Why Start a Blog? 12 Damn Good Reasons to Start a Blog (7 Why You Shouldn’t)

Why start a blog? Is blogging a good side-hustle? Can you make money blogging? These are just a few of the questions on many people’s minds!

Blogging is quickly becoming the easiest way to express yourself online. It’s also become an Internet-based marketing tool for creating a passive income, and for many, earning a healthy living.

If you’ve ever had the desire to connect with like-minded people, make money online, or are simply looking for a hobby to have fun, starting a blog is an easy way to go.

With blogs being FREE to anyone with a computer, more and more people are joining the blogging community than ever before.

Together we’ll cover 12 compelling reasons you should start a blog; but, then again, blogging isn’t for everyone, so we’ll also be covering 7 reasons why it might not be a good fit for YOU to start a blog.

Let’s see which side of the fence you’re on…

Why Should I Start a Blog? 12 Compelling Reasons to Start Now

Let’s get started…

1. You Can Make Money Blogging from the Comfort of Your Beach (Home)

Yes, there are many that just want to have a blog for an online presence, but one of the greatest purposes for people like you and me is to start a blog to make money.

Creating your own blog can be a great way to earn a passive income – all you need is a laptop and a beach, or at least an Internet connection.

The great thing about this business model (blogging) is that the risks are super-low, but the rewards can be awesome.

Who wouldn’t want to make money blogging on auto pilot while you sleep? What’s not to love about that?

Did you know that 1 out of 5 traditional small businesses FAIL?

Almost 50% will fail by the 5th year – with less than 25% of new businesses making it to 10 years or more.

The numbers aren’t good!

The number one reason that 82% of these businesses fail are due to the lack of cash flow.

The 2 biggest reasons are:

• Lack of cash flow (people simply run out of money)
• Lack of a need (not having the solution people are looking for)

Do you know what the BIG difference between the traditional brick-and-mortar business and building a work-from-home business through blogging is?

With the traditional business model, you:

• Create a product or service
• Open a store or maybe a restaurant
• Spend the money to hire employees
• Put in long hours to find customers to buy your product or service, shop in your store or eat at your restaurant

It’s a life of endless hustle, taking huge risks with investment, including taking out big loans with the hopes that the risks will pay off.

The greatest thing about starting a blogging business is that you can avoid all the risky, traditional business methods above.

Instead, with the blogging business:

• You START by refining your message to find out who you’re talking to
• You GROW your audience, developing trust while building relationships
• You BUILD monetizing strategies to create an income on autopilot

With this type of business, you already know what your audience is looking for, and now you can give it to them.

You don’t have to go out looking for customers because you already have them.

You now have an online business model that you can confidently invest in to continue to refine, grow and build.

And you can start your work-from-home business with an investment of less than $100.

It’s a business model that works without all the pitfalls that cause the majority of businesses to fail.

Making money with your blog obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But your hard work will pay itself back.

If you have the drive to put in the work on the front side, to put in the initial investment of time and energy, to never give up, you will reap the rewards.

As long as you remain passionate about your blogging topic and have crystal clear goals in mind, you can turn your blog into a profitable business much faster than you think.

2. Why Start a Blog? To Enjoy the Freedom of Being Your Own Boss

While starting a blog and being successful at it will not be easy, it is possible.

Would you like to decide when you’ll get out of bed and go to work, in your pajamas nonetheless?

Blogging allows you to be your own boss, working whatever days and hours you want to dedicate to your business.

Being a successful blogger allows you the freedom to choose when you wake up in the morning if you decide to take a nap in the middle of the day, or just stay in bed on a day when the gloom has taken over.

You’re in the driver’s seat. You will be the one to make the decisions on how you will grow your blog, how much time you’ll dedicate to it, and how you’ll monetize it for making money.

In a nutshell, you’ll be able to work when and where you want – all you need is an Internet connection.

3. You’re NOT Alone – Blogging Has a Supportive Community

Blogging about your specific topic is going to attract an audience from all over the Net – it’s a great way to meet new and like-minded people from all corners of the globe.

One of the advantages of starting your own blog is that you WILL NOT be alone. There’s an AMAZING community of fellow bloggers out there ready and waiting to help you.

This is one of the coolest things about starting a new blog – other successful bloggers love to be helpful.

You’ll be able to engage in discussion with fellow bloggers from many different groups, events, and meetups, that are familiar with the blogging world. In turn, they’ll be able to give you advice.

For each blogging niche, there’s a community created by a fellow blogger.

