I can’t believe that I’ve been blogging for almost a whole year now. This time last year I started working on my blog, and then I officially launched it on January 1st! I am honestly so proud of myself for sticking to it and never missing a week! Every single week I published at least one blog post, but my goal was to post at least two. I thought about starting a blog for probably two years before I finally got the nerve to do it. It took me awhile to figure out WHAT I could blog about, but once I realized it should be about bullet journals and stationery, it just seemed so obvious. These were things I genuinely enjoy and was doing anyway, so why not share it with the world (i.e. the internet).
So, in this post I wanted to share with y’all what I have learned in my first year of blogging, as well as what you can expect from Rae’s Daily Page next year! I’m going to try to make this as helpful as I can for anyone interested in starting a blog because I know I read SO MANY blog posts during my own research. Also, please complete my reader survey towards the end of this post!
Most Popular Blog Posts
- November Bullet Journal Inspiration
- My Ideal Daily Routine
- Fall Doodles Tutorial
- Archer and Olive Notebook Review
- Christmas Gift Guides
- Best Black Gel Pens for Bullet Journals
- Wedding Series
Starting a Blog
I knew NOTHING when I started my blog last year. I still feel like I barely know what I’m doing, but I’ve definitely learned a lot. I’m going to give y’all some quick bullet points of tools I’ve used that have helped me with my blog, that I think would be useful for anyone starting a blog!
My most important tip for anyone starting a blog is to get a self-hosted WordPress blog. This way you OWN your blog, you can monetize it if you want, and you can have a .com instead of wordpress.org, which looks more professional.
There are so many hosts out there to pick from, but I went with BlueHost. It’s really popular with bloggers, and I can definitely see why. It’s affordable, super reliable, and easy to get started.
With BlueHost you can purchase your domain through their registration process. Picking a domain name was so hard. I knew I wanted it to have my name in it to make it personal, and I knew I wanted it to have something to do with bullet journaling. I also didn’t want it to limit me to one topic because I wasn’t sure what direction my blog would go in once I got started. I basically made a huge list of possible names and I had Taylor (my husband) come up with names too. Rae’s Daily Page was actually his idea! I thought it was perfect because you could take it to mean “Daily Page” as in journaling pages, or “Daily Page” as in web pages! Of course I am not a DAILY blogger, but I do journal every day!
The next step was a theme. I still know exactly nothing about web design, so it was an easy choice to purchase a theme! I found my theme on Creative Market (they had so many to pick from). My theme is the Oleander theme from Solo Pine. It has a clean look, with room for customization. It wasn’t expensive, and I loved that they had step-by-step instructions for getting set up. It really made the process so much easier.
After I had everything set-up how I wanted it, I had to actually start creating content! I wanted to have several blog posts up when I launched my blog. Your first blog post should always be an introduction. People want to know the person behind the blog!
I think it goes without saying that the most important part of a blog is the content. I always try to put out quality content. I don’t ever post just to post something. I’d rather post 1 quality blog post a week vs. 5 fluff-filled posts.
When it came to monetization the first affiliate program I joined was Amazon Associates. I’m pretty sure they accept anyone with a valid blog and you just have to make 3 sales within 6 months. What’s great about Amazon Associates is everyone uses Amazon and you can buy almost anything from them. It’s definitely my favorite place to buy bullet journal supplies, and it’s easy to link to them for y’all to shop.
Getting accepted to Google AdSense was a little more difficult. It took over a month because they want to see content being consistently posted. If you already have a well-established blog you’d probably be accepted quicker.
When it came to putting ads on my blog, I didn’t want to overwhelm my readers with tons of ads. I try to keep them to a minimum. You should never sacrifice the user experience on your blog for a few extra dollars.
Promoting Blog Posts
It’s really easy to write and publish blog posts, but it’s not that easy to get readers. And as much has I enjoy blogging, I don’t love talking to myself (that much). I have four main ways to promote my blogs.
I think most bloggers would agree that Pinterest is essential to getting page views and growing your audience. Through a LOT of trial and error, I’ve finally found a Pinterest strategy that works for me.
