Blogging is a hot topic among photographers these days so it should come as no surprise that one of the most common questions I’m asked is “What do you wish you had known before you started blogging?” This is such a great question and I think my answers have the ability to help a lot of photographers avoid the same mistakes I made when I started blogging. So today, I’m spending some time reflecting and sharing the 9 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started Blogging. My hope is that you’ll takeaway lots of useful tips in order to improve your own blog. Let’s get started!
9 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started Blogging
Choose your blogging platform wisely.
When I first started blogging, I did zero research on how to blog, why blogging is so important, or which blogging platform is the best. That meant that I went with whatever showed up first when I searched for “free blogging sites” in Yahoo. (Google wasn’t big back then.) I ended up on Blogger with a *.blogspot URL and used that platform for three years. It wasn’t until 2013 that I realized that self-hosted WordPress (not the free one!) was where I needed to be if I wanted to use our blog to grow our business. This meant that I had to migrate my blog and set up 301 Redirects to send all my old blog posts to the new URL at my current domain. Needless to say, this process was completely intimidating so we ended up having to hire someone to do the job for us. This cost us both time and money and we could have avoided it all if we had chosen our blogging platform wisely from the start. So if you’re brand new to blogging for your photography business, make sure you do the necessary research before you start your blog.
Use Google Analytics.
I know – this one sounds scary, doesn’t it?! Well, don’t be scared! I wish I had known about this handy tool as soon as I started blogging because it has been instrumental in tracking our blog’s growth, popular content, website usability, and much, much more. If you haven’t signed up for Google Analytics, a quick google search will teach you how and your efforts will be well worth it. Even if you don’t use this tool just yet, set it up so that when you *are* ready to use it, you already have data to work with.
You need to create engaging content.
When I first started blogging, I’d write a couple of sentences and include a handful of images. This was all fine for featuring our clients but that was about it. My blog posts weren’t helpful and they certainly weren’t engaging. If I had known about Google Analytics, I surely would have noticed that my bounce rate was ridiculously high (because who wants to stick around and read a boring blog?) and I would’ve learned early on that I needed to create better content. Readers don’t want to read the same thing on your blog every time. I mean, sure – little Suzie looked super cute in her spring dress and it was a beautiful day that day and the weather was perfect and of course, the light was stunning. But sharing your client work the same way each and every time is bound to repel readers rather than attract them. So figure out who your ideal client is and create content that he/she will find engaging.
Related: 25 Ways to Vary Your Blog Content
Evergreen content is everything.
Once you commit to blogging, you will spend a lot of time planning, preparing, publishing, and promoting content. Do yourself a favor and make sure you’re writing content that will continue to bring in traffic year after year. One of the very first blog posts I wrote when I discovered how important it was to create evergreen content for our readers was a post on NJ Engagement Photo Locations. The post is on Page 1 of Google search results and has had over 34,000 pageviews over the last four years! To put that into perspective, that’s only about 3,000 pageviews less than our website itself! The best part? I can update it every year and make sure it stays relevant so that it continues to bring in traffic every single day.
Related: How to Create a Blogging Schedule (and Stick to It)
Consistency is key.
You’ve heard me say this already, but it’s worth saying again! It wasn’t until we started to blog consistently that our blog traffic was able to grow. Publishing content consistently will keep your readers engaged and excited for new posts. I mean, admit it – aren’t you already looking forward to next Monday’s post? =) But seriously, let your readers know when they can expect to see specific content on your blog and I assure you that they will look forward to your posts. Not only that, but Google loves a blog that is updated regularly!
Related: How to Blog Consistently This Year
Get clear on branding.
Ever wonder why “branding” is such a buzzword in the photography industry? Well, there’s a reason for that! A clear brand will allow you to stand out in a consistent, professional, and memorable way. Figure out your branding and incorporate it into your blogging voice, your blog aesthetic, and your blog promotion on social media.
Related: A Photographer’s Guide to a Branded Blog
Learn SEO.
I just couldn’t leave this one out. I know, SEO is everywhere these days, isn’t it? You know you need to improve it but you’re confused by it and you have zero time to invest in learning it. Well, my friend, there is no easy way out of this one. Even if you hire someone to help you set up your website and blog correctly, SEO isn’t a one time thing. SEO is something that takes time and you have to work on it consistently or you’ll end up dropping in the search engine results pages pretty fast. Take the time to learn good SEO practices and begin to implement them immediately.
Blogging builds friendships.
Putting quality content out there will undoubtedly get your readers engaged and, soon enough, they’ll become loyal readers and come back regularly to check for new posts. Eventually, some of them will leave comments, some will email you, and some will even share your content. I never could have imagined that I’d have so many readers turned clients turned friends but, also, that I’d make so many industry friends thanks to our blog. I wish I had realized how important it is to connect with other photographers earlier on because it has been key to staying motivated and inspired through my blogging journey. Not only that, but connecting with others through our blog has been extremely valuable in understanding the needs of our readers.
You need a blogging strategy.
This one took me a long time to figure out! It’s not something that photographers talk about a lot so it wasn’t on my radar for a very long time. Actually, it wasn’t until I started reading about the ways in which other industries do their marketing that I realized how important a blogging strategy is for photographers. And like I’ve said, there isn’t a whole lot of content out there about blogging specifically for photographers so I had to really dig into other industries to figure out what content marketing was and how I could apply it to my photography business. If I had known how important a blogging strategy is, I’m certain that our blog would have grown a lot faster than it already has. So if you don’t have a blogging strategy yet, I highly recommend creating one ASAP!
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