There are sites, events, and meetups that you can frequent:

• BlogLovin – all your favorite blogs contained in one place
• WordCamp – casual users to core developers share ideas and get to know each other
• MeetUp for Bloggers – meet other local bloggers and talk about whatever

Whatever your niche, there is bound to be a community waiting to welcome you.

Support Via Influencers

Another form of community is networking with successful bloggers, known as influencers, which is a way of saying, schmoozing with seasoned bloggers that have been around cyberspace for a while.

As it’s said in business, “it’s all about the relationships.”

These influencers can assist you in helping your blog become more popular.

If you get in their good graces, they will help you get traffic to your blog.

As the old saying goes, “It’s not what you know – it’s who you know.”

You’re probably one of those people that doesn’t like to feel like you’re using others, but don’t look at schmoozing influencers as using them.

Getting to know these authoritative bloggers is a great way to learn – you’ll discover that most of the successful bloggers will love nothing better than to help you succeed.

It’s a Win-Win situation for them. And, in most cases, better for them.

Here’s how they look at it. If an authoritative blogger helps you succeed or has amazing content or training that guides you toward your goal, you’d be willing to tell a friend about him or her, right?

What better way to increase their following, increase their email opt-ins, and increase their bottom line than for you to tell a friend.

If anything – they are getting more out of it than you’re.

One method you can use to find them would be to do search queries such as “best [TOPIC] blogs.” For example – “best marketing blogs” or “top self-improvement blogs,” etc.

A great tool to find influencers is Feedly

Feedly is a web-based source for bloggers where you can see their blog posts and read them all in one location. It’s a way to research and find influential bloggers within your own niche, categorize them, read their articles, mark articles as read or unread, etc.

4. Blogging Can Help YOU Meet New and Interesting People

Similar to social media, blogging is an amazing way to make new friends.

Whether it’s through people contacting you directly through your blog, striking up a conversation through leaving a comment, or communicating via the supportive communities mentioned above, blogging is another portal to meet new and interesting people.

For you introverts, what better way to meet new people than from behind the privacy of your own computer screen.

Making new friends can give you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over.

Using your blog as the communication tool that it is will allow you to network and easily create relationships with others that have similar interests as you.

You’ll also likely connect with influential bloggers that will help you grow your blog.

Learning how others have been successful is going to inspire you to follow suit and create your own success with your blog.

One thing that you cannot argue with is that starting a blog can expose you to a huge community of new and successful people.

5. YOU Can Learn New Skills

Back when I started blogging in 2010, I had ZERO technical skills, although I did know how to check my email, Woo-hoo!

Even back then, the platform for starting a blog and actually writing blog posts to share was super-simple.

Even though I had no clue what the heck I was doing, I was still able to write my first blog post and shoot it onto the Net for all to see.

Blogging can open up a whole new world to learning new and exciting things.

Here are a few I’ve learned:

• Modified my blogs through Dreamweaver and CSS scripting
• Learned some basic PHP scripting language (WordPress is built using PHP)
• Search Engine Optimization to help me get ranked with Google
• Create website graphics using Photoshop
• Email Marketing to build my email list
• Working with website hosting
• Content Marketing, and much more…

If you stop and think about it – the reason I gained all this knowledge was that I had a passion for blogging, which put me on the path to do as much research as possible to learn these life-changing skills.

Other than learning the skills mentioned, I’ve also learned how to be a better writer.

Becoming a blogger opens up a whole new world of communication and a way to learn new skills. Blogging will give you a creative outlet and a way to improve your writing skills.

You’ll learn how to put your passions and ideas into teachable articles that will help others, maybe even encourage you to someday write a book.

6. YOU Can Inspire Others and Share Your Ideas with the World

Having your own WordPress blog allows you to be your own media company – you can inspire others with your story and share experiences without being muzzled by anyone.

If you inspire your audience in a positive way, you’ll have the potential of bringing limitless readers back to your site.

Whether you were starting a blog to earn a full-time income selling products and services or to create a personal journal for friends and family, there are truly no rules.

Just keep in mind that although you have first amendment rights to say whatever you want to, be sure to keep in mind that your readership will be your judge and jury.

Whether you have a message you’d like to share with the world or have personal experiences you’d like to share with friends and family, having a blog is the way to go.

When you write consistent, high-quality content, people will flock to you.

Sharing your ideas through promoting your content will give you the opportunity to solve issues and expand your sphere of influence within the blogging world.

The great thing about having a WordPress blog is it’s a creative outlet to share your thoughts, passions, and ideas with the world. There is virtually no limitation to what you can do.

