Setting Blogging Goals

The answer seems obvious, doesn't it? Just pick out a name, choose a platform, pick out a theme, and start writing. End of story, end of hub.

I wish it were that easy. But without setting a few goals before setting up a site the effort involved could translate into a colossal waste of time. Unfortuneately, many people do skip the planning phase and rush in head first.

Everyone defines success differently. But one thing is for certain - in order to grasp it, you've got to know what it is. And the only way to that is to really think things through.

Some people don't expect much from their blogs. For them, blogging is fun, it is an outlet for their creative energy. That is fine - so for them success is gained by just setting up the site and writing regularly.

Others would like an audience. For them writing is fun but not worth it if people don't stop by to read. So for these people, getting a certain amount of website traffic is key.

And yet, for other people making money online is the ultimate goal. These people need to set some realistic expectations of how much money they need to make in x number of months to feel successful. Then they need to create a business plan to make it happen.

Yes, seriously. The act of making money is considered a business. And every business needs a business plan. It doesn't have to be a formal document - at a minimum it can be a bunch of notes listing out the steps that will need to be taken to make that money.

Usually I start setting blogging goals with some long term views. What do I want out of this site in five years? Maybe I will want a site that I can sell, or a site that is steadily bringing in x amount of traffic and x amount of dollars.

Then I move on to my short term expectations - in 6 months where will my site be? How many posts, how much traffic, how much money? How much do I expect my income and traffic to increase each month?

And finally, my plans can include owning the moon - but I better darn well have an outline of how I plan to get it. In blogging terms - I define steps, like writing articles, getting links from other sites, guestposting etc that I will need to do each week to make my goals happen.

Each week, I compare what I have actually done with what I had planned to do. By doing this analysis I can see what is working and what isn't. What I have time to do - and what I don't. Then I adjust my goals accordingly.

By setting blogging goals and then breaking the steps down into small pieces - I can achieve success on an almost daily basis. That keeps me blogging and keeps me happy!