First Year Blogging Tips: 7 Things I’m Doing Differently with My New Blog
I’m excited to share this post with you, as it’s also the official introduction of my brand new blog (yes, I started another one, haha!)
With that, I will list what I’m doing differently this time. Consider this your guide with blogging tips for your first year as a blogger.
Let’s dive in.
Introducing: Blogging with Lidiya
The new blog is BloggingWithLidiya.com, and this already tells you enough about its niche.
This time I use my name in the domain. I actually first started a TikTok account named this way, so now the blog name follows that and is more brand-oriented.
This new blog is also part of a new chapter in my life. I’m pregnant and about to become a mom, and with that comes more responsibility, a whole different mindset and lifestyle, and a better understanding of what other moms are going through. So I want to help them.
My goal is to help new moms start, grow and monetize their blog strategically so they can earn an extra income online and be able to stay home with their kids.
If you visit the site and read the homepage and About page, you’ll get an idea of why I started that blog and what my goals with it are, as well as what it will cover.
Truth is, Let’s Reach Success has become quite the multi niche site over the years and it’s hard to change that. I have an audit plan in mind, I’m removing some categories and re-structuring things, but still. It’s not really a niche site and that’s confusing for search engines and visitors.
With the new blog, though, there’s clarity. You immediately know what it’s about. Plus, it’s refreshing for me to have a new place to show up at.
The email newsletter is the same as any blogger can join my list and get some more tips in their email inbox.
Now, let me share what I’m doing differently with it, and with that, you’ll learn more about its direction, strategy, content, and target audience.
Hopefully, this inspires you to start your first or next blog or get back to the site you left behind and actually give it a chance.
The New Rules I’m Following for My Blog
1. A clear niche.
I finally niched down. And even though ‘Blogging’ is still quite general, it’s much better than what’s going on around here (business, personal growth, mindset, etc.)
That makes it easier for me, for search engines and for readers.
These years Google values authority over most other things, so it’s best if your goal is to be seen as the expert on one specific topic.
Cover it in detail, do the same on other platforms (like socials and/or a podcast), and just share your knowledge about it online so you become the go-to person for it.
I’ve been thinking of starting a blog about blogging (cliche, I know, but still I had to do it) for ages. I was thinking it could be just about blog sponsorships cause that’s sort of my specialty. But it’s also too specific and I might run out of things to say. Plus, I have a course that covers all about the topic, and every now and then I still write posts about it.
But I did another thing this time that shows a different approach to blogging and aims for clarity.
2. A specific audience.
On Let’s Reach Success, I target anyone interested in any of the topics I cover.
But on Blogging with Lidiya, I target new moms in particular.
Why? Because that’s what I’m going to be.
Plus, there’s a big audience for that, they are active on Pinterest, they have specific pain points and desires, and they want to use this new chapter in life to create something profitable from home (many of them, at least).
Of course, all the content on the new blog will be equally valuable to anyone else who wants to start and grow a blog. But just the language, visuals, brand colors and other elements will be created with mom bloggers in mind.
It really helps to have an ideal reader and create content solely for them. Many other people will find you too, but once your ideal reader lands on your page, they will immediately know this is for them and they can take further action (such as signing up for your newsletter).
And to get even more specific, I decided to target people based on where they are on their blogging journey. This site is for beginner bloggers only. Meaning, no advanced strategies (that will be inside courses and on LRS, for now).
Plus, as I only have experience with WordPress as a content management platform and teach only that inside my programs, I’ll be targeting the blogger starting a site with WordPress.
So, that means women, moms (or moms-to-be), who are looking for a new profitable venture from home, who want to give blogging a chance, who are total beginners in it, and who will use WordPress to start their blog.
That’s the most specific I’ve ever been with content and strategy I think!
3. I’ll stay on topic.
It’s not that hard to create a niche blog. The more challenging part comes when you have to stick to that one subject and the sub-categories you’ve picked.
Speaking of which, I’m very specific with my categories and sticking to just three:
- Start Your Blog
- Blog Traffic & SEO
- Make Money Blogging.
You can also see them in the menu right now.
Whenever I feel like covering something that’s not directly related to blogging, I’ll do it on here or on socials.
I can easily start writing about motherhood or productivity or making money online in general on Blogging with Lidiya, but the goal is not to.
With this, I can build topical authority.
4. Clear SEO structure.
Having a clear niche and 3 specific categories is part of the SEO structure for the site which I brainstormed in advance (using advice from some blogging experts as well as some guidance from ChatGPT).
First comes the niche (the big theme of your site).
Then come the silos (the categories, in this case). They can be featured in the menu and on the homepage.
After that we have topic clusters (a group of blog posts about a specific subtopic).
Each cluster will also have a pillar post (also known as cornerstone content). That would be the most detailed guide from the category, and a page you’d want to link to often.
5. Optimized homepage.
For the first time, I actually optimized my homepage properly. But that’s definitely an easier task when you have a clear niche and a target audience.
I optimized it for a keyword (blogging for moms) and I added it to:
- the SEO title (Blogging with Lidiya – Blogging for Moms Who Dream Bigger);
- the meta description (Blogging for moms who dream big—get tips to start, grow, and monetize a WordPress blog from home during nap time.);
- In the Alt text of an image.
I also spent a day brainstorming each section from the homepage and designing it. It’s still not that long as there’s not much on the site, but it will do for now.
The same goes for the About page.
6. One clear CTA.
A CTA is a call-to-action. it’s what you want every visitor to do once they land on your site, or read a post.
For Let’s Reach Success, I have too many and it can be distracting and confusing.
For Blogging with Lidiya, though, I had the chance to start from scratch and keep it simple.
So I decided that the one action I wanted every reader to take is to join my free blogging course The Passive Income Blog Boss.
It’s the perfect place for them to start, and I just updated it recently so it’s ready for new students to join.
It’s also absolutely free and covers quite a lot.
It helps build trust as I give people a lot without asking for anything in return. From then on, I can start forming a relationship with them (via email).
I added a button leading to the course in the menu, so it’s pretty clear that this is the main freebie I have for them and the main action they can take.
I’ll also try not to create too many other freebies because I’ll end up in the same situation again – having too many things to promote and not being sure which one to focus on.
As this blog targets beginners, the free course really is the perfect place for them to start. And it will fit each and every blog post I publish.
7. My story in a new way.
I shared my story on the About page, but this time focused on how life looks differently for me today, why I’m starting Blogging with Lidiya even though I run Let’s Reach Success, what people can expect, and what my motivation behind it all is (to show moms that they can create freedom, income, and purpose in the chaos of everyday mom life).
Inside posts, I can also share how I feel about motherhood, how I find the balance between that and business (once I do), etc.
It will all be relatable, on topic and on brand.
Final words
And that pretty much sums it up. This is what I’m doing differently with my blog this time.
I niched down, and prioritize clarity and authority. Clear site structure, one main CTA, and targeting a very specific reader.
I hope this helps.
Let me know if you’ve tried that approach to blogging, and let me know how you like the new blog.
