other bloggers and websites and they’re reaping the benefits?” 

From there I started crafting the idea of my own mom blog that covers fertility issues, pregnancy, motherhood and areas of self-care.

Now Pitter Patter of Baby Feet has grown into a creative outlet for me.  There’s really no limit to the things I love to write about! 

Blogging gives me an outlet outside my family and my home that’s specifically mine.  

Better yet, my blog is an investment.  I’ve invested time and energy that will continue to grow as long as I maintain it.

 

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2. Not Every Article You Write Will Be A Success

That’s right!  Not every article will be a box office hit. 

The majority of my articles that are at the forefront of page views and engagements come from articles about Fertility and Pregnancy.

I love writing about fertility and pregnancy.  They seem to go hand in hand.  

But fertility is very important to me and has been from day one of this blog. 

I went through infertility and my husband and I still conceive children with fertility treatment.

I always write about natural ways to boost fertility.  But not always can natural remedies get you pregnant. 

Sometimes you need a little help from science and there’s nothing wrong with that!

While articles in the Fertility and Pregnancy categories have great stats, other articles in Parenting and the Just For Moms categories have less interaction and reach.

3. Social Media Plays A Big Role

Social media does play a huge role in the reach of my blog.  I’m active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

But what do I focus on most… Pinterest!  

Pinterest brings in the majority of my blog traffic because it’s not just a social media platform, but a search engine.

I use the other social media platforms to let followers know about new blog articles and to get to know me.  I’ve made some wonderful connections with followers!

4. Blogging Can Make You Money

Blogging does have the capacity to earn you an income!  However, it’s not a get rich quick scheme. 

Instead of a sprint to make money, it’s more of a marathon!

During my first month after my blog launched, I made $16.  I was happy just to make $16! 

I wrote articles and drove traffic to earn that money.

Now 12 months have passed, I’ve increased my income almost every month because of website ads and commission from Amazon.  I am now up to an average of $800 a month. 

Of course, depending on traffic and commission, the income does fluctuate.

While it’s completely up to a reader whether or not to click and buy anything, I’m still extremely grateful!

The money I earn from commission and sessions on my blog translates into food for my child and bills that need to be paid.

5. When Your Blog Grows To Reach More People, So Does Criticism & Rude Comments

This is a harsh reality, unfortunately!  While I strive to bring as much positivity to Pitter Patter of Baby Feet, there’s always going to be people who hate my articles, the topics and the writing.

Yes, it hurts, but the bigger your blog grows the more people it reaches. 

Therefore, with more people you reach the more haters and naysayers come out to put you down.  

In the age of social media, everyone has an opinion. 

If your opinion is different from theirs you get attacked!  While I don’t mind constructive criticism, rude comments are just mean.

I’ve found this out the hard way when I had an article go viral on Pinterest. 

The article is all about what baby products to buy instead. 

Some of the baby items on there are extremely popular, therefore many moms have something to say about it.  

Honestly, it’s all a matter of personal opinion.  I don’t judge moms who use those products. 

But just because I don’t use them doesn’t mean my writing is “hostile” and I “sound like a snob.”  Those are people’s opinions.

Those comments on that article happen to come the same day I reached a peak of the most pageviews ever on my site which was over 6,000.  

I always look at it this way: For every one person that likes your article, there’s two other’s who hate it! 

You live and learn and it is what it is.  

A blogger friend once told me: “You know you doing well with your blog when you start receiving negative/harsh/mean comments.  That simply means your blog’s growing into something big!  People will say anything to bring you down!”

 

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6. There’s A Lot That Goes Into Building & Maintaining A Blog

Until I started Pitter Patter of Baby Feet, I didn’t realize how much actually goes into it.  It’s a lot of work. 

Yes, I say work!  

Whether you believe it or not, blogging takes an extreme amount of time, dedication, compassion, energy and sometimes stress to keep it going. 

It’s not something that magically falls into place.

When I first started, I had no idea how to design a website.  I honestly just started pushing buttons blindly to see what happened. 

Yes, I probably could have a more attractive website… But I’m happy with it and it’s easy to navigate (which is the most important thing).

Now, I know how to assemble an article together each week with pictures, seo, pins for pinterest, and ect. 

Plus, keeping up with multiple social media platforms to promote and engage with followers.

Just to give you an idea about everything that goes into one post, I include the following:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Disclosure statement
• Pictures with alt text and SEO
• Writing (of course)
• Focusing the writing on solving a problem (most articles are about solving a problem compared to personal opinion for me)
• Create at least one Pinterest pin with brand name and colors
• Edit writing
• Link to other articles on website
• Check for plagiarism and grammar mistakes 
• Connect affiliate links (if applicable).

Things I Hope To Accomplish For My 2nd Year Of Blogging

Now that I head into my second year of blogging, I have goals I’d like to accomplish. 

It’s always nice to have more followers on every social media platforms and my blog, but I’m not focusing on the numbers.  

My goals for this year include the following…

Gain More Self-Confidence

While I’ve gained more confidence throughout the year with each article I write, I still struggle with it like everyone else. 

There are times I don’t feel my writing is good enough or that I’m not good enough to be blogging.  

But even though negative comments can knock you down, you got to keep getting back up. 

The truth is that not everyone will like your work.  Every writer deals with this.  

Just because some people don’t like my work doesn’t mean I need to stop doing what I love. 

If we all stopped doing what we love because of what others say, we’d never accomplish anything!

Be More Social On Social Media

If you’ve read any of my work in the Just For Moms category, you will find a few articles that focus on dealing with anxiety as a mom. 

I don’t shy away from the topic of mental health.  

Much of my anxiety comes from being socially anxious.  It’s hard for me to be in large crowds or even be in small groups. 

And this anxiety translates into social media as well.  Yes, I have social anxiety when it comes to social media.

I have no problem posting pictures of my son because I’m immensely proud of him! 

However, when it comes to taking pictures of myself, especially selfies, I just can’t do it yet.

I’m hoping to change that in my second year of blogging. 

I want to be able to face my fear of being judged by others and also gain self-confidence to show my followers more of me! 

I feel I reflect who I am and my experiences in my writing and blog, but lack this communication when it comes to social media.

Continue To Be Consistent With Publishing Blog Posts

This is one of my biggest fears!  Honestly, I’m afraid of falling behind and not maintaining my blog after my second boy is born by July 9th.  

I’ve been preparing for this by having 15 weeks worth of articles ready to go so I don’t fall behind. 

Plus, it gives me a nice cushion of content to be able to take a break after my son is born for quality time.

However, only time will tell. I hear bloggers all the time talk about how they’ve fallen behind on maintaining their blog because of having another child. 

Going from one child to two children is more challenging, so I completely understand how this can happen.

But I don’t want this to be the case for me and Pitter Patter of Baby Feet. 

I want to keep producing articles even though the chaos of family life.

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Final Thoughts

Through all the struggles, starting this blog was the best decision I’ve ever made. 

I’ve invested a ton of time, commitment and passion into this and I’m proud of it!

It’s a creative outlet for me.  I’m no longer “just a stay at home mom,” I’m also a writer and blogger. 

With most of my articles I try to solve a problem for moms and for those who are trying to conceive.

I love turning my passion and experiences around to help others. 

Of course there are articles that are mostly opinion pieces, but for the most part I try to write about solving a problem.  

If you love to write, I encourage to start a blog!  Yes, there’s many blogs out there. 

And many articles talking about the same subjects.  But you have a voice and it’s unique!

The story might have been told before, but it hasn’t been told from your perspective!

Here’s to another year of blogging!