My youngest boy will take his first steps any day now. He’s been watching his older brother (and his mum and dad) run around the house for 12 months now and you can just see in his eyes the desire to be up and doing it too. This week he’s started pushing around the block trolley (right) and is practicing his standing up without the aide of anything to pull him up.
It’s not been a fast process and by no means do I expect to see him running around the house soon but he’s almost ready for his first steps.
Many bloggers start blogs these days with the dream of millions of readers and making large amounts of money.
While it is possible to build blogs that are widely read and profitable and there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big – the reality is that it takes time and a lot of work to build these kinds of blogs.
New bloggers would do well to spend more time thinking about their ‘first steps’ than just the big picture dreams and goals that they have..
Yesterday while chatting with a brand new bloggers who had some very lofty goals for this blogging I reflected back to him that I felt that in addition to the big dreams he had that I wondered if he might also benefit from having some realistic goals for the short term.
Here’s a list of 9 first step type goals that I suggested to him that might be a good place to start:
- Publish 10 Posts
- Getting your first comment from someone you don’t know
- Get your first link from another blog
- Build your readership up to more than 20 readers a day
- Hit a level of 20 RSS subscribers
- Getting your blog indexed in Google
- Get your blog earning $1 a week (update: only if making money from your blog is one of your goals – it’s not for everyone
- First guest post on another blog
- Having someone (not you or your mum) tweet about your blog
Note: Others goals might include goals more to do with setting up your blog including those related to design, platforms, setting up metrics/stats etc.
To someone who has been blogging for a while these kinds of goals might seem rather small and insignificant – but for a new blogger they’d be where I would start.
For new bloggers these goals might also seem a little insignificant also (in fact the blogger I was talking to told me I was thinking too small and dismissed my idea) – however I’d argue that to get to your big dreams there is a lot of steps in between – many of which might not be glamorous or as fun to think about. However sometimes it’s helpful to visualize the very next steps that you need to take in order to move towards your goals.
Tangent: I once had opportunity to meet a guy who had travelled the world climbing some of the highest mountains. When I said to him that it must be an exciting thing to do he told me that there are moments of exhilaration and excitement but that the reality is that much of what he does when climbing a mountain is pretty boring. It’s one foot in front of another type activity through foothills, carrying a heavy pack and not feeling like you’re making much progress. Of course once you make it to the top or conquer challenges along the path you have moments of excitement but it all starts with setting out from base camp and with the goal of getting to a point where the climb starts in earnest.
Once you’ve achieved these first goals start to increase them. You might want to double the numbers for the next step (although for different bloggers the numbers will no doubt be different) – then double them again and so forth.
What other ‘first step’ goals would you suggest to a new blogger just starting out? If you’re a new blogger what are your first goals?
Your boys are very handsome. They kind of remind me of the boys off the ‘Ouch Charley’ video, only a little younger. This blog post relates to me on many levels and I enjoyed it. I look forward to keeping up with your posts
I think he should eliminate the $1 goal. Money is a terrible motivator and when first starting out, I think it will definitely affect the quality of the blog itself.
I’ve been tempted to using AdSense and other kinds of ads but truthfully, people are turned off by ads. New blogs should focus on the most important aspect which is content. The rest will come in due time.
I set a goal for myself. It was that I wouldn’t really put any ads until I have at least 1000 visitors daily. It’ll be a long road but I think it’ll pay off better then opposed to right now.
Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for listing these nine steps. These are like a blog post I did recently on 9 ways that you know you have found your online voice. Blogging and building an online following (and yes, generating income) is about doing things in baby steps. So many people I encounter want to know how I build a profitable online passive income stream, and it was by these very steps you mention, although I didn’t know it then. Like you, I have since gotten more formulaic in how I approach gauging the results of my online efforts, and I love the simplicity of your list. A great formula, and one that I will forward to many newbies in my group as they venture forth in their new online MLM adventures!
Darren,
Thanks for the wonderful post. I have big dreams for my blog and I am working on the little milestones successfully, one step at a time.
