Did you ever leave your cellphone (or a personal item) on the desk in your room, and later found out that somebody close to you (maybe your spouse or best friend) moved it somewhere else?
What did you do?
You spent at least 5 minutes, hopelessly searching for it… then another 5 minutes frustratingly going back to the same places, and double checking… an easier, or more direct method would have been instead to simply ask about the missing object (and save the time and energy for something else).
You don’t have to curse, you don’t have to get angry or stressed out… just sit back, relax for a minute, and breathe deeply. You’re probably going through some hard time right now and cannot focus, or you’re too tired and require sleep, or you may even need some outdoor activities for an hour or so.
When I cannot find ideas to blog about (rarely happens), it’s not that I have writers’ block, but I need to relax. So I cease my brain from focusing on the business, and instead I get outside or listen to some music. When I come back to the desk, my brain is fresh, and ideas flow naturally.
Blogging is about content
Yes, keywords (that people type in to the search engines) are essential, and if you want to rank on Google, you better hunt for those key terms with little or no competition whatsoever. The same goes for your articles… If you want to build a large “tribe”, then you need to write about things that nobody else talks about.
For example, in the blogging niche, everybody talks about writers block, and where to look when you’re lacking blog posting ideas. Nobody seems to talk about what to do when you have too many ideas, or how to tackle contradictory ideas.
If blogging doesn’t work for you anymore, it’s because you’ve looked at it with the wrong pair of glasses. You did what everybody else has done. You played the game in the “me too” league. Get a new pair of shoes. Put on some different shorts. Get new glasses. Enhance your skills…
In other words, you have to blog radically differently, or you’ll suffer the consequences.
Doing the same thing, over and over again, is called insanity. That’s what Einstein told us. That’s what nobody else told you.
If you’ve read this far, you have to understand something about me. ;)
I’ve been online in this game since around 2001. That’s more than a decade in the industry. In real life, that’s like a hundred years. I’ve spent a lifetime digitally reading and writing, and learning and teaching.
I’m not just an up and coming blogger… I’m a true blue super affiliate, and a coach, showing others how to tap into the onlineshpere and make money with associate programs. I get hundreds of emails a day from students and people who I haven’t even met personally.
I see recurring trends and recurring questions
Bloggers think that blogging is easy. Bloggers think that “monetization” is about slapping a few pages with Adsense codes on, and waiting for the big $1,000 check to arrive the very next month. When I direct them to a post like this which you’re reading now, they get offended (some, not all), or think the sky has fallen on their head. They feel betrayed, and want to quit.
I’ve been there and done it.
I’ve bought countless of “get-rich-quick” schemes and been up and down with my online business multiple times.
I still get on the rollercoaster, from time to time. You cannot escape struggle and challenges. That’s part of the business, indeed. Whoever tells you that you can make money blindfolded or while you sleep, without encountering new challenges, or requiring that you need to learn new things, are simply trying to get your money, or better said… they have no clue what they’re even talking about.
Lesson learned: If you ever feel like your blog is stale, you don’t have to get upset; don’t be scared (that’s also part of the game). Embrace your fear, conquer your deepest fears in fact, and play to win the game.
Winners never quit, quitters never win. I live by this line all day, every day.
Remember, it’s not your fault that you’ve been led in the wrong direction. You were just following your “newbie” mentality, or somebody else who was not a pro in the game. Your next and biggest mission starts off when you’re following somebody whom you resonate with and has already been there, and done it.
Now, the ball is in your court…
Tell me, did you play the blogging game in the “me too” league? Have you been lead by the so-called gurus before? Did you spend a fortune on B.S. products like I did?
I cannot wait to hear what you have to say…:D
photo by Creative Ignition
Its really awesome to see bloggers like you who really take care of the visitors so i really appreciate your site. This is such a really nice post and i will follow it :)
Really awesome! I have found some of creative way to continue blogging. The post unveils some of promising features about it. I totally agree with you that blogging is not a easy task. It’s full of difficulties. So, consistency is one of most promising feature for about that. Thanks for providing such a elegant info in this post about blogging.
