The Believe & Balance Lifestyle Blog is officially 1 year old today!

I couldn’t be more excited. I wanted to take a moment to share the top 10 things that I’ve learned in my first year of blogging to help you understand that everyone has a different blogging journey! 

When I started my blog last July, I was terrified. I didn’t know what I was going to write about or where I wanted the blog to go. But, in the last year, I’ve learned more about myself than anything.

I’ve ensured that I had new content and even invited guest bloggers to join in on the fun. This has been such a rewarding experience so far and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. 

This post includes affiliate links and I will receive compensation (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase! Click here to read my affiliate disclosure. 

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Here are 10 Tips For New Bloggers:

Starting the blog is the hardest step.

There’s always fear when you’re starting something new, but when it comes to blogging, you need to take that leap of faith and know that you’re only going to be as successful as you want to be. Every new blogger starts somewhere. Don’t be scared. Just dive right in.

Adding in affiliate marketing links is confusing at first. 

It definitely gets easier. There are plenty of courses and programs you can take to get you up to speed, but I suggest figuring out what type of content you want to promote on your blog first and then adding in affiliate marketing after. For example, I absolutely love these courses and they are something that’s helped me grow my blog from the ground up.

Do your research. 

Find one or two blogs that you absolutely love and research how they do things. Bonus points if the owner has a Facebook group! There’s no such thing as competition. We all want to see other women succeed and we’re here to help. Seriously. Keep the research to a minimum though… comparing and contrasting too many blogs will leave you confused. 

If you’re not consistently blogging, your numbers will go down (duh!).

I learned this the hard way because I’ve completely ignored my blog for weeks at a time. Life happens and it’s okay. As long as you honor your needs and take care of yourself first, the blog can wait. It’s not going anywhere. Just be consistent on your own schedule and put all that you can into it every day!

It’s okay to share your opinion. It’s your blog.

Your blog is YOUR small space on the Internet – say what you want to say! It may feel scary at first, but until you take that leap of faith, you will never know how your voice can impact the lives of others. Who really believes they don’t have a message to share with the world? Honestly. EVERYONE has something to share and they should want to make an impact on the world. 

It’s helped me open up and become more confident about things I’m passionate about.

I’ve always had a passion for self-care, wellness, and mindset but had no idea how to incorporate it into my business. When I started my business in 2015, I was trying to combine virtual assisting with consulting and all of this lifestyle content. Let me make a long story short… It didn’t work. I had to get honest about the things that I wanted to write about and where I wanted to take my business first. Now, I’m confident in sharing my passions with you and I know you’re reading quality content.

Guest bloggers are the best thing ever invented.

Strapped for time and content? Ask one of your friends to write for you. I always give my guest bloggers a mini promo at the end of their post as a thank you to gain more traffic to their blog or social media pages.

Don’t be scared as a new blogger. Everyone writes about the same topics.

Just make it your own. Think about it… How many lifestyle, beauty, and travel bloggers are there? What about Mom-bloggers? Yeah, the list is endless. We’re all writing about the same things and we all have a different point of view about them. That’s what makes every single blogger unique. Simply be yourself and share your knowledge. It will set you apart!

Share what you want to share.

You don’t have to share every little thing about your life on your blog if you don’t want to. Hell, I know so many people who own and run anonymous blogs and absolutely love it. I’ve recently decided to focus more on the content and less on my own personal life. Yes, I’ll share things here and there, but the focus is going to be on sharing my knowledge and expertise with you. 

Your blogging experience is exactly what you make it.

If you asked me when I started this blog if my blog would be this successful after a year, I’d think you were crazy. I’ve realized that my blogging journey is going to be different than everyone else’s and that’s what makes it so special. I’m excited to see what the next year brings, but I’ve learned more about myself in the past year than I have in my entire life. I can’t wait to see what in store for me! 

What did you learn as new blogger? Share your tips and experiences in the comments below! 

This post includes affiliate links and I will receive compensation (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase! Click here to read my affiliate disclosure.