Publish 10 Posts — done
Getting your first comment from someone you don’t know — accomplished
Get your first link from another blog — Yup
Build your readership up to more than 20 readers a day — I’ve had days of 20+ need consistency
Hit a level of 20 RSS subscribers — sitting at 4 two weeks after launch
Getting your blog indexed in Google — I’ll have to learn how to find out
Get your blog earning $1 a week — not focused on $ yet
First guest post on another blog — One accepted, coming soon.
Having someone (not you or your mum) tweet about your blog — Done
I am half way there. Good to have this list, and I’ll use the other ones suggested as to track my progress.
Rasheed
Currently working towards the latter of those goals, slow steps equals giant leeps. got to keep a level head!
Darren –
I find so much of your advice invaluable.
This list is so helpful. I’ve met 4 of the 9 steps you listed and, as soon as I hit all 9, I’m going to follow your advice + double the goals!
It was + never will be my intent to become a celebrity blogger. Even if I could. I just love to write + document memories + I have to admit it’s fun when someone else enjoys my posts + comments.
Thank you for sharing your expertise,
Debra
This is a great article. I’m about halfway through the list of those goals with my newest blog and its great advice! Thanks for sharing Darren!
Such a cute photo. Thanks for sharing.
Well written post there. The list really agree with me. It is very funny that as new bloggers, at the start, we are overwhelmed and preoccupied with the thoughts of savouring mega traffic hits and making mega $$. Like you’ve pointed out, we just have to be humble and agree that we start from the bottom.
As a newbie in the game, I have done well to achieve a few from your list. Here are just some of the other feats I’m looking to clinch:
-record my first 100th search engine visitor
-get at least 5 visitors a day from mybloglog community
-get indexed in yahoo; it’s proving reallx tough to summount at the moment. Tips would be appreciated
-gain my first ‘religious’ twitter follower.
-record a per visit duration length of at least 1 minute.
To add, am on day 9 of 31DBBB and am seeing some success. Hope 2 grow more. Good thoughts Darren.
Regards,
ugo.jar.
As Graham said, we learn by observing others and copying what they do. And as we learn more and grow, we must incorporate ourselves, our personality to make what we do unique. It’ll make a better impression and to connect more to our readers.
I would add:
– Comment on 5 blogs similar in topic to yours
I recently started an employment law blog and have seen bloggers from blogs I’ve commented on come over to my site and drop comments on my entries. It’s a great way to interact with others in your field and build traffic.
Not to mention you often have the ability to include your URL along with your comment (notice how my name above is a hyperlink to my blog?).
Good post.
Very relevant to to me since I read his article minutes after I posted the first article on my newly launched blog! lol
It would be pretty sweet if #2 on this list was completed for my blog by Darren himself; especially considering the fact that his blogs and book is what got me into creating the site in the first place. :)
-Arif
:)
I am working on all of those. Having had my blog/podcast for about three months I can say I have accomplished at least 6 out of your nine goals. What I haven’t done is get up the readers.
I like these guidelines, but I wonder how soon I should look to have accomplished these goals. If I have been posting since April and my RSS following is still meager should I make that an area of focus?
Because I record interview podcasts I find that my traffic fluctuates wildly according to who I have on. If they are a person with an internet following or a flair for self promotion I can get great traffic, but if I am interviewing someone less connected it can be hard on my traffic.
Nice article. As a new blogger I definitely understand having big dreams. I’m just now realizing that achieving my big goals aren’t going to happen without taking the small steps first. Some may consider this disheartening and give up but reaching your big goals is much sweeter when you put in the hard work to achieve them.
Wow, another good list from you. Thank ya for your info.
just want to say that your these tips i found great, thanks
http://teratips.com
i’m almost at the 20 subscriber mark! one of the highlights when that happens to my blog.
awesome 9 things to look for to start your blog out on the right direction/path to sucess
great article, Helps me a lot since im new to wordpress. thanks
Wonderful post! I’ve been a reader and fan of your blog for a while and it’s been such a great resource for me as a newbie blogger. thank you!
I’m new to blogging – about 2 weeks now – introduced after reading an article on how to make extra money in a Times supplement. So far, only my family and friends have seen it, but slowly i’m adding links to other sites and blog directories. Thought i could make some riches, but, as you say, one step at a time. Kind of forgot about the money now, and am blogging for fun and to spread the message of AIRLINE SALES TO GET YOU THE BEST PRICES.!
