Are you wondering whether to start a blog in 2022? Or, is blogging worth it? This article dives into that question through statistics, questions, and six pros and cons to help you decide.
To answer this question as quickly as possible, yes, blogging is worth it if it’s done correctly. Blogging is great for building new skills, creating and gaining trust with an audience, and making money.
While it does have its positives, it also comes with a few negatives like loneliness and no guaranteed success, which I’ll discuss further in this article.
Anyways, let’s jump straight into the question: is blogging worth it in 2022?
Is Blogging Worth It?
Yes, blogging is 100% worth it, at least in my own opinion.
I often think starting a blog is similar to riding a rollercoaster, in which there are so many ups and downs, there are slow and fast parts, and you don’t know what to expect until you take the plunge and hop on the ride.
No two bloggers’ journeys are the same either, and some will find success in six months, whereas it might take others two years.
Blogging is worth it if you want to build an audience of like-minded individuals, teach your knowledge and expertise in a niche, create an income, and be open to learning new skills.
Blogging isn’t worth it if you want to get-rich-quick, can’t be bothered to learn new skills, and don’t have patience.
I cannot be the one to convince you to start a blog; you have to decide for yourself. I believe that blogging is worth it, but it depends on the individual and how much time they’re willing to sacrifice.
Is Blogging Dead?
With video content exploding in popularity within the past ten years thanks to YouTube, TikTok, and more, people often ask: is blogging dead? Or is blogging still relevant?
I’m here to tell you that blogging is not dead. It’s evolved and changed over the years but is not dead.
While personal blogs have declined in popularity, people read blogs to find an answer to something, get a recipe, learn how-tos, and so much more.
The article you’re reading right now is from a blog, and I’m answering your question.
If you’re still not sold on that answer, here are some statistics to ease that thought.
Blogging Statistics for 2022
Did you know that over 409 million people view over 20 billion web pages every month and that there are 96,000+ Google searches a second?
While people love talking about social media and video content like YouTube, bloggers are still the kings of written content.
Again, while bloggers who talk about personal stories like their trip to the nail salon are declining in popularity, those who answer questions or provide guides with high-quality information are growing into successful bloggers.
Yes, you can still own a personal blog, but you’ll have to mainly drive traffic through social media and an email list.
Notable blogging statistics (Semrush):
- Users create 70 million new posts every month (an average of 29 posts every second).
- Content marketing is predicted to be worth $412 billion by 2021.
- There are 500+ million blogs out of 1.7 billion websites.
- The most popular content types are “how-to” articles, followed by listicles and news and trends.
- Food and personal finance bloggers make the most income.
- The average monthly salary of a blogger is $8,000.
So, hopefully, these statistics show you that blogging is definitely not dead.
3 Reasons Why Blogging is Worth It
Build an income
The first reason I think blogging is worth it is that you can build an income stream through your blog.
While it can take a long time to build an income with your blog, you can monetize it through various income streams.
Three ways to monetize a blog:
- Affiliate marketing: A tracking link from a business that pays you if someone purchases through the link. Amazon is a notable affiliate program, but there are thousands of programs to choose from. Commission rates typically vary from 4% to 70%.
- Display advertising: The ads that you see on a blog. Most advertisers pay through CPM (cost per 1000 pageviews) or CPC (cost per click). If you have an average of $25 CPM with 280K page views a month, you’ll earn $7000.
- Digital products: Selling products to your audience. Digital products are great because there aren’t many overheads, meaning more profit for you. You could sell photos, courses, printables, eBooks, and more.
Once you’ve learned how to build one blog, you can repeat the steps and create multiple niche sites, with the capability of earning six figures a month.
As for the highest-paid bloggers, they can make anywhere from $15,000 – $1,000,000+ every month. Although they’re in the top 1% of bloggers, it’s still achievable for the everyday person through hard work and perseverance.
Create a community
Another reason I think blogging is significant is that you can create a community of like-minded individuals.
The people who visit your blog like the niche you’re in (otherwise, they wouldn’t visit), and you can start to create a community of people who like the same topic.
I think that blogging is unique, and you can genuinely make some good friends if you reach out to others.
Also, if you choose the path of starting a blog, I highly recommend creating an email list from the beginning. This helps grow an audience that trusts you and will be inclined to buy from you in the future.
You could also create a Facebook group if you’d like an easy way to connect with your audience.
Learn new skills
While I haven’t made much money during my blogging journey, I have learned so much valuable information.
I never knew a single thing about keyword research, SEO, web design, and how to attract an audience. While I’m not saying that I’m an expert in these things, I am comfortable with these topics now.
