Things you would do differently.... | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

I was just thinking today about the many things I would have done differently with my blog had I known then what I know now about blogging.  Nothing major, but things that I wish I could change, never the less.  I thought I would post my list here in order to help some "newbies" who might be starting out, themselves.  I would love to hear what other established bloggers would change if they could start over again, too.

1.) Joined Yakezie sooner!  Yakezie is a great group and I have learned so much about blogging here.  Not to mention the friendships that I have gained!  I could have prevented many mistakes had I had earlier access to this group.  :)

2.) Created multiple sites instead of trying to make "The Single Saver" all-encompassing.  I started my site to share money-saving tips and fun ways for singles (and small families) to cut costs in their lives.  Nothing heavy… just fun and easy tips anyone can do.  When I joined Yakezie there was a pressure to write amazing content on a regular basis.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it is sort of hard to write amazing content around how to keep banana's ripe or how to save money by cutting dryer sheets in half.  LOL!  As such, I started expanding into some heavier money-saving topics such as insurance and utilities and mortgages and the like.  I also like these topics, but I feel like I have abandoned my original reader base at The Single Saver by changing the site's focus.  If I had it to do over again, I would have done two sites… one for easy quick tips and "mom blog" type stuff and the other for the "meat and potatoes" topics that would make my fellow Yakezie members proud!  Make sense?  I am working on a project now where I can have my fun, money-saving tips blog and then the Single Saver will focus more on Yakezie-worthy topics.  But now I have a new problem… do I have a serious blog with a lot of the fluffier work still in the archives?  Do I move it to the new site?  Do I duplicate it and have it on both sites?  Thoughts????

3.) Ignored all the SEO crapola!  Okay, I know some of you are really pissed that I am saying that but… when I started out I tried to do all the SEO stuff right… keywords here… tagging there… H1 and H2 and H3 headlines, etc.  While this stuff is good and useful and all, if you write good content readers will find you.  While trying to SEO my site, I made blogging more of a chore than a fun hobby.  Lately, I have just been writing and posting and ignoring anything to do with SEO.  Guess what?  My search engine traffic really hasn't changed.  But my attitude has improved!  So while learning about SEO is important, don't let it consume you and stress you out as I let happen to me.

4.) Pictures… I wish I hadn't posted pictures in my blog posts, unless they were ones I had taken and they enhanced the article.  I know pictures are supposed to be good for engaging readers and driving search engine traffic but I still wish I hadn't used them.  Now I worry (a lot) about copyright issues and if I used a picture illegally.  Also, like the SEO stuff, I let it stress me out in trying to find and tag the perfect picture.  If I had it to do over, I would have ignored pictures and put the energy towards my writing.

5.) I wish I had never thought about the money.  Now, to be honest, I have never had high goals for my site and the money it can bring in.  All I ever wanted was to cover my costs (which are very low, I might add) and maybe have a little left over for future growth of my site or attend learning events like FINCON.  But I have to tell you, when private ad money started coming in it was easy to get excited about it.  But Google is fickle and they can cause your income to fall instantly, as happened to many of us last year.  My life didn't change when that happened as I really wasn't relying on the extra income (and again, as long as I can cover my low expenses I am happy) BUT looking back I see how my writing and priorities for the site changed because of the income and advertisers.  Never again will I let that happen in my work! 

I would have:

1) Started sooner – I was reading personal finance blogs thinking 'Hey, I bet I could do this' for at least a year before I actually started.

2) Set expectations – Some of the first blogs I read were already huge and I figured I could compete with them right off the bat.  Almost quit when it didn't happen.

3) Networked more – Before Yakezie I did barely any networking.  I knew of many bloggers, but didn't do much to make them know about me. 

Crystal, #2 and #6 made me laugh out loud.  I know exactly what you mean!

Beagle, I think your #2 is common for most newbies.  We all think HUGE, which ultimately isn't a bad thing but it can lead to frustration.