Yea bro you are totally right blogging is all about content! Content is always the king in blogging ! I always try to do blogging on my peak times ! Time between 7-12 in the night!I usually write my articles at that time ! This is a great information for newbie bloggers thanks for sharing this ! :D
Very interesting post!
Actually I’m a newbie. I just think how about my life when I start blogging recent months. Then It’s hard for me to image what to do when blogging stops working. Start something news is hard especially I love blogging day my day.
“Bloggers think that blogging is easy. Bloggers think that “monetization” is about slapping a few pages with Adsense codes on, and waiting for the big $1,000 check to arrive the very next month.” If new bloggers have this mentality right now, I have no doubt that they will not be successful in their blogging career. I mean, blogging is basically sharing ideas, thoughts and information. Money is the second priority and making money out of blogging is not as easy as a walk-in-a park. It needs to be earn by giving a 100% dedication to it. Well, in any case, bloggers also needs to rest. Yes, we may experience adrenaline rush sometimes having a lot of ideas to share or post but there are certain times when our brain just won’t function the way we want it to. We feel lost and don’t know what exactly to do. By that, it only means that we have to take some time off to relax our brain and body and to fully recover it to have a 100% function once again.
Hi John,
Well, for me When I am sleepy or too stressed, I blog more effectively. When Last night I didn’t wanted to blog suddenly I don’t know what happened but I was writing like a mad man and wrote more than 600 words in 30 minutes.
Thanks for the post BTW.
Hi John, Really inspiring article…The love the quote…I think consistency and perseverance can take a motivated individual to places.We all have to go through the process of making mistakes,learning and then reinventing ourselves…There are a lot of people who are prying on people looking to build online businesses…So one has to be prepared for all this if he really wishes to make a mark.
John this a really motivational post. I have been in the blog zone for 2 years now. I am yet to earn that $1000 check, but I don’t lose heart. I love blogging and therefore I write. Money will come and go. I want to leave a mark on my readers, and that’s important. Great quote
Winners never quit, quitters never win. I live by this line all day, every day.
hey Yash,
my man, I’m glad to connect with a like minded warrior :)
“Leave a unique mark”. That’s the best advice newbie bloggers should follow, period.
Thank you for the input, and hope to see you more often comment here @ AllbloggingTips.com
That’s a really amazing and motivational article.
Making money has always been the most difficult subject to understand, the toughest when you are newbie. New bloggers have only one aim – get approved with Google Adsense, but they don’t understand that there are many ways that can make a lot money than Adsense.
Thanks a lot for the kind of article.
Cheers :)
hey Arbaz,
You’re right… there are plenty other fishes in the Ocean not just AdSense… however, most bloggers are too afraid to getting into the deeper waters, or simply put, nobody trains them how to catch fish themselves…
If you have a brain, then you can make money using whatever model you prefer, as others are already doing it… blogging is just one of the best “authority building” platforms that you can monetize with affiliate offers, product reviews and personal item/service selling.
Hope it helps!
That was one of the most useful reply I have got :)
Blogging is really a great way, to build relationship and to make money with each and every way possible.
Thanks for replying with great information.
Content is king, keywords are telling Google what’s my post about, and backlinks are how much Google trusted me. But if focus to Content (with 3-4 keywords in it), backlinks will generate automatically and naturally. Content is all.
Hello Gibb,
Nice article and i love reading it as much. Blogging is a passion for me and i love doing it with a happy face. i have never thought of once leaving the blogging world. Thanks for the lovely post and do have your self a lovely week ahead :)
I say, if it’s not working, you should try harder! The research is out there to get better! Great read.
I sometimes feel as if it’s not working sometimes. Maybe I should take my own advice? lol
Leon,
Yes, Often we forget to take own advice… which is the best one can get, don’t you think?
