Ah, blogging! Where better to write about this massive topic than here, on my very own blog. Building websites means I get asked a lot of questions about blogs, and whether or not authors should have them.

So I thought I’d share my thoughts if you are also asking yourself: should I start a blog on my author website?

The short answer is: yes, but ONLY if you are truly passionate about it. 

Blogs are an excellent marketing tool, and a brilliant way of bringing fresh eyes to your website. They provide amazing extra content that helps build a relationship between you and your reader, and ensure that your website gets a 10 out of 10 from Google for being updated regularly (this is one of the most important things you can do for your website: update it as often as possible!).

BUT, for blogging to truly pay off, it needs to be done regularly and consistently, and be treated as seriously as all your other writing projects.

Before I get started: a caveat. If you’d like to feature the odd article on your website from time to time then please don’t let what I’m about to say put you off! Visitors to your website will definitely appreciate this extra content. This post is specifically about using blogging as a marketing tool to bring new visitors to your site.

To get all the benefits from blogging, there’s a lot to think about.

So, to make it easy, I’m going to spin things round and ask YOU five questions to help you decide whether blogging is right for you.

Let’s get started! 

1) Why do you want to start a blog?

If it’s because you’ve heard they’re ‘good’ for your website, then you need to think harder.

While this is true, you should only start a blog if you have a subject matter that you are truly PASSIONATE about, and that you feel you can write about on a regular, consistent basis, without getting bored. 

I literally have a Word doc full of potential blog topics to share here – I feel like I’ll never get through them all, I have SO much to say.

And this is the key. You need to have SOMETHING TO SAY. Something to share. Something that puts fire in your belly and gets you tapping away. 

Otherwise, you’re going find your initial enthusiasm wanes very quickly, or your inspiration dries up. 

I suggest planning out at least six months’ worth of ideas for blog posts, before sitting down and writing a single word.

See if you think you can sustain your initial passion over a loooong period.

If you can, then brilliant, you’re more than halfway there!

2) Do you have a niche topic you want to write about?

Back when blogs started, they were little more than online diaries. No one thought too much about having any consistency in the topics covered. That was fine then, when there wasn’t much competition for readers. 

But the problem with starting a blog from scratch now is that the market is saturated. There are millions upon millions of blogs out there, and if you don’t write about a very niche, focused, narrow topic, you’ll find yours gets lost in the noise.

The more focused and narrow your niche, the more chance people will find your blog through Google. (Which is kind of the point). 

3) Are you interested in SEO?

OK, that’s a bit of a trick question. I mean, no one in their right mind is really interested in SEO (snore!).  

But are you interested in the digital landscape, in keeping up with blogging trends and the way Google chooses to rank content?

You need to know how to optimise your posts so that Google can find them, you need to know how to write a compelling title for your post so that people will be enticed to click to read, you need to know how long the posts should be, how to format them so that they are as useful as possible, how to make effective use of images and how to use keywords effectively in the copy… etc etc etc 

This means spending time researching the art of blogging. If you find this stuff intensely boring, then blogging is not for you! 

4) How often are you going to blog?

It doesn’t have to be every day. 

It doesn’t even have to be every week.

But you HAVE to blog regularly, and consistently.

My biggest tip with blogging is to find a schedule that works for you (whether that’s daily, once a week, or bi-monthly) and STICK TO IT!

It’s easy to run out of steam after your initial enthusiasm wears off, so make a commitment and show up!

5) How are you going to promote your posts?

Last but not least – blogging into a vacuum (even one with your Mum and a handful of friends in) is pointless.

Creating good quality content takes time and effort. There is literally no point in spending hours carefully crafting your blog posts if no one ever gets to read them.

So, once your posts are written, you need to be sharing those babies all over the internet.

Through your social media (repeatedly), in your newsletter, wherever and whenever you can.  

It takes a really long time to build up any kind of traffic through search engines alone. I’d say at least a year of consistent blogging (honestly). So make sure you are promoting your blog as much as possible in the meantime.

I know this all sounds a bit negative. But I want to be realistic. So often, I see authors setting up blogs with great enthusiasm, only for them to give up posting regularly after a few months and let the blog mothball.

I mean, that’s fine, of course, in the grand scheme of life it’s not the end of the world (!) - but it’s just a bit of a waste of your time.

So before you start a blog, really think about whether or not you have the time, passion and commitment to make it worth your while. If you don’t – don’t worry, there are many other ways to promote yourself and your books online!

If you’re trying to decide between having a blog and having a newsletter, then I’d 100% pick the newsletter.

But if the thought of creating a unique hub on the internet, full of valuable content on a subject you love, excites you, then go for it! And leave me a comment below with a link to your blog so I can go check it out. 😉 

EXCLUSIVE FREE TRAINING!!

Blogging for authors - a beginner’s guide

Want to find out more about how to get started with blogging? Check out my free video training…

In the 18-minute video I cover the following topics:

• What a blog actually is

• Why blogs are powerful things

• Whether or not you should set up a blog

• What software to use

• What to blog about

• Top tips on writing and publishing your posts

• How to make the most of your blog