It’s almost like having your own online magazine where you’re the writer and editor for your readers.

Your personality and ideas are not influenced by an outside source like a boss or editor – you have the freedom to write whatever you choose – you’re in the driver’s seat.

Blogging about your experiences is simply a way of giving back to the online community.

7. YOU Can Make a Difference

Do you enjoy helping others?

Owning your own blog can give you the opportunity to change the lives of others.

Whether it’s teaching your followers how to raise chickens, lose weight, connect with like-minded people, or similar to this blog, learn how to start your own home-based profitable business.

Having a blog can truly give you the opportunity to make a difference – it can put a big smile on your face when you receive emails from your readers thanking you for helping them make an improvement in their lives.

For me, it keeps me motivated to continually update my blog posts and keep writing worthwhile, helpful information for the reader.

Creating helpful information for my audience that either inspires or solves one of their issues is a satisfying feeling.

As a blogger, you’ll eventually become an influencer for your audience. They’ll look to you for inspiration and answers.

You’re probably asking yourself, what can I offer?

Don’t think for a minute that what you have to offer can’t make a difference because every person on this planet has something of value to offer, which can make a positive impact on someone’s life.

Are you a mom with kids that has a special talent for keeping your kids from bouncing off the walls?

You can spread your information far and wide with your knowledge through blogging.

Why not spread the word about your experiences that have worked to keep those little angels from turning into terrors?

There are plenty of women that need help and are looking for ideas or solutions to keep their kids from raising their mom’s blood pressure. Why not give them advice on what has worked for you?

This is just one idea of millions for blogging. Spreading your knowledge through blogging could be essential to those looking for solutions to their problems.

Don’t think that your voice doesn’t matter, because it does!

8. YOU Own Your Corner of Cyberspace

Unlike social networking websites, you own your own little slice of cyberspace heaven.

There are many bloggers that swear by social media as a way of connecting with their audience, and social media is important, but one thing to keep in mind is that you don’t own the social platforms like you do your blog.

One of the methods you’d learn from influential and successful bloggers is: besides having a WordPress blog, they also have an email list to connect with their loyal followers.

Unlike social media as a form of communication with your followers, your blog and your email list are the only 2 things that cannot be taken away from you.

Your blog and your email list are 2 forms of DIRECT communication for those that want to hear from you – your loyal followers.

Think about this for a moment. At any time, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest could change their rules or algorithm, and whatever following you have shed blood, sweat, and tears for could be removed from your life in a moment – and has for many people.

Social media networks are continually changing their algorithms to benefit their own business, so the content they share may frequently get lost amongst the digital noise.

You don’t own these platforms, so you don’t have any say in changes that take place.

For example, you could have a million followers on Facebook, but you don’t have any control over what they will allow you to post.

Having your own blog and email list are 2 forms of communicating with your followers that can never be taken away.

9. Blogging Can Create Infinite Opportunities

Becoming an influencer and authority within your niche can open all sorts of doors for you.

Whether it’s interviews through a podcast, guest blogging on high-ranking sites, book deals, or sponsored posts, this can be an opportunity for FREE advertisement and the ability to earn money for your home-based business.

What if your dream is to be a writer for a magazine or to publish your own book? Blogging can be a great start to hone your skills.

Blogging allows you to share your authority on a particular subject which can raise the eyebrows of TV or movie producers, book editors, and the like.

I know, I know, this may be far-fetched for some, but if your goal is to do something along the lines of writing or publishing, blogging could be your ticket to stardom – a way of getting known.

Josh Kaufman decided to start a blog in order to take notes on his progress to learn about business, to earn an MBA.

Josh started his journey to learn all the principles taught by his colleagues and kept a blog as a journal of this learning for his own reference.

As a result, he eventually created a go-to resource for entrepreneurs, businessmen, and businesswomen alike.

His result was a popular blog and eventually a book deal. Ironically, this is now his business known as ‘The Personal MBA‘.

Blogging is an amazing way to build an “Online Brand.” If you want to keep the doors open for business and career opportunities, there’s not much better way than through blogging.

Blogging will allow you to network and connect with influencers within your niche. Connecting with others will allow the opportunity for speaking engagements, consulting opportunities, and other business endeavors.

The final and perhaps most important reason to consider starting your own WordPress blog is the endless opportunities, whether be friendships, self-growth or financial gain.

Blogging will put your personality and brand out there for the world to see, which in turn is going to get noticed.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and create your own slice of cyberspace heaven. It’s something that you won’t regret.