How is your photography site doing? Are you using blog commenting and guest posts to get the word about your service? :)
Care to share some tips from your blogging experience?
I am still having issues with the search engines due to keyword stuffer, so I am not ranking high enough in the keywords that can potential attract business.
I have commenting and comments are starting to come in.
Guest posts, honestly, I see blog posts about it, but I don’t know where to go as far as photography for it.
Tip wise, all I can say is be consistent, but don’t over post so you don’t burn yourself out and allow other posts to breathe and be seen.
Thanks for motivational post with awesome examples, i’ll never stop my Internet journey not only blogging :)
Hi John,
Interesting post. We have to blog only for our readers, we are not blogging for keywords or google. Just deliver the useful and unique content to your loyal readers. Surely we will get everything… It’s working. And it will surely work. It’s the truth. We don’t have to bother about the stuffs like, SEO, SMO, keywords, adwords, bla bla etc…
Nirmal,
That’s half true!
If you’re blogging only for your readers (and depend on your RSS/mailing list subscribers) you forget about hundreds and thousands other individuals who type in their keywords and questions on the Google search engine.
So you limit yourself and your exposure? Blogging shouldn’t be limited, unless that’s part of your game plan, don’t you think?
I’d say… you do have to bother about keywords, because you want to know with 100% accuracy what your present (and potential) visitors are looking for. Neglect keywords at your own peril!
Hope it helps?
Thank you very much John Gibb for this awesomeness post. I will never stop blogging until I die :D
Hi John Gibb,
Nice writing skill man. I liked it – awesome article. Hope you will post soon :)
Hasan
I generally watch movies when my blogs are not ranking. Most of the time, I read success stories and failure stories of the bloggers to learn something new. Only seating on the chair will not work.
For a second, I just thought a World without Blogging. Ahh! terrific!
No blogging?? That would be a complete nightmare Ahhhhh!!
I am thankful that i am saved fro these blogging gurus the only reason is that you have to surf more and more keep observing the things with keen eye everything becomes clear automatically.
thanx for the advice..hoping that it will work…it is really annoying when you are out of ideas..
i’ll give it a try for sure..i wanted to ask if blogging aboout real life stories would work or should i try something else…
thanx i advance for the advice
Subhash
Writers’ block happens when you’re not passionate about your topic.
It’s not when you have two or multiple ideas and don’t know which to tackle first.
What do you understand from “real life stories”?
Personally, I prefer to bring anecdotes and personal experiences within my content, and do it quite often. I write in my unique voice. That’s why I’m able to grow my “tribe”, and followers love this style.
Each blogger should carve their distinct voice and approach to blogging… don’t talk on a topic just because it’s the TREND. Share your personal “reason why” you think it’s worth the talk. Why you say what you say. Give examples, share case studies, and so forth,
Hope this answers your question?
I would say blogging is about content + keywords + promotion and yes if i have to pick only one then it would definitely be “content”.
Because the problem with keywords is , you never know the when the trending topic like (guest posting today) will become less trendy and no one will be searching.this is were great content stands out.
Himanshu
I was expecting you’ll not just agree with me, but stir some controversy… :)
Blogging is more than keywords + content + promo… it’s about writing or talking in a unique voice.
Find yours! That’s when blogging starts rolling-in, don’t you think?
Hi Gibb,
You changed the order dude it’s content —> keyword and then promotion :)
Agree. It’s about writing in a unique voice. But, what if no one reads(promotion) and search engine can’t find it(keywords).
By the way, i am really finding mine.:)
Hello Dear
t totally appreciate with your post and yes Blogging is about content so use only unique content for your blog and add keyword in your content, and thanks for sharing me
Oh, no.
Mansi tried to provide a relevant and quality comment, but it’s just shows it’s regurgitating in brief half of the idea within the post I wrote…
Just to get a back-link.
I’m not here to criticize, that’s not my blog, if it were on my site, I’d not approve such comment… it’s a disservice to my audience and to myself , as well as to the commentator – it just looks like a “spammy” approach… trying to snatch a quick link. No-no!