This is the final reason why I think blogging is very much worth it because you’ll learn so many new skills that are valuable in this day and age.
You’ll also learn how to fluently write and construct sentences that are easy to read yet informative.
English was my most hated subject in high school, but I now love writing. I guarantee that within six months of blogging, you’ll learn so much stuff that you never knew before.
Knowledge and information are powerful tools, and you can even utilize your experience to become an SEO consultant, freelance writer, web designer, and more.
3 Reasons Why Blogging isn’t Worth It
There’s no guaranteed success
Is blogging worth it? Yes, but there’s no guaranteed success.
As I’ve mentioned previously, I think that blogging is worth it, but it can also be a colossal waste of time if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Unlike a regular job, where you go for an interview and either get the job or don’t, blogging isn’t as set-in-stone.
You have zero idea if your blog will be a success or a massive waste of time. There’s no set pathway to follow, and you might be doing things incorrectly without any idea until six months later.
With my first blog, I was writing on topics that got zero searches a month. I was writing articles for six hours for an audience of zero people. 🤣
Granted, I was dipping my toes into the water, but I had no guaranteed success with that blog, and neither will you.
If you’re someone who needs clear instructions on how to succeed in blogging, then your best bet would be to buy a course from a reputable blogger.
If you don’t have the money, you can read other bloggers’ guides and YouTube videos, but remember to take their advice with a grain of salt.
It’s challenging work
Another reason why I think blogging isn’t worth it is that it’s super challenging work.
Whenever I used to think of bloggers, I felt that they just wrote a post, published it, and received thousands of page views and dollars for seemingly effortless work.
Man, was I surprised when I became a blogger and saw 0 pageviews for weeks and months.
Sometimes, I think to myself, is blogging worth it? From the amount of work I’ve put into the number of results I’ve seen, it can be pretty discouraging.
This is when perseverance comes into play, and you need to be willing to work free for months without seeing any returns.
Just keep pushing through the tough times, and hopefully, after some time, you’ll see some great results.
Blogging can be lonely
The last reason that’s a big turnoff for many people is that online work like blogging is lonely.
Unlike a regular job where you work alongside coworkers, blogging is mostly just silence or keyboard clicks.
You don’t have a coworker to turn to and complain about your problems, and you don’t get much human interaction unless you actively seek it.
If you’re an introverted person, this probably sounds like a dream, but if you’re an extroverted person, it probably sounds like a nightmare.
Three ways to combat blogging loneliness:
- Write in a public area: Take your laptop to a local coffee shop or public park and start writing. Being around others may lift your spirits and give you that ‘human interaction’ you may be craving.
- Listen to podcasts or music: I love to listen to music when I’m sourcing photos for articles or performing keyword research. It’s a great way to make the activity more engaging, and it inspires me further.
- Talk to family or friends: Always keep up to date with your family and friends. Let them know how your endeavors are going, and ask if you can vent about your problems. They may not get the whole blogging language or terms, but it could be good to talk to someone.
Regardless of the type of person you are, you must realize that blogging is lonely unless you actively seek social interactions.
What to Do Instead of Blogging
If you don’t think that blogging is ideal for you, not a problem, there are dozens of different routes you can go down and still make good money.
If you like blogging but don’t want to commit to a website, you could become a freelance writer, SEO consultant, web designer, link builder, and heaps more.
You could post listings of your offers on marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, or Legiit. If you choose freelance writing, you can easily charge between $0.03 to $0.20 per word.
This means that you could charge between $45 – $300 for a 1500 word blog post, depending on your skills and experience.
If you don’t want to blog, you could pursue other social media pathways like YouTube, Instagram, or simply becoming an influencer.
Again, these pathways do require a lot of hard work, but you do have the chance to go viral on social media platforms.
If you don’t want to be the face of your brand, then you could start an eCommerce business with print-on-demand, dropshipping, or creating your own products.
As you can see, there are so many different pathways you can take. Just be creative and choose whichever one is suitable for you.
Wrapping Up
So, is blogging worth it? Well, it depends on how much effort, hard work, time, and perseverance you’re willing to put in.
I believe that blogging is 100% worth it, but it also depends on how you approach work.
If you’re only starting a blog to get-rich-quick, I have to warn you that you’re probably wasting your time. There’s so much to learn, and I treated my first year of blogging as a learning experience (much like college).
My last statement on the question is, don’t expect to make a full-time income without working full-time hours. A lot of hard work and sacrifice, in the beginning, can pay off big time in the future.
Anyways, hopefully, you’ve figured out whether blogging is worth it or if you should try to pursue another industry.
Is blogging worth it for you? Let me know in the comments below!
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