10 Goals To Set For Your Blog In 2019

While I sit here sipping champagne on New Year’s Eve, my mind wanders as I reflect back on 2018. There were many highs and a few lows. However, one thing is for certain, I see how far I have come and all that I have to be thankful for. Today on CCG, I wanted to share 10 goals to set for your blog in 2019. With the new year comes new opportunity and I have learned that setting goals is essential for a successful blog. This “crazy idea” about a fashion blog has turned into something I absolutely love doing. So, read on if you are an aspiring blogger or just someone interested in finding out more.

I take great pride in CCG and love that I get to share it with you on a daily basis, basically writing about whatever I want. Thanks to this crazy idea of starting a lifestyle blog, I have been afforded numerous opportunities and worked with some amazing brands. To be quite frank, sometimes I still have moments where I wonder if what I am doing is “good enough” or looks silly. I think it’s only natural to feel insecure every now and then. Often, I’ll write a blog or post a picture and wonder if it measures up to the industry standards. I am definitely a perfectionist which I admit has is pros and cons.

Those of you who are thinking about starting your own blog or have one but need some reassurance or help, you came to the right place! One thing people on the outside looking in thinks is that blogging is easy. Where is the laughing emoji when ya need one? Sure, writing for CCG is something I wholeheartedly enjoy, however, it’s also work. There are so many different things to keep in mind when starting a blog and always areas you can improve on. I, myself, am still learning new ways to expand and bring better content to my readers all the time. So, today on CCG, I wanted to share with you 10 goals to set for your blog in 2019 that even I am still working on.

10 Goals To Set For Your Blog In 2019

10. Content

Content is HUGE. My vote is for quality over quantity. When it comes to pictures or writing, basically anything that you want to put out there, quality is key. Think about what you gravitate more towards on social media or online. When I told my husband over chipotle burritos that I wanted to be a fashion blogger(I was still using a cane after my surgeries), he totally embraced it, researched better cameras and helped learn alongside me. Although, we bicker every once in while mid-shoot, we have learned how to take professional pictures, edit in Lightroom if needed and figure out the best angles for certain shots. If you enlist in a photographer, find one whos aesthetic matches your brand. It doesn’t just stop with gorgeous pictures, though. What you write about is important too. The two go hand in hand when creating successful content for a blog. Set a goal to produce well thought out content and pictures that not only are aesthetically pleasing, but ring true to you.

9. Blog Design

This is something I occasionally change or try to amp up as well. For example, my goal for 2019 for CCG blog design is to add a mega menu to the site. Hopefully this is something you will see sooner rather than later. I think of it as a mini face lift that will bring some more dimension to CCG. When I designed my site, I took a theme and learned code to help make tweaks and changes. If you are serious about blogging and want to save money by designing your own site that’s self hosted, I urge you to learn some basic coding. When designing your site, make sure it’s easy to navigate and stick with a color theme. I also suggest having a few posts written up before going live as well.

8. Create An Editorial Calendar

CONSISTENCY is major! Writing content and posting regularly is an important factor when it comes to growth. When I began blogging, it was more of an online journal helping me through a tough time in my life. That experience paved the way for CCG which I entered into as a serious blogger. With that, I set a goal of writing 2 blog posts and posting 5 pictures to social media per week. Some weeks, I follow that better than others however, I try to stick with a plan to never go a week without at least posting one quality post. If this is just a pastime or hobby, by all means, post as often or as little as you want. If you are serious, writing blog posts are super important for traffic and keeping readers invested. Another suggestion I have is to keep a list of blog post ideas in your notes on your phone. Sometimes, I will get an idea in the middle of isle 17 at Target and I will stop and jot it down because let’s face it, I will forget by the time I get home. I also do the same thing when I am putting looks together for a shoot or a trip. It actually makes packing soooo much easier!