Guys! Do you agree? Disagree?
Agree on what you say John. It’s nice to see you being very straight about your thoughts on this regard and commenting back on Mansi’s comment.
It’s a nice post and I like how much effort you have put forward done a well informative post at this great blog. After reading this article it interests me to head over to you blog.
One question how long have you been blogging at your blog? and do you still see a much potential of going with Google Adsense?
Also what are some B.S. products you spent on?
I would say, blogging to sell your service or do the content marketing for your own or Affiliat products would be viable way to earn potential income. For example we’ve recently started two new blogs targeting people who have information design requirements, and blogs with the focus on attracting people who are looking for infograohics and “How infographics helps SEO” and ranks on first page attracting new traffic everyday.
So I would think the best way to go is clearly define and identify your nitche and start producing content. And keep doing until the results starts to appear on Google first page :)
Thanks for John the great post to motivate all the bloggers.
This was very good advice. In a pool of blogs, its very easy to drown with run-of-the-mill ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Ayesha,
You got it right!
Most bloggers think that if they copy ideas/blog posts from other blogs, they’ll do fine, and get similar traffic/earning results… that’s quite the opposite.
Why should I be reading your stuff since it’s the same replica of all the other stuff I’ve read before?
At least, you can talk on a different topic — or share ideas in an opposite sense…
This takes brainstorming — which bloggers aren’t used to doing, isn’t it? :)
Well I wouldn’t comment on other blogs but one thing is for sure, quality speaks for itself and when we look at the success stories in blogging, we can see the reasons for their success. Unique, quality content and frequency makes a lot of difference. Your ideas can turn the world upside down and blogging is no different.
Following the trends help out a lot if you are getting good SERP, and unless you are getting that build links to get good rank first then follow trends to get more traffic on your site.
Raheel,
Links count whether you’re just starting out with your site, or are already a veteran in the game, and your website pages are 5 years old… as for trends… your idea is interesting, but it’s half truth.
You can rank in the SERPS for “trend” keywords by targeting those very low (or zero) competition key terms… like products just launched… you can get ideas from the latest (local) TV shows, infomercials and popular newspapers.
Most bloggers think that Google free keyword research tool or the Internet is where you find the best keywords… not really! Most of those are already “Taken” and full of competitors…
If you follow my HWA blog, you can learn more about the aspect of proper keyword research, and other affiliate marketing techniques I use.
Hope it helps?
Yes it’s very true “”Blogging is about content”” if you will deliver good content then you can see how result will come out in favor of you and when you will understand your readers niche then it would be put positive impact on your readers.
Hyptia
I think you might have overlooked (because of skimming the article?) a key aspect
I’ve said…
“If blogging doesn’t work for you anymore, it’s because you’ve looked at it with the wrong pair of glasses. You did what everybody else has done. You played the game in the “me too” league. Get a new pair of shoes. Put on some different shorts. Get new glasses. Enhance your skills…”
Do you know what that means? It’s more than writing/producing good content. You have to talk on topics which weren’t covered before, or talk on the same topic from a different perspective — yours, by sharing your unique voice! That’s way beyond the definition of good content.
Hope it helps…
I think you are writing on blogging and you are telling some of the lines on this topic in your article
“”BLOGGING IS ABOUT CONTENT””
So what is the meaning of these words can you describe it in your own words.
Now! That is what I call the perfect motivational Article! You are right that blogging is not easy it requires your time! and Yes winners never quits! that is the power of professional blogger. John nice one man!
hi saqib,
I like writing motivational type of articles, as people need to learn to help themselves… not wait for others take their responsibilities, you know?
Affiliate marketing, blogging and self improvement are three interlinked niches that work together superbly…
Thus, in my articles besides teaching the how to (make money, etc.) part, I strive to pepper the content with some unique stimulus and motivational tips…
If you’re into affiliate marketing, hope to see you join the free HWA 2.0 portal.
Best!