Great post and sound advice. I remember being thrilled when I got my first few RSS subscribers and commentors. It’s a good feeling knowing that someone else actually wants to read your stuff. One step at a time, indeed!
I can understand the novice blogger’s dilemma and why he is not to keen to take your advice.
He has no idea what he is aiming for and have to work for!
Great post. Must read for novice bloggers.
Feeling pretty good about my two new blogs (6 weeks old):
1. Publish 10 Posts. Done.
2. Getting your first comment from someone you don’t know. Done.
3. Get your first link from another blog. Done, but doesn’t show on the backend yet.
4. Build your readership up to more than 20 readers a day
Hit a level of 20 RSS subscribers. Averaging 10.
5. Getting your blog indexed in Google. Not even sure what this means; guess will have to figure that out! Perhaps my business partner has taken care of that . . .
6. Get your blog earning $1 a week. YES YES YES; soon!
7. First guest post on another blog. Done.
8. Having someone (not you or your mum) tweet about your blog . Done.
Some things to learn; but overall pretty happy with my progress.
Excellent Post! My first step was the hardest!!! Actually My husband begged and begged me to blog and I couldn’t think why!!! Eventually he started a blog – wrote one post and it was so hideous that I had to go and fix it up!!! That was it I wrote one post and never looked back. Haven’t missed a day in over a year – I never knew I would totally love blogging. My initial goal was to earn a heap of money and I read everything about monetizing… but after months of not earning a cent (let alone a dollar!!!) I realize that I love blogging for the interaction – to see what other folk in our genre are doing and living.
If I were to add a step I would say choose a weekly carnival, out of the millions, and stick with it – persist… you will meet bloggers like you and you will find the same friends popping up wherever you do… not to mention it will force you to write one post every week to a deadline and a topic… it takes you just a little bit out of your comfort zone!
Great tips for the first time blogger. I have to present at BlogHer on how to promote your blog. How do you think you achieve these goals?!! :)
Darren:
Great post. I think all of us have some initial dreams that are very lofty and then we realize it is not as easy as it might seem. Your book addresses “expectations” very well.
In any case, I’ve hit the first three goals on your list. I’m starting slow, but I’m getting there.
I would love 20 RSS subscribers. What is a good way to enhance that property?
Nice list.
I read it thinking “yep, yep, nope, yep, nope” but not necessarily in that order.
Never really considered the importance of the RSS feed. Is it that big a deal?
I have so much to learn. But it’s gonna be fun.
w
http://www.idetectorist.com
Thanks Darren,
This is my first comment after reading your always nice posts for a while! I have started to build a blog for composers and producers with digital studios (using WordPress and Thesis), but must admit that setting it up and writing the first 20 or so posts is harder than I thought (although I have a lot of topics that I want to write on).
The humble approach you suggest to start with sounds good – sometimes it’s hard to focus on priorities: design, having ad stuff included from the start, branding (do I need a good banner right from the start), or are some 20+ well written and enthousiastic posts worth more than having it all right from day one…
Thanks mate, I really dig your posts!
BTW, is your last name pronounces as “Rose” (just like mine in Dutch)?
Just one thing is a bit weird. Whenever you hear someone post about achieving baby steps in blogging (or in any thing for that matter), you all feel fired up and ready for any challenge. But that ambition dies off after a few days. I noticed that there are lots of comments on this blog for the last 5 years. There are many posts about not giving up. But when I clicked on people who left comments 2-3 years ago, their blogs either shut down or they stop blogging. I just hope that 2 years from now, when people click on my comment on this blog, there is actually a successful blog awaits them on the other link. Hope all of the people here also keep their blogging hope survive until then too.
I don’t see why anyone would even consider launching a blog with fewer than 10 posts.
I have completed everything that was mentioned in the article except
20 RSS Subscribers. Currently I only have 2.
Stef
12 year old blogger at LaptopMemo.com
These are some great steps, and another great post. I like the way you’ve given some attainable goals.
My fitness blog has done most of these, but I don’t think I’ve written a guest post somewhere else. I also don’t follow my RSS stats, so I don’t know how many followers I have.
