Most blogs are a work in progress and as bloggers gain more experience and hone their craft, their blogs change and their purpose for blogging changes as well. I realize that some bloggers simply blog for enjoyment and utilize their blog as a personal journal of sorts. That is totally fine with me and I am betting if you are reading this post, you are not in that category. Chances are you are reading this blog because you either want to learn how to start a blog , promote your blog or make money blogging. In short, you are serious about blogging for more than personal enjoyment.
When I first started blogging, my blog at the time (not this one) suffered from major ADHD.
ADHD – is defined here as lack of focus.
One day I would write a career advice and the next day I would write about my favorite TV show or a concert that I went to. The result was that my blog really never went anywhere, I never found an audience and I let that blog fade away into the fabric of the Internet. Here is the lesson that I learned, no one really cared about my favorite TV show or really cared about my musical preferences. The only way they would of cared is if I was writing a niche blog on TV or music because that is why they stopped by to visit.
The point I am trying to make is that people visit your blog to get something, most times information, sometimes entertainment. If you are looking to build a a blog with long term potential then it is imperative that you pick a focus and stick with it. Your focus can be as specific or broad as possible but it must make sense. Try to avoid building a “scatterbrained” blog.
What should I do if I like to blog about multiple topics?
Good question – I have a variety of interests and enjoy blogging on several topics, what I have decided to do is build separate blogs for each of the niche topics. For me it did not make sense to blog about about blog promotion tips one day and then resume tips the next.
I know that there are opinions on both sides argument and sure there are exceptions to the rule. But it is a fact that the most successful blogs are those that focus on one niche and stick to that niche.
If you want to know what my favorite band is or what I ate for dinner last night, you can always visit my personal blog on my personal domain name – Dan-Keller.com . Don’t bother clicking through, even though I own the domain there is no blog on it, because really how many people really care about my personal crap.
I started an experiment last year creating a blog where I would blog about anything that came to my mind. Unfortunately it was too tasking than I had thought it would be thus I kinda abandoned the project. Managing two blogs ain’t easy for me @ all.
Anyway if I get help somewhere along the line, I’ll jump right back at continuing my “multiple topic blog” project
.-= Udegbunam Chukwudi@Make Money Online´s last blog ..Make Your Blog 10x Faster With W3 Total Cache Plug-in =-.
I am totally agree with you. Actually this the main problem with many boggers. Thanks for sharing great post.
U are right…except putting everything on a blog and to confuse the reader, use one single market…e.g. if u are good in health tips then make a blog of health . dont try to put make money ideas in it
Hello! you were right. All here are interested not only of blog enjoyment but to earn money and how to learn to do things right.
My first 2 blog was about sport for me and health for my brother, I created both for individual use. But at a long run, I develop interest on the health more than the sport I created for myself. I now post on the 2 blog and I am still interested in other fields as well, but will like t established myself on this 2 blogs first before going to other fields.
Hey i guess same is the problem with many of the blogger. And same is the case with me… I love to speak or blog and manier times its really hard to judge what all to write and what all to miss…. Also sometimes I love to go for off topic blogs. So this article suits perfectly to me.
.-= Maria@Handle Stress´s last blog ..How to Deal with Financial Stress? =-.
lol, this is exactly what is happening to me. It’s hard to write about topics that does not interest me. I’m amaze with those blogs that could incorporate their passion while imparting great stuffs.
I’m thinking about putting a category for topics I love to write about (off-topics) to solve my problem.
Dan,
In real life, focus is not my strong point, but I think I do a pretty good job of sticking with the description of my blog–to promote P + S. (It’s in my blog) The problem I have with writing a blog in a consistent format and theme is that I can’t do it daily. Once, or maybe twice a week is par for me.
.-= Donna Raagas´s last blog .. =-.
If I were any more focused I’m afraid the point would be too tiny to see, LOL
.-= Warren Contreras´s last blog ..Sharpen Your Hook! =-.
This is defineately my problem. I write about everything green under the sun from green building to gardening. I have been blogging for three years.
I decided to create five core categories of what I talk about on the site so if you land on the page and want to read more on that topic, you can click on the topic.
I still think people don’t stick because I am so broad based. I look at others who have more feedreaders than I do and I wonder if I need to create a network instead on each of my categories. I love being so versatile but think this is hurting me. Thoughts?
.-= Anna@Green Talk´s last blog ..Have an Earth Day Staycation on Green Talk =-.
@Anna@Green Talk, I just checked out your site and I think i think your categories work well, they are all related to green living. I think the problem happens when someone os taling tech one day and then green the other and then writing a rant post about Obama. I think your blog is great! pr 5 too, that is awesome!
Fortunately, I have chosen earlier on my blogging journey to create separate blogs for the various topics that I am interested in. I maintained my main blog within the limits of “online business” and it stayed that way. One opportunity that I found to break the “ice” on my blog though was by doing the weekly roundups. They are of no specific topic and I only share posts that I enjoyed reading.
.-= DiTesco´s last blog ..Make Money Online With Sponsored Comments: TalkAhead =-.
