This post is all about the advantages and disadvantages of blogging.
Oh hey, friend!
If you landed on this page, there’s a PRETTY GOOD chance that you’re debating whether or not it’s worth it for you to start a blog.
While I love blogging and strongly believe that it’s here to stay, it’s true that blogging does have it’s downsides and may not necessarily be for everyone.
So in this article I’m going to break down the disadvantages and advantages to blogging so you can decide for yourself if it’s something you want to pursue.
I’m going to start with the disadvantages first, then go through all the great things that make blogging WORTH IT. And after reading this article, I hope you’ll feel the same ο»Ώπο»Ώ
So without further ado…
The Disadvantages of Blogging (aka the okay-ish stuff)
1. Blogging is a long-game
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Growing a blog takes a lot of time. And that’s because it’s take a while for your SEO efforts to kick-in and for Google to recognize you and display your posts.
It also takes a lot more time upfront to actually get started (compared to if you were to simply create a Youtube or Instagram profile). So things like actually purchasing your domain and setting up your website takes time.
2. You need to have (or learn) different technical skills
Like I said, blogging requires a bit more upfront work to get started, like with actually setting up your website, figuring out your branding, and setting up all your necessary integrations (like an email list).
In order to truly grow your blog and start making an income from it, you have to know or be willing to learn a bunch of different skills. And that’s because being a blogger = being a business owner.
BUT the good news is… you can learn anything you set your mind to! There’s SO many resources out there that can teach you everything you need to know. All you need is to be willing to learn. ο»Ώπο»Ώ
Read tip #3 under the “Advantages” section to learn why this is actually a pretty big benefit.
3. It’s harder to build a strong connection with your audience without videos or images of yourself
Note, I said it’s harder — but not impossible. And that’s because we all thrive on β¨energyβ¨.
We’re all nosy, it’s just in our nature. We want to know the person behind the screen — who are they? What’s their story?
Think of the content creators you love and follow. Why do you follow them? Chances are it’s because there is something about their story that you relate or aspire to.
It can be a bit easier to make that connection through things like videos or podcasts, where you can see the person’s face and hear the emotions in their voice.
But with that being said…it’s 100% possible to build a community and a loyal audience without really showing your face or getting into video creation.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, the creator of the immensely popular blog “Making Sense of Cents” is an example of an extremely successful blogger that doesn’t really show her face. (She has a few pictures of herself on her about page and a few others scattered throughout her site, but she does not include her photos or any videos of herself on the vast majority of her site.)
The Advantages of Blogging (aka the GREAT, making it SOOO worth it kinda stuff)
1. You’ll learn more about yourself than ever before
Starting a blog has been the single best thing I’ve ever done for my own personal development.
To be honest, I felt pretty lost in my life before I started this blog. I didn’t really know who I was outside the context of my corporate job or the people around me.
When you’re starting a blog, you really need to know a lot about yourself in order to let other people get to know you too. Blogging and building a brand requires a great deal of self-awareness.
To start a blog, you have to know what you’re even interested in talking about! You have to have an idea of what kind of brand you’d like to build, and the kind of energy that you want to bring to the table.
I had NO CLUE about any of this when I started this blog. It took a lot of self-discovery to figure out who I was, what I was interested in, and the vision I wanted to create.
You would be surprised at how just the process of picking your brand colors, fonts, and theme can be such a freaking incredible self-discovery exercise.
Honestly, this benefit truly trumps every single other advantage to blogging. Even if you decide that blogging isn’t for you, no matter what… this benefit makes it 1000x WORTH IT to just try.
2. Blogging is more sustainable in the long-term than other content creation platforms
The worst thing about solely relying on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube to build an audience is the fact that content creators don’t really have much control over how their content is shared.
All of these platforms are constantly making algorithm changes that can drastically change the number of people viewing your content. And even crazier things can happen!
Montana became the first US state to ban TikTok in May 2023, which means that any influencer or brand that built their following solely on TikTok in that state are in pretty big trouble.
But beyond that, the content created on these platforms are pretty forgettable. How often do you remember someone’s IG story or post a day or two later?
The best thing about blogging is 1) you totally own everything you create (assuming you use a self-hosted website) so you are not subject to random algorithm changes and 2) all of your blog content is evergreen, which means it won’t disappear unless you want it to.
This makes blogging the most sustainable option over the long-term. With the help of an email list, you can control how and when you reach out to your audience.
And SEO makes helps make your blog posts found in search, which means you can be attracting new readers to your site months and years after you created your original post.
Bloggers have been around since the early days of the internet and we’re not going anywhere!
3. You will learn SO many important technical skills while blogging
Starting a blog means learning how to setup your website, optimize for SEO, starting an email list, figuring out how to accept payments for any products you create, and numerous random integrations for things you never even knew existed.
Suffice to say, there’s a lot that goes into it and it can take a lot of time to figure out how to do the things you’d once thought would be easy.
I know you’re probably thinking that this sounds more like a con than an advantage.
But it’s actually a GREAT thing!
And that’s because these are all vital skills in our digital market. These are all skills you would need to know to be able to start basically ANY business.
And what better way to learn than on a creative project you’re actually passionate about?
There are a TON of resources out there teaching you how to learn everything you need to know.
And even if you one day decide that blogging isn’t quite for you, you’ll still have learned many valuable skills from the experience, which can open up numerous new options for your future. You can even use the skills you learn to become a freelancer, start a different kind of business, or even help other businesses and other creators.
The possibilities are endless, so there is really no reason not to try!
4. Blogging is a passive income dream!
Like we talked about earlier, one of the best things about blogging is the fact that your content is evergreen.
That means that with a lil sprinkle of SEO optimization, readers can find your blog post months or even years after you’ve posted it.
Once you setup your site with a solid monetization plan and are attracting a sizable audience to your site each month, you can literally make money in your sleep!
Display ads and affiliates are great for easily monetizing your site when starting out, and digital products can help skyrocket your income.
With a bit of an initial upfront time investment, you can create a system that works for you!
5. You can be totally anonymous (if you want to be)
Like I mentioned earlier… you can 100% create a successful blog without showing your face.
Yes, it is true that you may run into some obstacles with creating an engaged audience. But depending on your niche and strategy, it may not actually matter so much if you’re showing your face!
For example, if you’re a food blogger, you’re most likely depending on search traffic to drive people to your site. Someone that’s simply looking for a dinner recipe isn’t going to care too much about your backstory — they just want to get dinner on the table!
And yes, it is entirely possible to make a very healthy income relying on ad revenue and affiliate income without ever having to show your face!
It’s your time to choose!
The truth is that blogging isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay! Hopefully this post convinced you to at least give it a go. There’s no reason not to! π
The e-book is super informative and also SO freaking cute (yes, I know I’m biased) so make sure you snag a copy!
Let me know in the comments if you are READY to get started on your blogging journey! βοΈ
HERE ARE SOME OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE
How to stay productive as a blogger with a full-time job
