Is Blogging Right for You? Take this QUIZ to find out!
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A blog can be a great way to create a side income and work from home. But if you’ve never done it before, you are probably wondering “Is blogging right for me?”
Actually, people ask me that question all the time. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. There are so many factors to consider.
So, I put this little quiz together to help you decide for yourself.
Why Do You Want to Start A Blog?
The first thing to consider is your “why”?
Why do you want to start a blog?
Common reasons for starting a blog are:
- to make money
- to share ideas and knowledge
- to connect with others
Blogging for Money
Many people, myself included, start a blog because we wanted to create a side hustle and work from home.
Making money from blogging is absolutely doable – but it is not a get rich quick scheme.
In fact, growing a blog takes a lot of time. If you need money now (read: yesterday), then you should probably look for a job.
I finally started making money with my blog after I took the course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and after I was accepted into the Mediavine ad network.
But income from affiliate marketing and ad revenue is very volatile.
The traditional blogging model requires that you get lots of traffic – and for that you have to depend on Google and social media platforms like Pinterest to send readers your way.
Google is constantly adjusting their algorithm, and organic search traffic is very hard to come by and takes a lot of time and effort.
So, you see bloggers branching out to other platforms like YouTube and TikTok to bring in the views.
They are also creating digital products to sell online and buying Facebook ads to drive traffic.
Personally, I find blogging for money to be exhausting. You can read my thoughts about blogging in 2024 here.
So, I don’t rely on blog income because it is just too unpredictable. Anything I make from my blog is icing on the cake, so to speak.
What Will You Blog About?
One of the biggest mistakes I made with this blog is writing about everything. This blog is loosely focused around organization and productivity, but I also do product reviews, talk about blogging, write tutorials, and a bunch of other stuff.
It is more or less a lifestyle blog and it is way too broad.
The going advice is to have a tight niche – blog about one topic and explore it in great detail.
This makes sense because you become known as an expert on your topic – and people (and Google) know what to expect when they visit your site.
When you have in depth content about one subject, people that are interested in that subject will stick around and read more than one post that you have published. They will also subscribe to your newsletter and follow you on other social media channels.
But the most important reason to stick to one topic on your blog – and I have learned this from experience – is that you don’t physically have the time in your day to write about everything under the sun.
You can certainly have a blog about a lot of topics – but you have to explore each topic in depth and prove that the information you provide is useful, if you want Google to send search traffic your way.
This is why you will see blogs that are really niched down. Instead of a general food blog, people will have a vegan recipes blog instead.
For me – even organization and productivity is way too broad. Honestly, I could write about just Kitchen Organization all day and never run out of ideas to blog about. So, tell me, when do I have time to write about all the other rooms in the house?
The lesson here is that it is a really good idea to have a clear idea of what you will write about, especially if your blogging goal is to make money.
When you are not clear – you will start to second guess yourself and try to copy what everyone else is doing.
You ask – is blogging right for me? – well, do you know what you plan to blog about?
How Much Time Will You Devote to Blogging?
Writing a single blog post takes me so much longer than I ever thought it would.
Not only do I outline and write, but I create images, appropriate affiliate links, YouTube videos, and schedule social shares. Then I interlink posts and come up with new ideas.
I also write promote my email newsletters, work with brands, and am an Amazon Influencer.
In the good old days, we would bang out a few paragraphs and be done. What was I complaining about then? :-/
At a minimum, you need to spend 10 hours per week. But I can tell you, I spend tons more time than that.
Do You Like Technology?
Some people will tell you that you don’t have to know a lot about technology to be a blogger.
Personally, I think you need a basic proficiency or at least, the willingness to learn.
Unless you have a tech support person at your fingertips, you will need to
- troubleshoot WordPress,
- know how to resize images,
- work with graphics programs like Canva,
- and have basic HTML and CSS knowledge.
Keep in mind that the blogging platform that you choose makes a difference too.
The most popular blogging platform is self-hosted WordPress. This because it is the most flexible. You can add plugins, change hosts, change themes, and basically have the most control over your content. But, self hosted WordPress is not for everyone and this is why.
Over the years WordPress has come a long way – and it so much easier to use now than it was in the past.
However, I personally hate dealing with technical issues. So I pay for a few things that make my life easier.
One of the most important things is my blog host. Sure you can get cheap hosting – I have been there and done that – but when something goes wrong, it is up to you to dive into the back end and deal with things SQL databases and PHP stuff that I know nothing about.
Many years ago, I upgraded to Big Scoots managed WordPress hosting – and I have never looked back. In my opinion it is the best use of the dollars I spend on my blog.
Any time I have an issue (which is very rare) or a dumb question (which is far more common 🤣), their fantastic customer service team gets right on it and responds timely and fully to my satisfaction. You can read my Big Scoots review here, if you would like to know more.
Can You Work Independently?
When you are your own boss – there is no one around to tell you what to do, and that is very true with blogging.
No one is going to tell you what to write about or when to fit it into your day.
You need to dip into your creative mind to brainstorm ideas and bring them to life.
It is up to you to do outreach, promote your blog, and adjust course when the results aren’t what you expected.
The good news is that there is tons of great information out there – but there is bad info too.
Part of the learning process is figuring out what expert advice to follow.
When I first started blogging, I was all over the map. My approach was to see what everyone else was doing and try to copy that. Basically, I wasn’t getting anywhere.
So, I invested in a few solid blogging courses, and still do. I am constantly taking courses to learn things like:
- Pinterest and Instagram
- Photography
- Search Engine Optimization
- Email Marketing
- and so much more.
Blogging Is A Journey
If you are still wondering if blogging is right for you – think of it as a journey.
Sometimes you just need to get started whether you are ready or not – or you will always be in the same place.
Share Your Blogging Quiz Results
So, what do you think? Is blogging right for you?
Are you ready to put in the time to create a platform where you can share your ideas and expertise with the world? Or are you looking for a way to make money that gives you results a little quicker?
Share your results from the “Is Blogging Right For Me Quiz” in the comments below.
If you were wondering how I put this little quiz together – read my Interact Quiz Builder review here.
Great Information. Thanks for the sharing.
Hi Neena, that was a quick and easy quiz. I liked it. I just don’t have enough TIME to do it all but I’m working on it still, not giving up. I think that is something many don’t realize at first – the time it takes to generte content, promote, network with others, etc. But it can be fun too! You must LOVE it in order to continue to do it. Many don’t survive past the first year. I can’t wait to see the results! Have a great day Neena.
Hi Lisa,
I am so glad that you liked the quiz – it was my first attempt at putting one together and it was much easier than I thought it would be.
There is so much online about how easy it is to start a blog, and it is, but there is also a lot of work involved – and I want to bring awareness to that as well.
Thanks so much for taking the quiz and for your feedback!