Go From Amateur Blogging To Boss Blogger!

Blog Not Growing? Lost Your Blog Mojo?

Don’t Give Up Yet! Try These Pinterest And SEO Strategies First!

I love blogging, but I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve considered quitting. Even amateur blogging is a lot of work, and in the beginning there aren’t many perks. It can be frustrating when you don’t see the traffic, subscribers, connections, and cash you had hoped for.

There’s a misconception that blogging is an easy way to make a passive income (thanks to Pinterest), while pursuing your passion. And that right there, is amateur blogger mistake number one. Blogging is (usually) not a good source of passive income. I won’t sugar coat it- blogging is a lot of work. For me, it’s nearly a full-time job, for what’s currently part-time income. But, it’s growing, and more importantly – it’s a real passion of mine. But even with that passion, I’ve lost my mojo a few times! But I got back on track and am so glad I did!

And, it wouldn’t be growing like it is, if I didn’t nearly give up and then re-think my whole plan a few times along the way! You will hit a few bumps in the road. You might even feel like you’re failing! But, before you give up, hear me out! Because I’ve been there!

Newbie blogger mistake number 2: quitting too soon!

So, if you’re creating killer content, posting on Pinterest and you feel your site is SEO’d, but it’s not working… than it isn’t working! Maybe, you’re doing something wrong, and that’s okay! Blogging is a learning process and what works for one blogger, won’t work for every blogger. But I can show you what has given me the results I’ve been waiting for!

Targeted traffic is the key to subscribers. And, increasing your traffic can help you make more money through advertising and sponsored posts. Let’s work on creating a plan that attracts your ideal audience by the thousands!

Warning: This is a long, detailed post, so you might want to pin and bookmark for later so you can come back for future reference:)

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may make a commission at no charge to you. Thank you.

Go From Amateur Blogging To Pro Blogger!

Millions of people start blogging every year, in search of money, to pursue a passion or a combination of both. And every every, millions of those same bloggers end up quitting. Most of them quit after just a few months! A few months isn’t even enough time for Google and other search engines to give your site much rank. And, it can take months for a Pinterest pin to start showing up in search results.

Good things take time. Even if you’ve been blogging for a long time yet you’re still not where you want to be, I will walk you through a strategy that has worked wonders for me! My blog views are up to nearly 2,000 a day! That didn’t just happen though. I was using Pinterest and SEO but not seeing big results. So, I had to re-think my whole plan a few times. I finally found a Pinterest strategy and SEO plan that works! I started seeing steady results. Here’s what worked for me.

Pinterest Optimization

Ahh Pinterest! This has been a saving grace for me. Most days I get an around 1,000 blog views from Pinterest alone! But, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, during my first 6 months I had about 200 or less views a day. It was frustrating, especially if I had a bad week.

Instead of giving up, I re-strategized and tried a few things to increase my Pinterest traffic. Some things didn’t work. My Pinterest account was stuck between 200,000 – 300,000 monthly viewers and my Pinterest traffic to my blog was stuck between 200 – 300 viewers a day. It wasn’t bad, but I wanted growth! So I found a plan that finally worked.

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Pinterest’s algorithm is always changing, so your stats will go up and down. That’s normal. But you can do a few things to increase your traffic, consistently.

Your pins are first shown to your following, and depending on how well it’s received, Pinterest will distribute it to a larger audience in search results. Pinterest curates quality content to a wider audience!

So how does Pinterest determine a high quality pin? One that is clicked a lot, shared a ton, and commented on!

But that’s not all. Pinterest also takes you as Pinner into account. That’s why it’s important to only pin relevant, quality content to relevant boards. And to be pinning on a regular basis.

Here are so helpful tips to increase the quality of your pins:

Pinterest keywords. This is the first step in a solid Pinterest marketing plan. Here’s how Pinterest keyword research is done:

In the search bar, start typing your topic.

You’ll see suggestions for other related keywords.

The keywords that are most searched for, will show up at the top.

Use the keywords, and the related keywords in your board titles and descriptions.

Optimize your boards. Create specific boards for each of your topics.

Optimize your profile. Include keywords in your name and description.

