Pet Blogging 101: 5 Steps To Get You Started And Keep You Going

Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you are already a pet
blogger. You could be facing some of the same
issues that many of the bloggers
that we talk with regularly face… I don’t have much traffic; Why should I keep
blogging if I’m not making any money; How do I become successful in my pet
blogging efforts. There are myriad answers to these questions, but it might be
time to take a step back, look at your blogging productivity and perhaps
rethink your blogging plan. Get back to basics.

Whether you’re a long time blogger or a newbie it’s never a bad
idea to take a step back and look at your blogging goals and make certain you
are on the right path. Here are my five tips for pet blogging 101:

1. This may stir up some controversy but you need
   to determine whether blogging truly is a strategy that will help you reach
   your pet social media goals. Depending on the type of pet business/niche
   you are in, is blogging where your clients are? You need to understand
   your demographics in order to choose the right platform for your message. There
   are certainly many benefits to blogging, but you need to do your research
   and see what other blogs are covering the same topics in your pet niche or
   perhaps those in your niche find more success on social media platforms
   such as Facebook, Google+ or in the BlogPaws Community. Bottom line… know
   your audience. My personal thoughts… blogging is the best way to communicate
   with readers and pet lovers.
2. When is the last time you blogged? If you
   decide that blogging is where you need to concentrate your efforts you
   need to make a commitment to it. Spend the time, and put the attention
   into not only crafting your posts, but to commenting on the posts of
   others and to replying to comments made to you. If you start the
   conversation, keep it going.
3. Do you have a blog that is separate from your
   website? Is there a reason for this set up? If you’re going to blog, make
   certain the blog is integrated into your website as it helps with your
   search engine optimization (SEO) and also helps drive traffic.
4. I’ve mentioned it in many posts, but have a
   blogging plan/editorial calendar in place. It never hurts to craft a
   mission or vision statement for your pet blog/pet business as this will
   keep you focused and on topic. Choose the categories for your blog wisely.
   Don’t incorporate too many categories or you will lose focus. Also, create
   an editorial calendar as this will help you avoid the “blank screen
   syndrome” – when you sit down to blog and have nothing to write about. Do
   you have a schedule for your blogging? For example, a day set aside to
   write all of your posts for the week or an hour every morning to get the
   research complete and the blog crafted? As with any endeavor, you need to
   make it part of your daily routine and stick to it. Again, an editorial
   calendar could be your best friend for making this happen.
5. How are you doing? Are you tracking the
   results of your blogging efforts? Most blog platforms have an analytics
   built in. Make sure you check those as it can not only help you craft your
   editorial calendar (ie if you had a blog topic that garnered a lot of
   comments, you will want to blog on a similar topic again). Do you see more
   reader traffic on certain days of the week compared to others? If you
   leave your blog to “fend for itself” by not sharing information about your
   new blog post on your social media pages, does it see any traffic at all?

How often do you rethink your blogging plan? Do you have a clear
mission for your pet blog? Are you on track with the results you’d hoped your
blog would garner? We’d love to hear!