10. Google and Other Search Engines Love Blogs

If you already have a business and want to reach a wider audience, then having your own blog is a must.

A WordPress blog would be considered the central hub for your online business. Whether it’s a landscaping business, nail salon, or child care facility, a WordPress blog is a must for any business.

Having a blog for your business will not only build your credibility with potential clientele, but it will build your brand, generate countless leads for your business, build relationships with potential prospects, and it can generate multiple streams of income.

Google loves WordPress blogs because they’re easily and continually updated with up-to-date information.

In turn, the search engines know this, so they will favor a blog as a resource for their search requests.

Here are a few statistics:

• Search engines drive 1000% or more traffic than organic social media (Source)
• Websites that also have a blog are shown to have 434% more indexed pages (source)
• Studies show that a website with a blog leads to 55% more website visitors (source)
• Companies that have a blog receive 97% more links to their websites (source)

Something to think about…

11. Blogging is Downright FUN

When I first started blogging in 2010, I did it because I was having fun.

I was able to connect with other fellow bloggers who shared similar interests as mine – it was downright fun!

Today, it seems like everybody has a WordPress blog, whether for an online journal, a portal to share information, photos, etc., with family and friends, or to have an online business and make money.

There’re of course, good days and bad days in the blogging world, but the good days outweigh the bad by a long shot.

How many jobs do you know of that pay you to express yourself or to chat with friends in the middle of the day?

Blogging is what you make of it. Imagine the opportunities that could arise from the blogging world.

You could spend your time doing something you enjoy (love), and at the same time connect with like-minded people from all over the world. It’s the reason I started blogging many moons ago.

You’ll make new and exciting friends along the way and, in turn, learn more about the topic you are passionate about.

Do I need to repeat myself?

Blogging is downright FUN, and empowering and can be a profitable venture for those of you who want to start your own home-based, online business.

12. Starting a Blog is Super-Cheap

Whether you want to start blogging to have fun, have a portal to share information with family and friends, or have an Internet-based business for making money, starting a blog is SUPER-CHEAP!

What do I mean by cheap?

How does it sound if I told you that you could start a blog for under $100 bucks?

Considering the potential of starting your own home-based business, with the potential of earning a passive income, if that’s the path you choose, less than a hundred bucks is a drop in the bucket.

Can you name an online business you can start with an investment of less than a hundred dollars – I’ll wait?

YOU CAN’T!

I guess you can be born into a family business for no up-front investment, but other than that, there really is no business you can start and make a full-time income for the amount of money we’re talking about.

All you truly need to start blogging is a domain name and a hosting plan.

The domain name is anywhere from $10 to $20 bucks for a year, and web hosting for $2.99 a month (using my affiliate link) when you pay for a year ($35.88).

Starting a blog and hosting it on SiteGround for $2.99 a month with my easy-to-follow, ultimate guide for starting a blog is a win-win situation.

This step-by-step tutorial will take you from choosing your blog topic and your site’s name (domain name), installing WordPress plugins, showing off your writing skills with your first blog post, promoting your blog to gain gobs of traffic, and showing you monetizing methods to guide you towards making a full-time income.

Starting a blog is a long-term commitment, so paying for 12 months of self-hosted web hosting upfront is another way of remaining motivated to keep working toward your end goal of making a passive income or healthy living.

One thing you don’t need to worry about is getting into something you don’t want – so SiteGround offers a 30-day, no-risk, money-back guarantee. So, there’s no risk in finding out whether blogging is for you.

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7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Start a Blog

Like any other business, there are pros and cons to everything.

We’ve already given you 12 compelling reasons to start a blog – now let’s give you 7 reasons why starting a blog may not be your cup of tea.

1. You’re NOT Willing to Put in The Hard Work

Starting a blog and having success with it is not an easy thing to do.

Blogging is something that takes a lot of work, discipline, perseverance, sacrifice, and the willingness to make mistakes and keep moving forward toward your end goal.

If you are:

• Looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, this aint it!
• Looking to have everything handed to you on a silver platter, this aint it!
• Not willing to put in long hours, this aint it!
• Not willing to take risks and make mistakes, this aint it!
• Not willing to fail over and over again, this aint it!

Running a successful blogging business has its stressful times and long work days, if you aren’t willing to do whatever it takes, you will NOT have success.

Of course, once your blog is established and pretty much on autopilot, virtually everything will calm down (a little bit) – the stress will be less, and the work hours will be more stable.

– If you’re NOT willing to put in the work and do whatever it takes to reach success – blogging is not for you!