7. Social Media

When becoming a serious blogger, social media is a great way to create foot traffic to your blog. Prior to CCG going live, I created an Instagram page and spent a couple months building up a small following first. Engage. Engage. Engage. This means spend time looking up hashtags you like to use, like and comment on profiles that you like and repeat over and over. I can’t tell you how many nights I have stayed up until 2 am leaving comments for random strangers on IG. But you know what, I gained followers and likes on my pictures because of it. Of course, leave meaningful comments on profiles you actually like! It doesn’t end with Instagram! Sometimes, I feel like IG doesn’t share my posts with my followers regularly and limits my visibility. One goal I had last year was to build up my Pinterest account. This is a goal I am continuing with into 2019 but I am ecstatic with the growth and it brings more traffic to my blog. My goal for social media this year is to have a more regular presence on Twitter and build up Facebook. As important as Instagram is, there are so many other avenues to create traffic with and it’s all about getting those followers to read your blog. After all, your blog is your brand.

6. Learn SEO

One goal I set for my blog in 2019 is to become a SEO expert. Getting ranked on google is, in my opinion, more important than social media! When composing your blog posts, keywords are the key (see how I did that haha) to getting even more new readers from all over the world. Don’t know what I am talking about? That’s ok. There was a time when I had no clue either! There are fabulous plug ins that can help you with the headache that is SEO. Eventually, you get the hang of it and it becomes easier. For every post I write, I look up corresponding keywords and phrases that do well on google. Now, when I see my articles are optimized 100% and in the top 10, I become giddy and smile. I am currently going through ALL of my posts and optimizing them for search engines as well as all category pages.

5. Understanding your Blog Analytics

As a blogger, you should know what all those graphs and numbers mean. Take time this year to understand and learn what those things show. It’s helpful to learn what demographic your blog is doing well with as well as insightful on what areas you could improve on. For example, besides Instagram, I know Facebook and Twitter are actually two of my biggest contributors to traffic! Therefore, this year, I am focusing even more on building those up.

4. Network And Make Friends

I have made some wonderful friends through blogging. Blogging isn’t a solo gig. In order to become successful, you have to reach outside your comfort zone and collaborate, network and connect with people. Being a huge introvert, this was difficult for me to do at first. Growing a presence on Instagram has helped me break out of that shell. I have made friends who I can bounce ideas off of, talk to about life and collaborate with on projects.

4. Build Your Email List

This year, I’m making a bigger effort to increase my readers for CCG. Remember, if social media were to disappear (cough cough Instagram) where will your readers come from? It’s important to build a loyal subscriber list who want to click on your latest posts. And if you are one of those loyal followers, please share with me what you would like to see more of on this site! I love receiving suggestions.

3. Put Together A Media Kit

Do you have a decent following on social media and your site already? If so, a media kit is a great idea especially when you want to work with brands. Just think of a media kit like a resume. Put together an introduction that explains your brand and your mission statement followed by a page dedicated to stats for social media, your blog sessions and readers and also list the brands you have worked with already. I  urge you to keep the same color scheme that you use on your site to tie it all together. Make sure to update your kit as your following changes too!

2. Build Backlinks

This goes hand in hand with networking and making new friends. Google loves when your site it linked on a different site. It tells the bots crawling online that you are important and talked about which pushes you even higher on google search. Collaborate with a fellow blogger and swap backlinks or do some guest posts. It may be extra work, but it’s extra work that will pay off in the end.

1. Have Fun!

The main thing to keep in mind is that you should be having fun while blogging. Will you have weeks where you experience writer’s block or become burnt out? Probably. However, if you love creating content and writing, stay the course. It’s also okay to take a day, a week or even a month off to clear your head, re-evaluate and come up with ideas.

Whew! I hope these 10 goals to set for your blog in 2019 has helped you in some way. This post is a little different from what I usually post, however, I have received messages asking for advice and figured the new year was as good time as any to share what I know. Plus…I did give ya a little fashion below as well…sooo….

Next week, I am sharing tips on how to get healthy for 2019 (which I am going to try and follow myself). So stay tuned.

[outfit-details]

Scarf   |   Barbour (older) Here is similar

Sweater   |   J.Crew

Skirt   |   J.Crew

Bag   |   Neely & Chloe

Shoes   |   Chanel

[/outfit-details]

10 Goals To Set For Your Blog In 2019

10 goals to set for your blog in 2019
10 Goals To Set For Your Blog In 2019