Are you thinking of starting a blog this year? Then reading this blog is very important for you. Blogging has since become a professional career you can pursue online. The rise in the number of bloggers is fast increasing and it seems like there is no room for new bloggers to come in. That is not true.

There is no room for mediocre bloggers to come in, but there are rooms for serious bloggers to come in and play the game. The line between starting a blog and making money has been drawn and is swiftly drifting, starting a blog with the aim of making quick money will only land you into disappointment.I am simply saying if you are willing to start a blog in 2019, start it like a start-up not as just another blog. Because over thousands of blog are created every day, but 96% of them remain stagnant while only 4% keeps growing.

Starting a blog is not where the problem lies, it is running a blog. After starting a blog, you will realize that writing a blog post will come one of the most difficult things for you. You will see how fast your competitors are churning out contents while you are barely writing once a month. So have your mind prepared and be ready to blog like a start-up in order to know how important your daily work on your blog is. I am writing this blog post to reassure you that blogging in 2019 still worth it. In this post, I will be giving you a plan on how to grow your blog like a start-up and not like a hobby.

• Create a content marketing strategy

In order to grow a successful blog in 2019, you need to have a plan. Without a plan you would only keep wandering the path and finally quit because you had no plan of what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it.This is one of the most important step you need to take in order to grow your blog this year. There are more than enough blog to throw you out of the competition.

So for you to achieve this, you need to do what is necessary: make a content marketing strategy. Your content marketing strategy will be the map that will guide you and motivate you.This is not 2004, neither is it 2005 when you can always write anything and have it rank first page. So you need to prepare well for the competition.The competition is not as easy as you might think.So prepare for the competition.

• Start Guest Blogging

Yes, this is something you need to look into. Starting a blog in 2019, you need to be ready to guest blog on as many blogs as possible in order to grow your blog’s authority.When Matt Cutts said that guest blogging is against Google’s policy, he was talking about poor guest blog written just for the purpose of link.So ensure your guest post is of great quality in order to whoa your host’s readers and Googe.

This will not only create more guest blogging opportunities for you but will also boost your authority online.Altogether this will make your blog a success online.

• Be Consistent

This is not the least but one of the thing you need to put into action right now.You have to be consistent with your posting schedule.There is no room for a lazy blogger; you need to up your game in order not to be pushed aside in the blogosphere.Over 90% of blogs remain dormant after creation, this is to tell you that there is no room for lazy bloggers.

As a side note, I work an average of 7 hours daily and this is low compared to other bloggers.Alex and Lauren of Create and Go blog about 10 hours daily. This is the seriousness you need to succeed in blogging.

When you hear about the success bloggers are having on their blog, you should note that is not a baby game and it is the result of the time they have invested into their blog.So to make that kind of success, be ready to invest more of your time into your blog. Consistency is the key to successful blog.

• Be ready to Invest Money

Many newbies are scared of investing money into their blog because they have doubt if it is really worth it now.But another bitter truth is that you need to invest into your blog in order to speed up your blog’s growth.But because I have said you need to invest does not mean you spend lavishly on any tool or course.You need to weigh your option and ensure whatever you spend money on will be great benefit to your blog’s growth.If you are totally new to blogging, you might consider investing in important courses that can help you in growing your blog.

• Pick the right niche

I could have added this as the first but intentionally pushed it down here. So that means this list is not in any order but a random list.Your blog’s niche is very important to the growth of your blog. I wouldn’t write an epistle on this because I know you should already know about this.But the only advise on this is to settle down for a niche that has a large audience and a low competition.

• Add Break

You might not know the importance of this to bloggers yet, until you have started your blog. Sometimes I sit for about  6 hours working on my laptop. This is very stressful especially if you are new to it.

So you need to embrace break.Going on a break is a way of regaining your normal self after hours of sitting and looking at the screen.So you need to accept the fact that you are human and need rest. This is the fact you cannot change so embrace break and rest.Taking a break of 30 minutes to an hour can increase your productivity.

• Write a lot

I know you probably are new to writing. So you need to cultivate the habit of writing a lot. This is something you need to learn in order to succeed. Your writing skill matters a lot and can make a difference in starting a successful blog in 2019. You know what it means if you can write above 10,000 words daily? You would probably be churning out large number of quality blog posts monthly.

Take Home Tip: Have a blog business plan You must under estimate the importance of having a blog business plan. Having a blog business plan will help you to achieve your goal steadily and fast. You don’t need to worry too much about what step to take next if you have a business plan detailing the next step. The major reason why a lot of bloggers quit is because they do not have a business plan.

A business plan is different from a content marketing strategy. A business plan talks about what you plan to achieve in the next X months.While your content marketing strategy talks about how you want to achieve it. That is how simple it is. So you must have a business plan for your blog. In one word start your blog like a Start-up and not as a hobby.

About the Author

Akinduyo Eniola is a freelance writer and blogger that writes about digital marketing, blogging and SEO at Gurus Coach. He loves playing guitar