I am into blogging for the past four years, and I regularly get texts and comments from people asking whether they should start a blog or not. I tried searching on Google as well, but I didn’t find any article that can explain every aspect of blogging, and tell who should start it and who should not.
That’s why I decided to write all the benefits and downsides of blogging. So, you can easily decide whether blogging is for you or not.
Benefits of blogging
No doubt, Blogging is great, and many people like Neil Patel, Harsh Aggarwal, Brian Dean, and many others have built their entire profession around it. Here are some of the best benefits of blogging.
You can make money
Yeah, blogging is a great way to make money. It takes time and needs some hard work, but once you start generating readerships, you can start monetizing your blog. There are a lot of different ways to monetize a blog, such as ad networks, affiliate marketing, and much more.
There is no way I can say how much money you can make. It all depends on how much you are working for your blog. Blogs like HuffingtonPost, TechCrunch, Gawker, Mashable, and others are making millions of dollars every month. By seeing this, you can quickly get an idea of how much potential blogging has to make money if you are serious about it.
Easy and affordable to start
Unlike any other thing, you don’t need to learn a lot of things to start a blog. With time, you’ll get to learn how things work in blogging, but to start it, you need nothing to know much. Basic knowledge of using the internet would be more than enough.
Similarly, to start blogging, you don’t require to invest a thousand dollars in something. If you just have a hundred dollars, that’s enough to buy web hosting and domain to launch your blog right now. Here is a list of best wordpress hosting. Even few of companies also offer free doman with hosting.
It helps to improve writing skills
One obvious thing is that starting a blog helps a lot in improving your ability to become a good writer. I still remember, when I was in high school, my grammar, and communication skill was abysmal.
But since I started my first blog, my writing skills have improved a lot. Although I am still not perfect, I feel much better now, and it gives me more confidence. The concept is very simple; the more you write, the easier it becomes.
It helps to learn new skills
When I started my first blog, I didn’t know that I could turn it into my full-time profession. If you start blogging, then you will have to learn a few skills to survive and conquer this ocean.
Here are a few things that I have learned in my journey of blogging-
- Writing for multiple audiences
- Content Management Systems
- Designing WordPress
- Search Engine Optimization
- Email and Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing
Along with that, it overall helps you in building your knowledge.
For example, I spent a few years writing about technology, and right now, I am much better with technology.
It helps to become a brand
If you follow the path to make a successful authority blog, then it would help you and your website to become an online brand. We all know Brian Dean because of Backlinko and Harsh Aggarwal because of ShoutMeLoud. That’s how your blog can help you in becoming an online brand.
It allows you to be your own boss
Who loves a nine to five job? At least I don’t.
Blogging allows you to work from any part of the world. You will not be restricted from going to the office and spend your eight to ten hours working for someone else.
But it doesn’t mean blogging doesn’t require hard work. Especially in the initial days, you have to work much harder than a regular job until you can start generating a good amount of traffic. After that, you can hire freelancers to do most of your tasks so that you can focus on other things.
These are some of the reasons why you should start a blog right away. But does blogging has benefits only? No, Blogging has a few downsides too. Below I am mentioning some of the cons of becoming a blogger.
Downsides of blogging
There are a few pitfalls of starting a blog. Blogging is not that easy as you might have seen people talking about it. It takes time, and most probably, there are chances that you’ll get failed in the first attempt, and that would leave you with more stress.
Blogging is hard
Blogging is not as easy as people think about it. If you want to run a successful blog, you have to give it much more hours than a regular job. These extra hours often counts as working on weekends and festivals when you’d typically be chilling. It requires patience, dedication, and commitment.
Blogging is not the solution to make quick money
People often think that once they start a blog, they can start making money, but in reality, sometimes it can take up to six months to make your first dollar. So, if you are looking for a quick way to make money, blogging is just not for you.
No Fixed Income
There is no way you can make a stable income through blogging. There will be some months when you’ll do exceptionally well and make a good amount of money. But there will be a few months where your income would be not even close to the expectations. It’s sturdy, and that is the dark truth of blogging.
It is a lonely pursuit
I have gone for hours to days working all alone in my room without uttering a single word to anyone. And if you get into it, you also have to go through it. This loneliness becomes a part of a blogger’s life. Unless you are planning to rent a fully equipped co-working space in a busy city like Melbourne or spend your days in coffee shops.
Verdict
There is no way I can say that you should start a blog or not. It’s all on you.
These are the main pros and pitfalls of starting a blog. You should read both of the things and then make your decisions whether you still want to start a blog or not.
And keep in mind, Blogging is not a sprint. It is a marathon.