Blogging Goals 2019

I can barely believe I am writing blogging goals AGAIN. It seems like literally yesterday that I sat down this time last year outlining my blogging goals 2018 and all the things I wanted to achieve. Some I achieved, others I didn’t even come close, but overall it’s been a really successful year for Real Mum Reviews and when I think back to where I started all those years ago, I am really proud of how far it has come.

A creature of habit however, I always like to sit down and write myself some new goals at the start of a new year. I track my stats and socials every month, and then at the end of the year I look back and see what I could do differently. It’s geeky and a little sad I’m sure, but it helps keep me focused, and I find it incredibly motivating.

Here are my blogging goals for 2019!

Rebuild my Domain Authority – Since the Moz changes in the middle of last year, my Domain Authority suffered and I never quite managed to get it back to how it had been – it is now sitting at 31 whereas at its peak it was 36. I had been aiming for 40 by the end of 2018, where as now, I’d be happy if I could get it back above 35. There doesn’t appear to be any quick and easy way to build Domain Authority other than to be seen as a bit of an ‘expert’ in my field and continuing to write content that people would like to link back to. I can also look to take part in more crowdsourcing and help other bloggers with their content, although this method is a little less reliable! The annoying thing about Domain authority now is that since the Moz Toolbar it can actually change daily (although rarely does) so its hard to quote it accurately when asked.

Continue to build my social media following – This is a blogging goal which makes an appearance pretty much every year. I hit my target of 20k followers across my social channels this year and I am immensely proud of this as it was a long time coming, and I still can’t quite believe it when I say that number out loud as it seems so big for just one person behind a laptop screen. I know my Mum would’ve been so proud of this as she always had my back and was confident that once I set my mind to something I would do it.

In 2019 I would like to grow by at least another 5k. This may seem like a fairly small number, but I grew by just over 6k this year and I do think things are slowing down a little on the social media front – particularly on Facebook since the data debacle – so I need to try and be realistic. I think the days of giant growth are behind us (apart from the ones who buy followers and likes that is!), and as such any growth in the right direction will be a big plus for me. I really want to grow more on Instagram this year, as it has been a big growth area, and I really enjoy sharing my photos on there – if you don’t already follow me – please do come along and say hello – I mostly share photos of my children and our adventures out and about in the great outdoors.

Increase my page views by focusing on SEO – after attending BlogOn Toys earlier in the year and visiting the SEO session, I did spend some time improving a small number of old posts and editing keywords. I have already noticed an increase on the views of these posts, simply by paying more attention to the words people may use in google searches. I am going to try and allocate an hour a month to go through more old posts, with the aim of gradually increasing the page views as a result. There is a bit of effort involved here and it’s far from the most exciting work I will ever do, but there is definitely a tangible result at the end of it, unlike some other things which appear to be a bit of a gamble.

Better manage my finances – I said this last year and quite frankly I failed miserably – this year I am going to invest in Quick Books or something similar to ensure I manage my expenses and invoicing more appropriately during the year – I am often a bit slow in sending invoices which inevitably means I take longer to get paid for the work that I have done. My tax return didn’t get done until last week (despite having the best of intentions!). I want to ensure that I am being as savy as possible when it comes to paying bills and saving what I earn, as long term I want to start putting more money away in my savings and working towards the house of our dreams. A girl can wish right?

Reduce the pressure – You will notice that this year, I don’t have as many detailed goals as usual and there is a reason for that. I am trying to take the pressure off a bit this year, and accept that blogging is and is likely to remain a part time job for me; and as such, I cannot be expected to achieve everything like those who are doing it full time. I had a figure in mind of what I wanted to earn monthly from the blog and if I can achieve that and enjoy it in the process then I am a happy girl. I do also need to make sure that I find time for me, time to relax, and to look after myself a bit better.

So there you have it – that’s my plan for 2019 in a nutshell. If you’re a blogger, what are your goals for 2019? I’d love to hear them!

Lucy x