One year of blogging has come and gone! It has been an amazing ride and I have learned so much along the way! As I move forward, I am really focused and ready and I want to thank all you for joining me thus far!
Blogging is such an amazing journey! I mean, I get to write about a subject I love, SAVING MONEY and make a real connection with people by helping them with budgeting. Nonetheless, I chose personal finance because I have always loved budgeting and bargain shopping and have been pretty smart with my money thus far! (I think Suzie Orman would give my husband and me an A.) We have paid off over $100,000 combined worth of debt (mostly being student loans) because we believe in the value of living debt-free and being smart with our money! Finding a hubby with similar money values was a win-win for me (love ya, hubby).
Blogging is also an awesome side hustle for me since I am a stay-at-home (well I guess I can now be called a work-at-home) mom of two young boys, ages five and three! It has given me a hobby, I can call my own (instead of always being M-O-M – picture someone yelling that loudly about every five minutes – ha!) and I have made a little extra income with my blog, so for that, I am thankful!
If you are interested in starting a blog, check out my free tutorial! Do some soul-searching and find your passion! Then start writing! Honestly, I was so nervous about starting a blog but I am so glad I did! It has been a fun way to stay busy and I love learning about all the fun, creative things you can do with blogging! I would have to say my favorite thing about blogging is creating pins in Canva and writing, of course!
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you, so thank you. This site uses cookies for a better user experience. For more information read our disclosure policy here.
Since I have been at it a year and by most, I would still be considered a newbie blogger, I am going to share five blogging tips I have learned during my first year to help you on your blogging path. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I am hoping my tips will help all of you out there in blog land!
Suggested Reading: Blog Progress: Blog better with Awesome Results
Update: I finally started to make a little bit of money with my blog! Learn what I did in my July Blog Income Report – plus SEO tips and Pin tips to help you reach your blogging goals!
Blog Training ALERT: Right now the best blogging class sale is going on from October 2-7 ONLY! If you are new to blogging or thinking of starting a blog, you need to at least check this out! What is included: Are you ready to start a blog? Get 94 eBooks, eCourses, and printables on how to start (and grow) an email list, monetize your blog, make eye-popping graphics, handle technical and legal challenges, and so much more. 97% off. 6 days only. Learn more here
Blogging Goals
Around New Year’s 2017, I decided to make some resolutions for my blog. I continue to grow and progress and I have done pretty well with most of my goals. My top five goals as a new blogger are as follows:
- Increase Social Media following
- Make $1000 a month
- Create an eBook or Class
- Write 100 posts
- Learn as much as possible
Let’s see how I did!
Goal #1 – Social Media
Pinterest: I started with around 100 followers and now have 5,400!
Twitter: I started with around 50 followers and now have 3,150!
Instagram: I started with zero followers and now have 605!
Facebook: I started with zero followers and now have 740!
Stumbleupon: I started with zero and now have 70!
Bloglovin: I started with zero and now have 93!
Google + : I started out with zero and didn’t even know what this was, but now I have 106!
Email Subscribers: I started with zero and now have 130!
That is over 10,294 followers of I Heart Frugal! Woot Woot! (Click the links above to follow me on your favorite platform!)
I have nailed this goal! I continue to grow my social media following. I’m working on joining better Pinterest group boards, increasing my Twitter presence and growing my Facebook and Instagram page (these two have been neglected). I am going to post more on Google + because one of my Google + posts ranked on the first page for the search term frugal. Read the post here: Frugal Fails and Frugal Living Wins
Goal #2: Make $1000 a month
I have not yet reached this goal. The most I have made with my blog is around $50 a month but the potential is there and I am currently implementing the strategies I learned in Michelle Schroder Gardener’s Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and will give you an income report if my numbers start to increase.
Goal #3: Create an eBook or Class
I have started my notes for an eBook but have not yet completed this goal. I did not realize how much work blogging actually is and as much as I like it, it takes time to create a high-quality blog. After I build my posts and page view up, I still plan on writing my eBook. Even if it is only ten minutes of writing a day, at least I will be getting somewhere!
Goal #4: Write 100 posts
I came pretty close to reaching this goal; however, I learned along the way, it is more important to write quality work and not more posts. Moving forward, I am not as concerned with how many posts I publish, but the value and content I am providing my readers. I would rather have 10 great posts than 30 mediocre posts. As my readers, I am sure you will agree. I also started writing longer posts. Most of my posts are between 1000-1500 words and some well over 2000. My longer posts have more value and information.
Goal #5: Learn as Much as Possible about Blogging and Writing
I decided to invest in my blog. The two blogging purchases I made were Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit. The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit really has any and all information I will need to improve my blog. There is actually so much information, I probably won’t go through it all, but I am looking forward to watching Ruth Soukup’s ACTIVATE conference videos!
Also, I am reading DEMYSTIFYING by Kim Six a book about SEO and Twitter Strategies for Blogger by Sara Perl. I’m clueless when it comes to SEO strategies and use a plugin called YOAST SEO for help. I also have a decent Twitter following and would like to use Twitter to grow my page views. Also, I am also taking a class called Profitable Creative by Elna Cain and there is some great information about Pinterest promotion in her class. I definitely do not regret this purchase!
Check out my new favorite blog course review here! Blog by Number by Suzie Whitford
I also check out business books from my local library. My favorite business author now is Brian Tracy. My two favorite books from his are Get Smart!: How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field
and Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
. I highly recommend these books if you are looking to get ahead and stay productive in your business.
Conclusion
I’m still a work in progress but I like to think my blog is getting better every day. My social media following has grown leaps and bounds and my email list is also growing! I am thankful so many people are interested in what I have to say and I am going to work hard this year to improve my content and crank out posts my audience wants to hear!
One reader left me a comment about needing extra money and because of this, I wrote a post on What to do if you cannot pay your bills. Hence, I take my reader’s opinions seriously, and if you have any ideas for a post just leave me a comment! I am writing this blog for you and your opinion matters to me. I have blog post ideas set up for around three months in advance, but if you give me a topic you need help with, I will make it a top priority!
As always, take care – Sarah
Sign up for my Newsletter and receive more money-saving tips!
Related Posts:
- Blog by Number Course Review
- Types of Blogs That Make Money
- How to Find Time as a Mommy Blogger
- SEO Tips and Tricks
- Stupid Simple SEO Review
8 Comments on Blogging Progress (in the early stages)
Comments are closed.
This is great information! Congrats on your first year and even though I have been doing this for two years I’m still learning from others. I love your tips! I really need to work on Pinterest.
Thank you!! Pinterest is a fun but frustrating platform! You just have to play around with it and find what works for you! Thanks for the visit!
Congrats! Your post won the Inspire Me Monday Linky Party. You’ll be featured on my site tomorrow.
Janice, your hostess
That is awesome! I’m so excited!! Thank you so much, Janice!!
Hey very cool web site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds also…I am happy to find a lot of useful info here in the post, we need develop more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Thank you, Corey!!
Congratulations on your first year! Loved reading this post, inspiring as I’m new to it all. 🙂
Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any questions!!