- Set-up your profile– You need to claim your website, set up rich pins, have plenty of boards relating to your niche
- Join group boards! This make all the difference when you’re growing you Pinterest account. So while I didn’t have very many followers, I was still able to reach a large audience by posting to multiple different group boards
- Pin every single day! This includes your own pins AND other pins. I don’t think there’s a magic number, but I think between 15-30 pins a day is usually enough. Just make sure to have a good mixture of pins.
- Set-up a manual pinning schedule– This has made all the difference in my blog traffic. I more than DOUBLED my page views in the same month that I implemented a schedule. I know a lot of people use Tailwind and love it, but I just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money. I was really just winging it for most of the year (pinning whenever I thought about it, trying to remember what group boards I had already posted to, etc), but after I realized I had too many pins and group boards to keep track of I made a spreadsheet. It’s a simple spreadsheet in Google Sheets that has each pin and all of my group boards. I pull it up on either my phone or iPad and mark the date that I pin to each board.
Instagram has an amazing bullet journal community. There are so many talented artists and everyone is so nice and supportive! I don’t promote my blog posts in my Instagram posts, but I do promote them in my stories. I also have my blog link in my profile. Instagram viewers don’t always translate to blog readers because they’re very different audiences. So I don’t stress too much over it, but I do really enjoy using Instagram!
My biggest tip for Instagram is to find several hashtags to include in your posts. Try to include some broad tags (i.e. #bujo #bulletjournal) and some super specific tags that pertain to what you’re posting (i.e. #archerandolive #weeklyspread). I keep my most used hashtags saved in the notes on my phone so I can just copy and paste when I post. Another way to get the most out of hashtags is to check the recent posts from popular hashtags. This is a great way to find new people to follow, and liking and commenting on posts will allow other people to find you!
Blog Link-Ups
Blog link-ups have really helped me get page views I wouldn’t otherwise have gotten! I would suggest finding a few link-ups that relate to your blog and consistently link-up to them. Obviously it helps to get your link up early, so keep track of when they go live!
Google SEO
Google Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is a HUGE factor in the success of a blog. The majority of this year I didn’t stress over SEO because Google really doesn’t favor new sites. I think once you hit the one-year mark and have a decent amount of blog posts, you should start looking into SEO. Focus on keywords, re-name your images, use headings in your posts, etc. I’m still just getting started with this, but you can find a ton of information on the internet.
What I Earned
I know this is usually what everyone wants to know from these types of posts. I know I read a TON of income reports when I first started my blog (and even before). I find there’s a couple problems with income reports because typically the people reporting are very successful. A lot of them have been blogging for years, are working on their blog full-time, or they sell their own products. SO when you look at these blogs making thousands of dollars a month and then you look at your own earnings (or lack thereof) , it can really bum you out. I try really hard not to compare myself to other bloggers and just keep working on making my blog the best it can be. Another disclaimer, I don’t do this for the money, I genuinely love bullet journaling and stationery and I want to share that with the world.
So I won’t be sharing any dollar amounts with y’all. I was able to make some money through Google AdSense, Amazon Affiliates, and another affiliate program. I will say you definitely get out of it the effort you put in. You can’t put in minimal work (a couple hours a week) and one blog post a week and expect to make much of anything. Keep that in mind because it’s definitely not an “easy” way to make money like some blogs will lead you to believe.
Email List
Are y’all signed up for my email list? In 2020 I’ll most likely start sending out a newsletter (maybe once a month) to keep y’all in the loop and I’ll be providing more freebies that will be exclusive to those on the email list! Sign up now so you don’t miss out!
Reader Survey
Goals for 2020
Even though it’s been one year of blogging, I’m just getting started! I have a lot of ideas for 2020 to make Rae’s Daily Page even better!
Some of my goals are to increase pageviews, grow my audience, and get more followers on Instagram. I’ve met a lot of my goals this year as far as stats and I’d like to keep growing and improving.
Some new things you can expect in 2020 is an email newsletter, freebies (printables!), and I’ll be posting twice a week (at least)! I’m looking forward to another year on Rae’s Daily Page and I hope y’all stick around!
