A Look Back at 2018: My First Year of Blogging

Goodbye 2018 and Hello 2019

2018 has come to an end. It wasn’t the greatest year but there are some moments that I can look back on fondly. I spent time with my sister and saw one of my favorite bands in concert. I went to my first ever light festival, got a hedgehog, and bought my very first home. But there is one thing I wanna look back at and that’s my first year of blogging. I’ve learned a lot my first year of blogging some of which I wish I knew before I started. So I wanted to share some of the things I learned my first year of blogging along long with my plans moving forward for my blog.

First Year of Blogging

When I started blogging I had no clue what I was doing. So I faced a few challenges at first. I spent a month looking at YouTube videos and reading articles until I finally got the hang of it. Then I set up my blog and started creating posts on weekly basis.

At first, my blog started off slow with only a few views a month and it was a bit discouraging. But over time I started getting better with SEO, readability, and using social media my views started increasing. I then applied and approved to display ads on my site. Which presented me with the challenge of getting the ads on my site without disturbing the look of my site. It was a late night of YouTube videos and reading but I finally figured it out. Even though the first few months had its challenges I was able to get through it and learn some new skills. But there are some things I wish I used to my advantage in my first year of blogging.

What I learned

When it came to my post they were not planned ahead of time. So recently I started planning and scheduling my post. And I wish it was something I started earlier because it makes things a lot easier. Before I when sat at the computer and write whatever I felt like and worked on it until it was ready. Doing post this way came with its own set of problems. I wouldn’t know what to write, or have enough time to finish a post, and would have to delay posting. And above all, it was stressful not having a plan each week. So a few months ago I started planning and scheduling my post.

Planning and scheduling have been helpful. I have less writer’s block because I already know what I’m going to write about. No, my scrambling until the last minute so I have more time to work on a post. And most important things have become less stressful when dealing with my blog post. I’m now a month ahead on all my post and don’t feel like I have to rush to publish content. Which has left me with more time to work on other projects and blogging ideas. My first year of blogging had its ups and downs but I glad that I stuck with it.

2019 Blogging Plans

For 2019 I plan to continue blogging. I’m going to pick a topic and write about that for the month. I’m someone who has a lot of ideas. So by picking one thing and focusing on that, it will help me stay on track. And it will help me with planning. I have another project that I’m working on for later this year that I can’t wait to share. So keep checking in for updates.