Blogging is one of the most popular ways of expression on the internet. It can be defined in various ways. Some people write about travelling, some write about art, others write about tech, some write about food and so on. However, what all of them have in common is a desire to grow.
To be honest, that’s not easy. With so many blogs out there, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication to make yours stand out. One thing to remember though – success won’t come over night, it’s going to take some time. However, you shouldn’t get discouraged by it. You can easily tell whether you’re moving in the right direction, you just need to know where to look. Let’s talk about that.
1. You’ve Found Your Niche
One of the best ways to know you’re on the right track is to know your niche. It’s the most important part of blogging. Like we’ve said – people write about different things, travel, tech, music… You have to find your own thing and stick to it. People follow blogs because they care about the thing you’re passionate about. Don’t just write whatever – you can’t and you shouldn’t cover every topic out there.
Why you might wonder? Well, first of all, you can’t be passionate about everything, which is why you won’t be able to deliver the same quality to each post. Secondly and arguably more importantly – people love consistency and knowing what they can expect. If you lure people in by writing about tech, you may lose them if you switch over to food – because they came to you for tech, not for recipes and risotto reviews.
2. You Notice Follower Growth
Call them however you want to call them – followers, subscribers, fans, reader – it’s all the same. The more, the merrier. Your follower count is a direct representation of your work. Blogs are different from social media. People follow blogs for quality content and if you notice a steady increase in the number of your subscribers – you know you’re on the right track. However, don’t get discouraged if you don’t notice it right away. Building a loyal audience takes time. Also, an audience can be of great help to your blog. You could ask for insight as to how they feel you might improve and if you can take constructive criticism and sound advice – you could attract for subs in no time.
3. There’s An Increase In Comments
Oh yes, the comments. The algorithm kings. The comments, aside from being useful, are one of the most cherished things on the internet. Unless they’re the hate comments or self-promotion spam that is. in general, most authors welcome comments with open arms. That means that what they wrote or presented to their audience in any way is generating some kind of feedback. So, if you notice the number of comments increasing, that means you’re on the right track
Even if you notice spam comments it means you’re doing something good. Sure, comments that spark up conversations are the best kind, but even those boring ones from people just looking for a backlink mean you’re doing something good. You’re being noticed. So, appreciate them – they usually mean you’re doing something good.
4. Your Content Quality Is Improving
There’s no other way around it – quality content is the greatest asset of a successful blog. Anyone who has seen their fair share of blogs, like wordpens.com for example, will tell you that nothing comes before quality content. You could spam backlink comments as much as you want – it wouldn’t make a difference.
The best thing about this is the fact that you don’t need anyone else to tell you your content is becoming better. Simply take a look at your first post and compare it to your last and you’ll see the difference.
5. There’s More Likes & Shares
Likes and shares are critical for your page’s growth. Even so, that a lot of authors end up being caught up in like and share chasing, which is not something that should be done if we’re being honest, but you can’t deny the results. It’s not a secret that we live in the world of social media and that social networks are more important than ever. For blogs – social media is crucial. If you notice an increase in likes and shares of your posts – it means you’re doing something right.
Shares do hold extra value, that’s why there are always fewer shares than likes. People will like anything, they’ll give you a thumbs up just because they know it means something to you. Sharing something on the other hand is a different beast. People don’t share something unless they really like it or believe in it. Sharing is personal – it’s a reflection of you. So, if you notice your posts becoming shared more than usual – that means you’re getting through to people and they’re responding in the best way possible.
6. You’re Making Blog Buds
One of the best things about an online presence is the fact to you get to meet a lot of like-minded people. That’s especially true when it comes to blogging. You’re basically all part of a large community and you depend on each other in one way or another. Once you notice you’re getting more involved in the community and you start making friends – it means you’re moving up in the world. You could even argue that you couldn’t succeed in this world without blog buds and that may very well be true. You’ll feed of off each other, you’ll exchange ideas, support each other and so much more.
7. Guest Posts Are Becoming A Regular Thing
One of the most popular things in the blogging sphere is guest posting. Most authors do this. It allows them to take a little break without depriving their audience of the content. Not only that, by doing so, they allow for something new and different on their page – which is a good thing. So, if you receive an invite or a request to guest post, that can only mean one thing – you’re really good at what you’re doing. No one’s going to invite someone to post on their page unless they consider them worthy.
Also, if you receive a request for someone else to guest post on your blog – that also means you’re doing good, because, let’s be honest – nobody wants to make a guest appearance on a page no one visits or appreciates.
As you can tell, there are a number of different ways to see whether you’re on the right track or not. You just have to pay attention and not worry too much. Success will come, just take your time with it and keep getting better.