Create 3-5 pins per post. Make sure you include some of your keywords in your pin image. Pinterest can read the text on your pin images.

Write compelling headlines and creative graphics to really encourage those clicks, saves and comments!

Add pinnable images to each of your posts and a pin button so your readers can share your posts. This shows Pinterest your site provides quality content that people want to read and share, encouraging curation!

Pinterest LOVES fresh content! I find that if I make new pins and they get a few repins that day, they are shown in search quicker! Make fresh pins regularly for your more popular posts.

Use keywords in your pin title and description.

Always pin to the most relevant board, first! But make sure that board is also active! The keywords in your first board’s description stick with your pin as it gets re-pinned. And Pinterest loves active boards- that means boards with tons of repins!

Don’t spam, but do re-pin to other relevant boards.

If you write at least one or two posts a week, you should be pinning at least 25 times a day. Don’t worry Tailwind makes it easy to manage without spamming. I plan two weeks of pins out in about an hour.

Check your Pinterest analytics to analyze how your pins are performing. If a pin is under-performing, identify any areas where you can improve. Maybe create a few new, fresh pins, add some new keywords.

Use Tailwind. This has been a HUGE game-changer for my Pinterest stats. If you feel like you don’t understand Pinterest and you’re not getting full potential from your current strategy, you need Tailwind‘s help! This is a great scheduling tool, allowing you to schedule out your pins for the whole week or two at a time. Tailwind smart schedules your pins, pinning them during optimal times so you get the most views!

Tailwind Smart Loop. The smart loop allows you to schedule certain pins to be re-pinned, continuously, on a regular basis. This is great for evergreen you want on repeat or seasonal content. You just set it and forget it!

Tailwind Tribes. You can join Tailwind Tribes to encourage re-shares and re-pins. There are many beneficial tribes, but also lots of duds. Just make sure you keep track of how many re-pins you’re getting and follow the tribe rules.

SEO

Traffic from search engines, doesn’t usually happen fast. It takes time and lots of effort, but it can be a great source of long-term, consistent traffic. Make sure your site is search engine optimized. If you haven’t been getting much traffic from search engines, you’re not alone! It took several months before I even had a trickle of Google visits. Now, I’m getting more and more. But it’s slow growth as I continuously work on my SEO strategy. And just like Pinterest, Google’s algorithm is always changing and so is my Traffic results!

Here’s what works:

• Focus on long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are a string of 3-5 words, that people are searching for. Aim for a few different long-tail keywords, in your niche, for each post. If you are having trouble finsing these keywords, try typing a question or term in to Google search. You’ll find plenty of related keywords. You can also use a Keyword tool, like the one I use Keysearch.co.
• Check the difficulty of your keywords. Ideally, you want high volume, but low competition keywords. This is the KEY to ranking keywords. If you are aiming for keywords that are too difficult for your domain authority, than you will not show up well in search engines. Keysearch.co helps you find these magical keywords, easily! This has been the number 1 reason I have improved my SEO results. It’s about $15 a month, but you can increase your traffic, long-term, and more traffic means more revenue!
• Use those long-tail keywords effectively. Put your keywords in your header, your first paragraph, middle of your post and last paragraph. If it’s a longer post, also include in an H2 or H3 heading.
• Improve your site speed. Search engines take your site’s speed in to consideration when ranking. The faster the site, the more likely you are to rank. WP Rocket is consistently rated the top caching plugin, and is proven to make your site faster with just a few clicks. This alone will help improve your site’s search engine rankings!
• Use your meta-description. This is the description that is shown in search results. It tells Google and potential readers, what your post is about. It’s just a few sentences, so make it clickable and be sure to use you keywords!
• Use your ALT text properly. Google can’t see your images, so you have to describe them. You should also try and include your keywords!
• Clean up your website topic tags. Chances are you have a few duplicates. You don’t need a topic for blogging, and then a topic for blogger tips. Pick a few topics per subject. This is more for reader navigation, than SEO, but it helps!
• Build your backlinks. Quality backlinks will tell Google that you have a quality website. This will increase your domain authority and your search engine ranking. Check out my post for tips to get quality, easy backlinks.
• Create consistent, quality content. Try and aim for longer posts, over 1,000 words with helpful tips! Search engines and people love useful information!
• Use an image above the fold. This will help increase the chances of your image showing up beside your link in search results. This is something I recently discovered and tried for myself, and it works!!!