Hi All,
I shouldn’t of even started a blog, I only have 8 post. For some reason I can’t think of anything to put everyday, I guess cause I see other gardening blogs that look better than mine lol. Plus I only container garden, if I had a big enough area to garden then I may be able to post more, dunno. Yes Darren, I do read your post everyday. About google, hate them since you can’t call them with problems. It’s too long to explain here, but I am using amazon. So the make a dollar a day is out for me…lol
That’s a good plan to build a solid base for your blog.
This is great, I hope you’ll put together a set of second step goals. I’ve almost got these ones covered, trying to build links and traffic now to get consistently above 20 visitors a day.
Interesting list, Darren.
I didn’t have too many problems with earning $1 a week – although depending on how you monetize and how you are at getting indexed I can see where this may be a huge step for new bloggers.
The goals I am working on now are to increase my average from $1 a day to $3 a day – its not a large goal but sometimes moving in these micro type actions makes the larger overall goal much more manageable.
Going from $1 a day to $60 a day (my long range goal for the year) on the other hand seems quite insurmountable in comparison!
Hi, Darren! I just started blogging last March and I’m proud to say that I have achieved all those goals that you’ve listed. Thanks to your 31DBB program!
Darren is that the little mini-Rowses’ walking around up there? Man they are growing.
Great post again. This is the type of post I wished I read five years ago. Would have saved me a lot of time.
I often deal with clients who have big dreams, but no short term goals. It seems, once they find out I make my living online, they assume they can do the same within a month’s time. Truth is, it took me one year before my first online business began to generate a descent income.
I’ve only just become a real blogger and have much to learn. I started off with short-term goals, which I met much quicker than I anticipated. I wasn’t really expecting to earn money from my blog. I launched it so that I could begin to get my name out there as an Internet marketer, build new business relationships and begin to pave the way for future endeavors.
Surprisingly, my blog is already paying for itself, has a PR of 6 on the home page, and has some loyal readers! My blog is still a baby (2 months old) and has a long way to go to meet my long-term goals, but I’m off to a motivating start!
It’s a lot like dieting. If you make your goals unrealistic, you’ll give up quickly. Think ahead and plan. Remember, all of the hard work you put in now helps to nurture a strong future for your business!
Once you get the ball rolling, it becomes easier to keep the traffic coming.
Thanks for this post. I’m a new blogger. I’ve only been blogging for a few months now and really enjoy the creative aspect of it and the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience to hopefully help others in personal finance.
I think a good short – term goal is to create an about page. Creating an about page will help you think about how you want to introduce your site, your mission, the types of posts you plan to write and something about you.
Darren, that’s great steps for a new blogger to follow and achieve. I’ve actually started a new blog last week, I’m going to follow what you’ve listed above. My new blog hasn’t achieved any steps above, going to achieve one by one.
Regards,
Lee
Nice article. As a new blogger I definitely understand having big dreams. I’m just now realizing that achieving my big goals aren’t going to happen without taking the small steps first. Some may consider this disheartening and give up but reaching your big goals is much sweeter when you put in the hard work to achieve them.
Thank you Darren, it’s almost like the trick for approved adsense account.. hehehehe.. Now, my blog was being a good money source.. Thank you veru much.
Hi, Darren This is very useful for me. I just start launching my blog at blogger. I will follow through your suggestion
PS.I am just a fan of problogger.net and also try to complete your 31DBB program.
Thanks.
I would say getting more than 5 comments(other than your replies) on a post would be a good first step. I think I’ve managed most of your first steps except maybe for readership/subscribers; working on it though!
Hi Darren,
Based on the 9 types of goals listed, I managed to achieve 2 items only that are item # 1 and # 6.
Hopefully can achieve the other goals for the next few months.
Regards…
Great post friend, i always come here to read your new post
Hi Darren,
absolutely. 10 posts is what I set myself before getting serious about promoting my blog. I think that if I can’t make it into double figures then it is a fad and I should direct my energy elsewhere. However, if I make that little goal then I will feel confident about pouring more energy in with the aim of getting to the next goal which is having readers.
Thanks for the tips. I am impressed that a seasoned blogger such as yourself can still put himself in the shoes of a newbie.
Regards
Jud Hampson