Starting a blog; the importance of FOCUS

If somebody asked me to give them one piece of advice about starting a blog, one golden nugget they could take away with them and nurture into something outstanding; it would be this – FOCUS on your first blog for at least six months before you start another one.

That’s it. Simple as.

I wouldn’t tell them that creating a successful blog takes hard work and determination. I wouldn’t tell them that only a few bloggers earn a living directly from their blogs. I wouldn’t tell them about all the failed blogs that lie dormant in blogger land.

That would probably put them off the idea.

The truth of the matter is that without showing a high level of commitment during those early days your blog will go nowhere. When somebody starts a new business they don’t have a book of clients waiting to hand over wads of money. They build a client base slowly, through hard work, networking and reputation.

Ask anyone who has started a business how hard the first six months where. Most of them will tell you it wasn’t an easy ride. Some will even tell you that they thought of giving up once or twice.

The first six months for a new business is a time for laying foundations. For setting the groundwork for future development.

The same rules apply to blogging.

Learn from the mistakes of others

During those first few months a new blogger is likely to make a lot of mistakes. There is a lot to learn and making mistakes is inevitable. It’s natural. The important part of making mistakes is to learn from them.

But many bloggers don’t.

How often is a blog abandoned after a few weeks when there is no traffic and the easy money didn’t materialize? This is a very common occurrence in the blogosphere. And it is why FOCUS is so important.

If you allow your mind to wander and come up with other crack pot ideas for a blog, you will always be trapped in the three to six months cycle of creating a new blog and never allowing it to really get off the ground.

I should know. I was one those people. I’ll admit it.

I’d hear about something and I’d think “oh! what a great idea for a blog” and I’d be off looking for a suitable keyword rich domain name. I would take my eye off the current project and start on the new one.

Not any more.

The main problem with blogging is that rewards don’t come instantly. Not like starting a new job where you get paid at the end of the month and your boss tells you how great you are. That doesn’t happen with a blog. The rewards might be many months away, and during those early days you can often be left wondering “what is the point?”.

Here are a few ideas to help you through the early days and to help you gain a readership:

• In the very early days concentrate on content, not design
• Optimize your posts for search engines
• Use social bookmarking sites to promote your own content
• Read blogs in your niche and make interesting comments
• Contact blog owners to see if you can write a guest post
• Submit articles to some of the major article directories
• Get a Twitter account for your blog
• Don’t spend all of your time in front of the computer screen
• Don’t spend too much time studying your traffic stats

Do you have any other suggestions to help new bloggers get through the early days? Or as a new blogger do you have any questions?

Other posts you might like to read

• Daniel Scocco’s Online Profits training course – a review
• Knowledge is power in this game – IMReportcard.com review
• 10 ways to use blog comments effectively to promote your blog
• Why I started to blog and why I can’t stop
• What you should do before and after you publish a blog post