2. NOT Willing to Put In the Required Hours

If you’re working a full-time, 40-hour work week job, you can expect to put in at least 10 hours a week on your blog.

Let’s say you work the normal 9 to 5 work week, would getting up at 5am every day, 6 days a week, for the next 2 years be worth it to be able to walk away from your current place of employment?

Or, if you’re more of a night owl, would working 2 hours a night, 5 or 6 days a week for the next 2 years be worth it?

– If you’re NOT willing to put in the long hours – blogging is not for you!

3. Success Could Take Up to 2 Years

QUESTION – what if it took 2 years before you’re able to walk away from your dreaded 9 to 5?

No matter what you read online, blogging is by no means a method for making quick cash.

If you start a blog with this idea in mind, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Compare this for a minute…

You work harder than you ever have before, getting up early or staying up late, along with dedicating some time on the weekends to work on your blogging business.

You put in the hours needed to work towards a successful future so you can be away from your current employment. And, the thought of becoming a 6-figure blogger, on autopilot nonetheless, is quite possible.

DO THIS: Take your current age and add 2 years – now say your age with the 2 years added to it out loud!

How does that sound to be your semi-retired age, to be your own boss, choosing to work when and where you want?

OR…

You can continue to work a 9 to 5 job that you may or may not like, working the standard 40 hours a week until you reach the age of 65 or later, with the hopes that you have a pension or retirement plan lined up.

You see… with the right business plan, it is quite possible to walk away from your 9 to 5 job in 6 to 18 months but if it took you 2 years would you be OK with that?

“You’re choosing to front-load your time and effort, knowing that the payoff will come later. Sometimes much later.” ~ Ruth Soukup

– If you’re NOT willing to work your ASS off for quite possibly 2 years before you can walk away from your 9 to 5 – blogging is not for you!

4. NOT Willing to Have NO Life

Saying that you will have NO life might be an overstatement!

But, we’ve talked briefly about it the possibility of taking up to 2 years to reach success with your blog before you can leave your job.

The long hours of getting up early in the morning or working late into the night to work your way toward success it’s pretty much a given that your life will be partially put on hold.

Are you OK with that?

– If you’re NOT willing to put your life on hold, or partially on hold for 6 to 18 months, up to 2 years – blogging is not for you!

5. NOT Willing to Take Risks

There’ll be times when you’ll need to put your neck on the line and take risks and keep going no matter what.

If you aren’t making mistakes – you aren’t learning, and you aren’t growing.

As long as you NEVER, EVER Give up – success will follow. It may not be as quickly as you’d like, but it will eventually happen.

Another very important lesson is to never compare yourself with others, you’ll defeat yourself before you even begin.

Success will only happen when you’re willing to go all in and keep going no matter what happens.

– If you’re NOT willing to take risks – blogging is not for you!

6. NOT Willing to Accept Failure

Failure is a part of business. “success only comes through failure and mistakes.”

Difficulties, failures, and frustrations are going to happen, you’ll need to roll with the punches.

“I’m not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward” ~ Thomas Edison

– If you’re NOT willing to accept failure as a learning experience of what NOT to Do and keep pushing forward – blogging is not for you!

7. NOT Willing to Invest In Yourself

NEVER Stop Educating Yourself – Wealthy Entrepreneurs Have This One Thing In Common.

YOU WILL need to commit yourself to learning as much as you can about business, marketing, and your craft.

Whether this means reading books or investing in tools and training that can help you succeed – you must be willing to invest in yourself.

– If you’re NOT willing to invest any money in training or programs to help you succeed with your new-found business – blogging is not for you!

Conclusion

Well, now you’ve seen both sides of the blogging world. Creating a blog from scratch and turning it into a successful venture is not an easy task.

Starting a blog has its positives and negatives.

There are many compelling reasons to start a blog and turn it into a side hustle with a passive income or even a successful, work-from-home business.

But, on the other side of the coin are reasons NOT to start a blog, a shot of reality if you will, which many successful bloggers don’t seem to talk about.

If you decide that you’d like to start a blog, make sure to consider the pros and cons before throwing your hat in the ring.

Make sure to read the reasons, NOT to start a blog closely, to make sure you’re OK with them before you invest the time because the last thing you wanna do is be one of the many that quit because they didn’t realize how much work was involved.

Now, I’m not trying to talk you out of starting a blog, only to have you think about what’s involved before you start.

Just remember, you’ll be the deciding factor whether your blogging business is a success or a failure.

Like most things in life – this is a Marathon, Not a Sprint.

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