Things You Get Better At After Blogging Consistently

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**first published in 2021 but updated in 2022

When you are blogging consistently, it isn’t only about constantly creating new content (that’s a blogger misconception).

Yes, writing is a huge part of being in this field but there are many other skills you learn as a blogger.

Here’s what you will pick up.

1) SEO

Thanks to SEO Jumpstart, a course that teaches people how to properly apply SEO (search engine optimization) techniques, I now know how to write SEO-friendly articles.

You need to do things like keyword research and put internal and external links in every post.

There is also adding headings and subheadings to break up the text.  

Headings help the reader find the information they want to know.

Adding subheadings also helps readers digest information because it’s chopped up into a more readable format.

Many readers read blogs from their phones. No one wants to read a huge chunk of text on a small screen.

You’ll soon develop SEO habits. Once you get going with these, it will become a reflex to do all of this in every single blog post.

2) Time Management

It might be easier if you have a lot of time on your hands but most of us also balance a full-time job or school with blogging.

That, along with our social life, makes it pretty tough to blog consistently.

You must carve out time to blog and everything that comes along with it.

Dedicating yourself to your blog could mean giving up some of the activities you like to do.

There’s always something to work on like crafting blog content and networking with other bloggers.

For meeting fellow bloggers, Facebook is probably the best social media platform.

You can join Facebook groups where you can get your questions answered and look for opportunities to guest post.

Guest posting on someone else’s blog means tapping into their audience. You want that to gain more exposure for you and your blog.

All of these tasks on your blogging to-do list mean you must learn how to manage your time effectively.

It’s vital to plan and set up a schedule (this includes your weekly posting schedule or however often you post on your blog).

It takes real discipline to do so as there is no one to push you except you.

3) Patience

Being a blogger really tests your patience and it’s something I’m still working on.

The honest truth is that a blogger is rarely an overnight success. They might seem like an overnight success because you haven’t heard of them before but you have no idea how many hours they have put in behind the scenes.

One thing you know for sure is that they’ve most likely spent a lot of time blogging before going viral.

When you see bloggers being successful, you can’t help but compare yourself to them.

Why can’t my blog take off too?

Is this not for me? Should I give up on blogging permanently then?

Don’t be rash with your actions and think about this carefully.

If you think this is just a phase, seriously consider still being a part of the blogging world. Starting over on a new blog means losing everything you’ve been working on.

During the hard times, remind yourself that all these successful bloggers didn’t give up when things didn’t go their way.

They pushed through their struggles to get to where they are now. So continue to work hard until it’s your turn.

4) Becoming a Better Writer

And, of course, there’s the writing aspect when you are a blogger.

You spend a good chunk of your time writing but everyone knows that already.

What you may not know is that your favourite blogger probably took hours to create content (although it might not seem like it).

Since starting this blog in 2020, I’ve been spending time pumping out a weekly blog post consistently (I wasn’t that great with it in the beginning but eventually established my own routine).

After spending so many hours writing blog posts, you learn to become a better writer. I mean, you’re practicing all the time so you’re bound to improve.

You might not even notice the improvement until you read back on old blog posts. Then, you’ll probably cringe at your own writing.

There were ones I’ve written in the past where I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I posted this on the internet. It’s terrible!’

The good news is that you can always go back and edit your blog posts (I did!).

Refresh blog content by adding relevant information, add internal and external links, and more.

Like any other skill, writing requires practice and you’ll get tons of it with blogging.

5) Writing Longer Blog Posts

When I first started blogging, I once read somewhere that a blog post has to have a minimum of 800 words.

(It’s important to note that these words added must be helpful to whatever you’re writing about. It can’t just be fluff.)

That was stuck in my head.

If that’s a blogging rule to get more traffic to my website, I’ll do it.

From then on, I made sure every blog post had around at least that amount of words.

There was no questioning this fact because I barely knew anything about the industry.

It makes sense that people are writing longer blog posts because they’re more detailed. This way, you can get readers to stay on your page. If people don’t find what they’re looking for, they’re going to leave your website, the opposite of what you want.

It was painful to write 800+ words at first.

There were moments when I had to really rack my brain and ask myself, ‘what else is there to say?’ and got frustrated when I had absolutely nothing else to add.

Shout out to those blog posts I drafted that never got published because I couldn’t think of anything else to add.

There were also some blog post ideas that I straight-up passed on because I didn’t think I could reach the 800+ word minimum limit.  

As you continue to blog consistently, you’ll find it easier to write 800+ word blog posts.

It does sound hard to write that much, especially in the beginning but once you’re used to it, you won’t even blink an eye anymore. The word limit will slowly increase as you gain even more experience.

You’d soon get into the habit of asking yourself, ‘what else would readers want to know about this topic?’

Then you’ll find yourself typing more, which, of course, resulted in longer blog posts.

6) Editing

Writing is essential for a blogger, but so is editing.

These two go hand in hand to ensure you have a high-quality blog post.

The editing part might even take longer because it’s revising blog posts. This can take place even after years since you first published them.

Unless you’re urgently trying to publish a blog post, take a day or two break so you can re-read your blog post with a fresh pair of eyes. Your brain is refreshed and you’ll find yourself thinking about your piece of content from a different perspective.

As a final editing round, read your blog post out loud to catch the grammar mistakes you failed to notice. When you’re reading in your head, you often gloss over words.

Sign up for my FREE editing blog post checklist to make sure that you’re covered for ALL blog posts.

7) Taking Courses

The blogging world is constantly evolving, which means you have to continue learning to keep up.

Taking blogging courses will help you gain relevant knowledge on how to succeed as a blogger. You’ll then be able to apply these tips to your website to make it grow.

Don’t buy into the illusion that you’ll replicate the results of another blogger.

Not everything that worked for another blog is guaranteed to work for you and your blog.

For example, you see bloggers swearing up and down about gaining blog traffic through Pinterest but Pinterest has changed its algorithm in recent years. So you’re not going to get the same results as someone who relied heavily on Pinterest a few years ago.

You’ll need to adjust to the times. If you’re really stuck, feel free to make a few social media posts on a Facebook group to get help.

8) Reflection 

You will make a ton of blogging mistakes along the way.

You won’t catch some of your mistakes right away so regardless of whether or not you’re hitting your blogging goals, spend time reflecting on your blogging journey.

Think about the things you’ve done. Is there a better way of doing it?

Figure out what you should continue doing and what you should stop doing. Stop and reflect every once in a while.

Final Thoughts – Blogging Consistently

Look at how many skills you gain from consistently blogging!

There are so many pros to being a blogger other than being a better writer.

I didn’t even think about all these other things I’ll get better at when I first started but I’m so glad being a consistent blogger means more than just improving my writing skills.

Now to You – Blogging Consistently

What are some skills you’ve improved on while blogging consistently?

Let me know in the comment section down below!

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Xoxo,
Nicole