Secrets To Being An International Pet Blogging Success

Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

Is there a secret formula you can use to take your blogging from so-so to so-spectacular? I think there are at least five steps — maybe they're secrets — to getting your pet blog recognized and your efforts to bear fruit.

I think, at last count, there were close to 300 million blogs
on the internet. Wow! With that many choices out there for potential readers
how can you make your pet blog stand out from the other pet bloggers? What can
you do to extend the reach of your blog and perhaps even start earning money
from your pet blogging efforts?

Okay, I do take it back – there are no secrets, no magic
formula – to get your pet blog recognized and to stand out from the crowd but there
are five steps you can take and here they are:

• Looks count. Do you have a
  theme that supports the mission of your blog? For example if you’re a cat
  lover and blog about cats, you certainly wouldn’t want to have a blog
  theme that features dogs. Remember the theme – the overall look and feel
  of your blog – is the first impression that potential readers have of you.
  If it isn’t easy to navigate and is confusing or filled with low quality
  photos they will likely move on to a blog that is more eye appealing.
• Is your content current
  and original? We have heard horror stories recently from members in our BlogPaws
  Community that have had their blog posts lifted word for word and used on
  someone else’s site! Your content should not only be unique, but it should
  be your own! If you see a blog post that you love, you can ask the blog
  owner if you can reference it on your blog – do a bit of a lead in and
  then add a phrase like “to read more click here.” Don’t let your
  credibility suffer by plagiarizing content. We will be having a blog post
  here on what you can do if your content is stolen and we will offer some
  tips on how to keep it from happening.
• Do you blog regularly? If
  a reader comes to your blog daily or weekly will he see new content? If a
  reader comes to your pet blog and sees the same content every time he
  visits he will move onto a blogger that is offering fresh, new content. If
  you only have the time to blog once a week that’s fine, but understand
  that your pet blogging “competition” is likely blogging at least twice or
  three times or even seven times a week. You need to know how much you can
  do and how consistently you can do it then stick with a schedule. If your
  readers know you will have a new post every Tuesday, then they will expect
  it and won’t be disappointed if they stop by on Friday and there is no new
  content. If your content isn’t good or relevant and you’re trying to write
  every day solely to fill the blog, stop. Good, not-so-frequent content is
  better than not-good frequent.
• You’ve blogged and now you’re
  done, right? Wrong, my pet blogging friends. Once you’ve blogged you need
  to let the world know about it. You need to become a shameless self
  promoter. Shout it out on your social media pages. Share it on your social
  networks. If you don’t talk about it, no one else will either. Are you on
  LinkedIn? Facebook? Twitter? A member of the BlogPaws Community? Share,
  share, share is the name of the game.
• Can you make money at this
  pet blogging thing? In some cases, yes you can! If you are writing enough
  quality content that you’re generating a lot of eyes-on-your blog you
  there are a couple of options. You can sell ad space on your site, you can
  charge for guest posters on your blog, if you have a professional service
  to offer (dog sitting, dog grooming, social media management, etc.) have a
  services page on your blog so people know they can hire you. If you are
  part of the Pet Blogger Network on BlogPaws you may have an opportunity to
  make money blogging about what you love for a pet brand. 

You need to know why you're blogging before you can implement a worthwhile blogging strategy. If you're just blogging for fun and want to write about your dog or cat's antics so the world can see, that's fine. If you're looking to turn your passion for your pet into a money-making venture you need to know what success looks like for you and put a plan in place to achieve that level of success. 

What pet blogging questions do you have? Are you wondering how to get your blog more readers? More
interaction and comments? We'd love to know! 

(Photo: Smoki is pictured checking his internet sites as part of International Pet Blogger Month)