Is Blogging Dead?
The rise of several online platforms like YouTube has left bloggers wondering if blogging is worth the time and effort anymore. Several aspiring bloggers are seen scouring through the web to understand if blogging will bring in anything in return.
So, is this the end of blogging? No, blogging is not dead! The only change that the blogging industry has seen is how readers consume data today compared to how they did a decade ago. Bloggers need to adapt to this changing demand and update their business strategy to achieve consistent success with their blog.
This article aims to provide bloggers with comprehensive information about how it still isn’t the end of blogging and what can be done to ensure their blog grows successfully. Before taking a deep dive into where blogging is headed, let us understand how blogging came to be what it is today!
The Birth of Blogging
Two decades ago, blogging was taking its first steps into the mainstream online world. It essentially began with people sharing their experiences through online journals. The mid-2000s saw blogging grow into a reliable source of information and advice. There were prominent blogs dedicated to cooking, traveling, technology, pop culture, politics that had their set of dedicated readers relied on these pages for unique expert opinions.
Soon everyone took notice, and blogging evolved into an effective full-time job that could help bloggers earn a decent income. Blogging done right proved to be a powerful tool to get listed on the search engine result pages and helped bloggers connect to a qualified audience. If you even have the slightest information about the blogging industry’s current scenario, you would know that this is exactly what blogging does even today!
Blogging is More Effective Than Ever
Blogging is still able to accomplish everything it did 10 years ago and then some more. Readers still go online seeking answers for their questions or looking for expert opinions, just like you came online today to find if blogging was indeed dead!
Here are some statistics that can convince you further that blogging is growing more than ever:
- In the US alone, the number of bloggers has increased to 7 million in 2020 from 28.3 million in 2015
- 80% of US internet users interact with blog posts and social media sites
- Blogging is the 3rd most common content marketing strategy
As you can see, blogging is still very much alive. Readers trust blogs even today as they are great information providers.
How is Blogging Changing In 2021 And Beyond?
Blogging remains relevant in 2021, albeit in different ways. Today, the buzz around blogging revolves around content marketing and how content pieces are spread across various channels. The focus has shifted from just blog posts to the overall content. Besides, the changing audience has brought about this transformation. As readers become aware of their data being sold to ad companies, there is a growing concern about privacy. This has made it difficult to monetize a blog.
Bloggers can grow their blogging business by adapting to this current environment and developing a strategy that attaches their business model to the blog from the get-go. As the overall blogging industry heads in a different direction, a multichannel storytelling approach is an excellent way for bloggers to push for growth compared to merely increasing traffic on their blog.
Building Your Blog in 2021
There are over 1.7 billion websites worldwide with over 600 million active blogs. With so many blogs online and innumerable new ones that come up each day, the blogging sector is surely headed toward saturation. Almost 47% of bloggers claim that their biggest challenge is getting traffic and attracting new visitors. If you want your blog to stand out and succeed, you should follow the mantra of quality over quantity.
Here are some ways in which you can grow your blog:
Start Your Blog the Right Way: To fulfill the ultimate goal of creating a successful blog, you need to set it up to succeed right from the beginning. Several blogging platforms may provide lucrative offers and free blog templates, but they usually do not support monetization. Besides, when you start your blog on these platforms, you have limited control over your own page. Also, migrating your blog from the free hosting platform once it starts growing can be a hassle. Hence, it is recommended to start your blog right from the beginning on a site that you can fully control.
Produce Multimedia Content: Simply writing down words can make your blog unattractive to the readers. As a blogger, you need to go beyond your writing and capture the user’s attention by adding images or videos that make it more visually appealing. Data indicates that blog content with images receives 94% more views.
Several bloggers also create additional content such as podcasts, infographics, downloadable content to go with their blog posts. Such varied content can also help you target a wider audience and keep them engaged for a long time with more stuff to check out.
Create an Email List: As mentioned earlier, blogging is more than just writing posts. You can create an email list of your readers to stay in contact with your audience and inform them about new posts and build a meaningful relationship to transform into loyal fans. You can also send out exclusive content to your email lists, such as exclusive interviews or materials that improve engagement.
Optimize Your SEO Strategy: Simply publishing blog posts cannot guarantee that the audience will find them. To grow your blog, you need to drive the traffic yourself. The easiest way to do this is by improving your blog’s SEO or search engine optimization strategy that can rank your blog higher on the search results.
So, what do you think? Is blogging dead? Absolutely not!
If blogging feels dead to you, it could be because you have not been doing the right things. Your blog’s success truly relies on the business strategy that you adopt and the work that you put into your blog.
Hopefully, this article has helped you learn how to make blogging work for you. You can learn more about blogging through our free online blogging course!
