In this age of social media networks, it’s easy to think that blogs no longer have a place in the digital world. But did you know that blogging is actually more alive today than ever?
In fact, from a handful of blogs in the early 90s (they weren’t even called blogs back then), today there are now more than 600 million blogs on the Internet, out of a total of over 1.9 billion websites. That means roughly one in every three websites is a blog!
In the US alone, there are more than 32 million bloggers who post at least once a month. That’s equivalent to around a tenth of the total US population, or almost one in ten Americans!
It’s clear then that almost thirty years since the first blog was created, blogging has not only survived, but has managed to thrived, and in fact is only continuing to flourish. And that’s set to continue for many more years to come.
But why are blogs so popular, and why are they only increasing in popularity and relevance? Here are the best reasons why.
1. Blogs can be anything
The first blog was nothing more than an online journal or diary. Today, a blog can be whatever you want it to be.
You can blog about anything – food, fashion, fitness, or frogs. You can write however you want – formal or conversational, technical or creative, etc. You can create short-form or long-form content. You can publish tutorials, recipes, guides, travelogues, listicles, reviews, testimonies, case studies, news articles, feature stories, journal entries, or whatever. You can also use different types of content other than written, like images, infographics, audio, video, and the like.
It’s not just about the content though – you can design the look of your blog however you want. You can add a variety of plugins to give your site enhanced or entirely new functionalities. And you can make you blog private or public, free or paid, and more.
The bottom line is that blogs are versatile, adaptable, and multipurpose. In blogging, the only limit is your imagination. You define your own space. You set your own rules. You create the content you want.
2. Blogs are useful
A large chunk of all the information on the World Wide Web can be found on blogs. That’s because blogs comprise close to a third of all websites on the Internet. So every time you search something online, there’s a high chance that you’ll get your answer from a blog.
Think about the last time you searched something on the Internet. When you wanted a budget travel guide for a tropical island getaway, you probably found it on a travel blog. When you were looking for new recipes to try at home, you likely discovered them off a food blog. And when you needed advice and guidance for new moms, you learned valuable insights after reading a couple of mommy blogs.
Blogs contain so much valuable information and knowledge. They provide answers to your questions and solutions to your problems. That’s how useful blogs are.
3. Blogs are effective
Blogging is effective; it delivers results, both for blog visitors and the bloggers themselves.
For visitors, blogs offer interesting and useful content, from personal finance tips, productivity hacks, postnatal care procedures, to political discourse. Blogs provide information, offer insight, and kindle inspiration. And people trust blogs – did you know that blogs are rated as the fifth most trusted source for accurate online info?
For bloggers, on the other hand, blogging is a perfect way to share your story, knowledge, interests, and experiences. It’s a powerful way to connect with people across the world, build a community, and create meaningful relationships. It’s a low-cost yet effective way to promote your brand or business and reach out to new and existing customers. And it’s a profitable way to earn money, whether that’s money on the side, a fulltime income, or something more.
4. Blogs connect people
Before there was social media, there were blogs. In fact, blogs were the first social networks. And just like the social media platforms that we know today, blogs have been connecting people from across the world ever since.
After all, blogging is the ideal platform to bring together people and build engaging relationships. It’s an awesome way to connect to and with individuals who have the same interests as you, who share the same passions, motivations, and even opinions. And it’s also a wonderful way of learning new things and novel ideas, and exchanging different points of view and philosophies.
Whether it’s sharing the secrets of successful parenthood with fellow moms, swapping recipes with food enthusiasts, teaching aspiring solitary adventurers the basics of traveling alone, or working with brands and businesses for sponsorships, blogging is an excellent way to form and foster relationships. In the end, we humans crave social connections, and blogging offers us a way to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
5. Blogs are easy to start
Gone are the days when blogging was solely the preserve of computer or Internet geniuses. Today, everyone and anyone can start their own blog. All you need is a laptop, a decent Internet connection, and a couple of bucks a month to pay for web hosting to get your blog going.
And you don’t even need to be a techy person to start a blog. With just some basic knowledge of the Internet, you can build your own blog in a matter of minutes. Plus, there’s plenty of helpful tutorials available online – like this one – to guide you through the process of setting up your very own blog. So really, blogging is meant for anybody and everybody. And that accessibility continues to draw people to blogging, as it did before and will continue to do so in the future.
6. Blogs teach skills
When you try your hand in blogging, you’re guaranteed to learn some new skills. After all, blogging isn’t just a single skill – it’s a combination of various and diverse skills.