It was for this exact reason I didn’t start blogging until I found something I felt I could talk about consistently and not get bored with! What better thing to blog about than what I do for a living? search engines! This way I get to eat my cake and have it! I learn and I blog about it…
Like you I’ve been thinking of setting up a personal blog for my close friends and all, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, who knows, one day…
.-= Tola´s last blog ..Guest Blogging Sites – Great for Bloggers =-.
Before i started blogging, i have always known about it, have been reading much about it before starting one, so i went to the niche i love most initially. Of course when the blog has gained its ground very well, i started blogging about other things.
A niche blog is better, more focus and great for making some $$$
I recently talked of something similar, about niche blogging and it seems that it works for bloggers, only if they choose a wide niche and the ones that they are more comfortable with.
Mainly you can work on different niches at the same time, but it can surely affect your productivity
.-= Gautam Hans @ Blog Godown´s last blog ..Why you Should Become a Niche Blogger =-.
Hi Dan, I just read an article about to blog more topics on a niche blog to get more traffic from the search engines and for few blogs its work. What do you think?
.-= Latief@AnotherBlogger´s last blog ..Why We Need A Blogging Plan? =-.
actually this the main problem with many boggers who are not confined with your niche and yep it suffers prev i also have done the same but now focusing on what it has .
.-= Nitesh patel´s last blog ..How to kill Not Responding App in Windows Easily =-.
I also experienced this problem and actually also decided to launch a blog where I could keep all my Apple-related posts on and keep TechPatio for anything else, technology related. I quickly learned that it took more of my time to maintain two blogs, not to mention the marketing involved, than if I just kept to one blog.
Not longer after, I shot down my Apple blog and I’m now doing it all on TechPatio again, but moving more and more towards only blogging about Apple, Google and blogging (wordpress) and a little bit of photography – plus personal posts every now and then (but rarely). I might need to shrink it down even further.
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..iPad Taken Apart By TechRestore, Cool Stop-Motion Video! =-.
I would call the focus as niche and I create many blog in different niche to blogging about all things that I am into it.
.-= Dana @ Blogging Tips Blog´s last blog ..Lightened Your WordPress Security, Please! =-.
I myself had the problem when I first started blogging I would just talk about anything and everything on DragonBlogger from News, Technology to Politics and Poetry. I finally honed it down to Technology, Blogging and Entertainment and spawned 4 separate blogs to cover the other topics.
In the end, the only way to do a multi-category blog (it is achievable) is to do a magazine style blog where each category gets its own little section on the home page, but you must amass at least 10 articles in each category before this can gain traction.
You also should have separate RSS feeds for each category of your blog, so subscribers can only subscribe to the content that interests them.
In the end, had I stuck with one blog, I would have over 3000 posts on a single blog and it would probably have a lot more traffic than dividing my traffic among 4 sites, but I still agree that niche and specific categories are important. You can lose readership if you vary your content off topic too much (occasionally, and especially for humor are fine).
.-= Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..LeapFish 100K Cash Dash =-.
@Dragon Blogger, good insight Justin. Holy crap, 3000 posts would be a ton on one blog. I think you made a good choice and what I really like about Dragon Blogger is that I know your post will be about 3 or 4 different topics not everything under the rainbow.
@Dan Keller, Thank you sir, I do like having the word “Entertainment” as one of my main themes, since it leaves a lot open to interpretation and gives me flexibility. BTW, I have about 900 posts on DragonBlogger, 650+ poems on Wanderer Thoughts and another 700+ articles on JustinGermino.com all created in the last 20 months of blogging, so pretty close to 3000 articles.
.-= Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..SpyShelter Giveaway Contest: Protect Your PC Data =-.
Second Try Using Word Luv
This is an incredibly important point.
Focus.
For example, the very best legal firms in the world tell their new associates that no matter how complex a case, if it cannot be brought into focus for a jury in five sentences or less, more than 50% of the time the firm will lose the case.
That is because, as with a blog, there are only three things that matter when attempting to convince someone to take an action.
Those three things are focus, focus, and focus.
I am so happy to see this point being stressed here.
Dr. Ann Voisin
.-= Dr. Ann Voisin@legosets´s last blog ..New Article: Ten Superstar Toys Named by Hall of Fame =-.
@Dr. Ann Voisin@legosets, Thanks for your comment
I applaud your decision to have a blog dedicated to each of your blogging topic interests. Too many blogs are very unfocused. Some blogs, mostly those concerned with tracking trendy/sensational stuff online, get away with being “unfocused”. But mostly, I think that the most successful blogs are those that focus on one topic or niche.
.-= Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella@building better blogs´s last blog ..Is A WordPress Framework Theme Right For You And Your Blog? =-.
@Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella@building better blogs, I have seen way more successful niche blogs than general blogs. When I visit a blog I go there for a specific reason to read about specific content.
What I do when I want to write about another topic is I submit it to an article directory. Get the off-topic out of my system and get some back-links.
.-= Tyler Davis@How to Grow Taller´s last blog ..Limb Lengthening Surgery =-.
@Tyler Davis@How to Grow Taller, sounds like a good idea. I have just gotten back into email marketing for a new job site I am launching. Hard work but very effective. I have not done it for my blog in a long long time .