7 Tips to stay motivated as a starting blogger

Everyone (including me) often thinks, 'Is it really worth it? Why am I doing this?'
This is just normal, we all want appreciation for the effort, time and energy we put in our blogs. Keep in mind that there are millions of blogs published every day, and it takes a while to find a diamond ;-)

When you started your blog, you started it for a reason. If you wanted to write articles because:
- you want to share your ideas and insights about a topic
- you want to drive traffic to your business
- establish a reputation or brand for yourself
- educate or help others
In that case, you started your blog out of passion, and that passion still must be there, even with 0 views.
If your only motivation was to make money, finding new motivation might not be easy, but it is still possible.

Keep in mind that Rome wasn't built in a day.
It only takes a long time to get noticed by people. Don't give up because one day, you will have your first visitor and your first reaction to a blog post. That is something that I can guarantee you.
It is just a hard period you have to go through. But never doubt yourself: you have amazing ideas, and there is an audience for you.
Stopping is the only way you will never reach your dream or target.

Note from the author: I had this idea too, 'Is it really all worth it?' and I struggled with my motivation. And one day, I said to myself, 'Peter, do not be a quitter. There is still so much you want and need to share with others.
The day after, I opened Notepad again and started writing new lines of words (after 1.5 weeks of silence in writing).

During the first months of blogging, celebrate the milestones you have set for yourself. Such events can be:
- your first visitor that is not you or a friend
- the first comment on an article
- the first newsletter subscriber
- you 50th blogpost
- the first person sending you an email

Seeing these as a victory will keep you motivated and give you the energy to do even better.

You need to have patience; success doesn't come overnight. And that is why you must celebrate these milestones, even small ones. Your way to success is a marathon, not a sprint. You will get there, step by step. You will never reach the finish if you give up after 1 km.

Note from the author: One tip I can give you: don't check your Google statistics 20 times a day. This will work very demotivating. Been there, done that.
Instead, focus on writing more content and only check once a week or so (certainly in the first months). Even though my blog has been online for already three months, Google still needs to index many keywords.

Please remember that the first months of your blog are for building the foundation. This shows the direction you want to go to, what style you prefer, etc.

and the bigger and stronger the foundation, the higher and bigger the building.
This is also true for your blog. Don't forget about the quality of your blogs; it is much better to write one killer blog post than three mediocre ones.
Think about later: what if such a mediocre is the first one someone reads when he visits your blog? Will he click on another link? No.
That's why it is important to go for quality content. And if you have no inspiration, review some of your older posts and re-write a paragraph or maybe add something to bring it to your high-quality standards.

The consistency in posting is as important as the quality of your blog posts.
Not only does Google like consistency (and will make a little effort to crawl your blog more often and rank you maybe a little bit higher), but also your (future) audience; people love fixed things, so your audience will look forward to your (fixed) posting day.

Having a posting plan combines all of this together: plan to publish a new post every Tuesday (or whatever day you want). This not only gives you lots of space for other stuff, but it also gives you a deadline. And with that comes the motivation and energy to start writing and meeting that deadline (at least for me, it is).
PS: you can also post 2 or 3 times a week as long as you are consistent. Just find a schedule that suits you.

If you want your blog to become successful (and generate a nice passive income stream), you need to write a lot of blog posts. And you need lots of inspiration to do so.

Me, I also struggle with this a lot. Finding inspiration for new topics or inspiration for the article itself can be so difficult.
YouTubers or bloggers will tell you you must use online tools to find keywords. But that can be challenging. And if you have such keywords, you still need to write an article, right? You can go the easy way and use A.I. to write your blog posts, but I completely refuse that. I want my blog to look and feel genuine and personal.
I will tell you what helps me find inspiration:
- have a day (or more) off; this helps clear my mind so I will be open for new ideas
- visits other blogs to find inspiration on their topics, on how they write, on how to present their blog
- talk to people (offline or online)

Especially looking at other bloggers can motivate you, knowing they all went through the same obstacles you are having. Everyone is human; successful bloggers also had moments where their motivation level was below zero.
So, keep on working, and one day, other bloggers will look at your blog and find their motivation in it.

There is a saying in Latin 'Mens sana in corpore sano' which means 'A healthy mind in a healthy body'.
You have to take care of yourself mentally and physically.
Get a break for activities that recharge your energy and creativity level. You can go for a walk, spend time on another hobby, exercise, etc. These activities will clear your mind so you can start focussing again on your blog.

Changing the environment can also give your motivation the boost it needs. Try a different workspace, such as cafes, coffee bars, libraries, or other public places, to find inspiration and motivation.

Note from the author: if I work for hours in the same working space at home, it starts feeling like a prison. So, I often take my laptop (or a simple notebook) to a nearby coffee shop and have a coffee while I enjoy working in this new environment.

The last tip, and probab the most important one: always believe in yourself!

You started your blog for a purpose. And you are not the reason that you still haven't seen any visitors.
It can take several months for Google to rank your blog post in a decent position. That is not because your quality is not good; it is just because of Google. Okay, if it takes too long, maybe you should find another SEO strategy. But never doubt yourself and your original goal.
Getting traction on other platforms also takes a lot of time. And again, that is not because of you. Millions are trying to achieve the same as you. But if you remain motivated and deliver consistent quality work, your hard work will pay off.

In life, nothing is easy, and nothing comes for free.
In the end, it will be you who will succeed; you will have a popular blog. Not the million others who stopped because it was too hard for them.

Still not convinced?
Here is a last tip to regain your motivation: check the first posts you have written. You will see a big evolution. Continue, and the sky is the limit!

Note from the author: I know it can be very, very frustrating seeing no results. But I always found the motivation to keep going on by all the above points.
What helps me the most is taking one or two days off and thinking about completely other things. Or I go play padel, which also clears my mind.
Feel free to contact me.