Through blogging, you can learn hard skills like writing, proofreading, researching, search engine optimization, social media management, digital marketing, web development and design, graphic design, photography, videography, and the like. And in today’s technological and digital world, these are the skills that are much sought-after, the skills that can land you a high-paying job, help you launch your own business, and in general help you earn a generous income.
But it’s not just hard skills you’ll learn in blogging. You’re bound to improve your soft skills, too, like communication, networking, planning, goal-setting, organization, time management, problem solving, creativity, and many more. Such soft skills are exceedingly important because they have a direct impact with how you perform in the workplace, manage your own business, or even how you deal with everyday living.
7. Blogs make money
Yes, it’s true. Blogging pays, and it pays quite well.
In fact, did you know that the most profitable blogs rake in millions of dollars a year? The top earners are HuffPost ($500 million a year), Engadget ($47.5 million), Moz ($44.9 million), PerezHilton ($41.3 million), and Copyblogger ($33.1 million). But of course, these blogs are already companies in their own right, with rank upon rank of paid professional writers churning out content after content.
So what about blogs owned by individuals? Well, the monetary picture is also quite rosy. Did you know that pro bloggers earn an average annual income of $185,975, while the best of the best make millions? However, these top bloggers comprise just a small percentage of the blogging population.
More bloggers just make a nice, healthy fulltime income off blogging, while even more manage just enough for a decent side income.
Of course, there are also bloggers who don’t make any money at all. The point is, blogging pays, and it pays quite well, but only for those who put the necessary time and effort into it.
8. Blogs are perfect for WFH
During the last few years, work has been happening more and more away from offices and traditional workplaces. As people look for the perfect work from home (WFH) job, they’ve been increasingly drawn to blogging. And for good reason.
After all, blogging typifies the ideal WFH job because it can be fulfilled anywhere and at any time. You can draw up your own schedule, dictate how many hours you want to work, and decide when to take a rest. You’re not at the whim of any boss, but work solely for yourself (if you have your own blog), and the only limit to your income and success is how far and how hard you’re willing to go.
And as long as you have a decent Internet connection, you can access your blog from anywhere and continue to make a living (if you’re earning from your blog, that is). Whether you’re on a white sandy beach on a tropical island paradise, in a cabin up in the piney mountains, or at home, in your pjs, you can do what you need to do. You aren’t tied to one location. When you decide you’re tired of working in one place, you can simply pack up your laptop and move.
9. Blogs make for great businesses
Blogs don’t just make for ideal WFH jobs; they also make for the ideal businesses. The long and continuously growing list of people who built their blogs from scratch and turned them into extremely profitable and successful businesses is proof of this.
Blogging as a business offers many advantages compared to traditional business models. For one, the capital required. With only a couple of dollars a month, you can already start your own blog. Second, the location. Because everything is online and digital, you need not worry about having an office, storage room, warehouse, or inventory (unless of course you’re also selling physical products through your blog).
Third, the many ways you can earn money. From affiliate marketing, ads, sponsored posts, selling your own products both physical and digital, to hiring out your skills and services, you have a lot of options to monetize your blog – you can do all if you want!
And fourth, the passive income. In case you’re wondering, passive income is money earned on an investment, or work completed in the past, that continues to make money without any additional effort. It’s money you earn while you sleep. So, guess what? All that work you’re putting in your blog is guaranteed to earn you money now, and in the future, too! The more work you put in, the more you increase your income potential.
10. Blogs can lead to financial freedom
Ultimately, one of the greatest lures of blogging is the promise of financial freedom and a more fulfilling life. Through your blog you can earn more than enough to pay your living expenses now and forever, more than enough to see you through retirement and beyond. You can finally achieve all your life goals, and spend quality time with the people dearest and nearest to your heart. Imagine no longer slaving after money, but living life on your own terms, just the way it should be, and finding meaning and happiness all through out. All that and more are what blogging has in store for you.
Start a blog today
Almost thirty years since the first blog was created, it’s clear that blogging has not only survived, but continues to thrive, in this age of social media networks. In fact, blogging isn’t going anywhere – it’s only becoming more popular, relevant, and important. And that’s set to continue for many more years to come.
So start a blog today, and discover for yourself all the reasons why people love blogging. I’ve got just the guide to help you build your own blog from scratch and earn a fulltime income. It’s a complete step-by-step tutorial that’s perfect for beginners. Click the button below, and start building your blog, and start building your dreams.
