Whether or not you’re making money online, if you want to eventually turn your blog into a business, you have to treat your blog like a business now.
It requires time, hard work, and a lot of dedication if you want to turn your blog into a successful, thriving business. It’s not something that will happen overnight.
If your ultimate goal is to make your blog profitable, it’ll do you a lot of good to treat your blog like a business from the very beginning.
I know that’s easier said than done because it can be hard to do so when you aren’t turning a profit yet. However, taking your blog seriously and treating it like your job means you’ll stand a better chance at seeing success. And who knows, you may even see your results skyrocket!
8 Ways to Treat Your Blog Like a Business
So, how exactly do you treat your blog like a business, you ask? Well, there are eight things I believe all bloggers can do to start taking their online presence seriously. And the good news? All of these things are easy to do and you can start implementing them today. Check it out:
1. Know Exactly What You Want
First, think about what you really want to get out of blogging. Do you actually want your blog to become a business or is it a hobby that you’re just really committed to? Do you want it to be your full-time income or just bring in a some extra cash every month?
Figure out what you want to come from your blog and know whether or not this is what you truly want. The reason for this is because it’ll give you some direction when it comes to running your blog. And if you do want to make amazing things happen, you need to…
2. Set Goals & Deadlines
Don’t just blog aimlessly without a plan in place. In order to truly treat your blog like a business, you’ve got to serious about it.
Set a goal of the things you want to achieve in blogging. Is there a certain amount of pageviews you want to hit or a number of posts you want to write each week?
Whatever it may be, having a goal gives you something to work toward. Just make sure to set a deadline so you can achieve it in a timely manner instead of procrastinating. If you want to read more about goal setting, I have the perfect post to help you out!
3. Consistently Produce Valuable Content
Your readers want only the best from you, so show them you’re committed to your blog by producing only the best content. No more half-assed posts!
Create a blogging schedule and choose the days you want to post on, whether it’s five days a week or less. Then, make sure you deliver valuable content to your readers every week on those days. In order to treat your blog like a business, you need to make sure you’re putting the effort into creating the best content you can.
4. Make Sure Your Site is Professional
A website that is disorganized, cluttered, and hard to use won’t get you very far because your readers do judge your blog by its appearance.
Make sure your site looks great by investing in a professional design. You don’t have to spend a fortune working with a designer if it’s out of your budget right now. Opt for a pre-made template instead to save some cash. You should also make sure to use high-quality photos of yourself for your headshot. No grainy selfies, please! If you can’t work with a professional photographer, ask a friend to help!
Another tip is to invest in good web hosting and a custom domain. Nothing screams newbie like a .blogspot or .wordpress URL. Sorry! Making a small change like that shows you’re serious about your blog.
5. Invest Money Into Your Blog
Don’t be afraid to invest money in your blog, even if it isn’t making you money just yet. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. If you want to treat your blog like a business, make use of all of the resources that are available at your fingertips right now.
You can purchase an e-course or an eBook with tips to teach you how to grow your blog. You can invest in the tools you need that will make you a better blogger (software, a new camera, etc.). Just make sure you keep your finances in order so you don’t spend more than you can afford!
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6. Invest Time & Energy Into Your Blog
Just like you would invest the time and hard work into your job, you should invest the same into your blog if you want it to become a business. It takes time and hard work to grow your audience and start making money online. If you’re constantly procrastinating on your blogging tasks or making excuses, you’ll never get anywhere. Unfortunately, as bloggers, we don’t always have someone making sure we get our work done, like we would at a job with a boss. As bloggers, we are our own bosses. And you need to be able to motivate yourself to get shit done when you need to.
7. Build an Email List
Are you ready to treat your blog like a business? Then start building an email list!
An email list is essential for collecting information from your site’s visitors and it allows you to connect with them long after they’ve left your website. And hopefully your email list will be so awesome they’ll keep coming back to your site for more! Every good business has a way to stay connected with their customers, so you need one for yours! An email list is the perfect way to do it.
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8. Don’t Quit
When you aren’t seeing results as quickly as you’d like, it can be easy to get discouraged and quit. Don’t! If you are truly passionate about your blog, keep going and continue putting your best into your website. When your website is finally a huge success, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up.