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If you’ve got the need for Blog speed, I highly recommend WP Rocket! It’s top rated as the best caching plug-in, because it works!

Re-discover Your Passion

If it’s passion you’re looking for, but lost it along the way, you’re not alone! Maybe you’re exhausted, frustrated and suffering from blogger burnout!

I you’ve put your heart and soul into your blog, don’t give up just yet!

Take a break. Sometimes, you need a little space in order to remember why you love blogging. Take a few weeks- no blogging! And then come back to it.

Stop comparing your blog to others. It’s easy to feel defeated when you compare your blog to bigger, more successful blogs. It takes time to grow!

But do get inspiration from others! There’s a difference between comparing and inspiring. Find blogs that inspire you to keep blogging! Follow some honest bloggers who keep it real. One of faves is Ell Duclos. She is always offering up helpful blogging tips and lifestyle ideas!

Get Your Blog Mojo Back! Give your blog a makeover. This can really help bring the fun back to blogging. Get a new blog theme, change up your blog colours, create a new logo! Your blog should grow with you and maybe it’s time for a change in order to get that spark back. If you’re ready to upgrade your blog design, I really love Blossom Themes. I use the Feminine Pro here at stephsocial.com. My blog changed as soon as I changed my design. I customized the colours and really created a brand! It was like a whole new blog.

Ran out of ideas to write about? Need some blog writing inspiration? Check out my post for some great blog writing tips.

How To Write A (Great) Blog Post!

Blogging Income Ideas!

Finally, the part you’ve all been waiting for! Some ideas to make some income blogging!

The first six months, I made a few bucks a here and there blogging. I wasn’t discouraged, because I wasn’t expecting to make any income until around the one year mark. I always set the bar low, so I won’t quit too soon.

Around six months, I started to make $100-$200 a month in a few affiliate sales and Adsense combined. But, as soon as I hit 10,000 monthly viewers I switched to Ezoic advertising, which doubled my Adsense earnings fast!

Adsense pays you a little bit every time someone clicks on your ads. But, if someone clicks and then clicks away without actually checking out the ad, it may count as an invalid click and you won’t get anything. That happens sometimes and is completely normal. But the earnings are low. The payout threshold is $100 and that can take months! Ezoic has a payout threshold of $20.

Blog Advertisers

Ezoic pays per visit, not per click. So none of your earnings are taken away from invalid clicks.

Here’s my blogging income from Ezoic over the past few days:

If you have around 10,000 monthly views, and want to make some money, you should apply to Ezoic.

Ezoic has a wordpress plugin that makes implementing the ads, easier. However, setting up the ads is a little more complicated than Adsense, but they have a great support system through email and can walk you through the process. I had mine set up pretty quickly and started earning right away.

If you are accepted and trying to set up Ezoic ads, I suggest bookmarking this article – https://www.shoutmeloud.com/ezoic-review-increase-adsense-revenue-tool.html for all the detailed help you need setting your ads up the right way!

And just make sure to wrap your Adsense ad codes, with your Ezoic codes. Your ad codes should look like this:

Sponsored Blog Opportunities

Getblogged. Getblogged provides paid sponsored post opportunities for bloggers. Just sign up, apply for jobs and start making extra money! The sign up is incredibly easy and they are always uploading new job offers. They have jobs for newbie bloggers and experienced, established bloggers. I’ve landed 5 jobs so far, and was even awarded top referer last month.

Affiliate Programs

My favourite affiliate program is Shareasale.com. They have a huge variety of merchants for nearly every niche. There are tons in my niche and the payout is great. They also provide graphics and text links, making it easy to promote products on your site.

Blogging is a lot of work. I really hope you find this post helpful and you’re ready to go from amateur blogging to boss blogger! I really do put my heart and soul into my blog and even though I’ve felt like (almost) quitting a few times, every time I do, I come back bigger and stronger! We got this!

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