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After a year of blogging, I’ve heard it all.
Why are you blogging?
Do people actually read your posts?
How long do you plan to write for this blog?
And the kicker: Do you make money from blogging?
When I started out, these were the questions I asked. And when I meet other bloggers, this is the info I want to know. However, many bloggers—myself included—are hesitant to share.
Although I started Mama Has Her Mindful on June 29, 2019 (my birthday), I spent a year writing posts and figuring out the technical side of things before she went live one year later on June 29, 2020!
So, on her first birthday, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all the readers.
But I also thought I’d get vulnerable and honest with some realistic deets of starting a blog. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what my first year of part-time mom blogging was actually like. And, what possibilities lay ahead.
Cue the birthday song and grab a slice of (plant-based) cake and let’s start the party!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thanks for the support!
Why Did You Start a Blog?
Mom blogging—and blogging in general—isn’t what it used to be. I wanted to start a blog back in 2010 when I had my first baby.
Back then, the blog posts I read were about personal experiences (moms sharing their stories about life with kids). While that’s still done, most blogs nowadays are niche specific and help the reader to accomplish a goal, learn something new or solve a problem.
So my reasons for starting a blog in 2020 were slightly different than they were in 2010. I was more focused and purposeful when starting Mama Has Her Mindful. These were my goals.
1. Showcase My Work
Blogging showcases your work as a writer, editor, creator, designer and artist. In 2003 I was an editor for a large publishing house and in 2008 I decided to become a freelance writer and editor.
Three children later, my freelance work was slow. In an effort to start it up again, I wanted to create an example of my work. While I have a website for my business, this blog would act as a living portfolio.
2. Support Other Parents
As a new parent in 2010, my mind was so FULL with everything I needed to learn to take care of tiny humans—it was overwhelming. Thus came the name “Mama Has Her MindFULL” one night as I rocked my first born to sleep.
But in 2020, after suffering two miscarriages which triggered PTSD, depression, and anxiety, learning how to be mindful and practice mindfulness changed my life. I want to help other busy parents do the same. So, I dropped one “L” from the title and it became “Mama Has Her MindFUL.”
3. Change the World
I think we all hope our lives positively impact the world around us, right? I saw blogging as an opportunity to reach more people than those in my in-person social circles.
While my initial intent was to spread info on mindful living, after our family decided to go plant-based and vegan, my desire to spread messages of compassion, healing and awareness to families only increased.
And in my first year blogging, I’m pleased to say, I’ve accomplished all of these goals. And next year, I hope to do the same.
RELATED: I go into more detail about why I started a blog in these posts:
Welcome to Mama Has Her Mindful
About Me
Do People Read Your Mom Blog?
Admittedly, this is a question every writer worries about. Thankfully, with blogging, there’s a way of measuring your analytics to see what posts readers gravitate to most.
When I started this blog, I installed Google Analytics so I could track progress and Google Search Console to monitor how well my blog performs in Google’s search results.
This helps me see how often my blog is seen, which posts are the most popular, and in short—if people are reading my blog!
Blog Traffic Terms
Before I share my blog traffic stats, let me clarify a few things for any readers who aren’t bloggers.
User: This is the number of people who visit the site and is therefore usually lower than the other terms.
Pageviews: This is the number of times a page (or post) is loaded (or seen).
Sessions: A session equals a visit to your site. So, when you visit my site and look at several pages or posts, it counts as one session. If you come back to view the site a few hours later, it’s a new session. Since you may look at several pages in one session, this number is usually lower than pageviews.
Unique Pageviews: This is the number of times a page or post is seen, minus any duplicate pages/posts seen by the same person during the same session. This value is lower than pageviews but higher than sessions. Here’s why: If you came to my site and looked at page 1 three times and page 2 once, it would be counted as 4 pageviews, 2 unique page views, 1 session and 1 user.
Here’s a look at my May 2021 blogging traffic:
- Users: 2,521
- Pageviews: 5,457
- Unique Pageviews: 3,537
- Sessions: 3,357
My Traffic After One Year of Blogging
With those terms in mind, let’s take a look at how I did over the first year blogging.
Here’s my pageviews in Google Analytics from June 29, 2020 (when I sent live) to June 26, 2021 (almost one year later).
- Unique Pageviews: 16,869
- Pageviews: 23,705
You’ll also notice spikes in pageviews from time to time. For me, this happened when a post was timely (like my vegan quiche around Easter or coping with anxiety during a pandemic).
And here’s a comparison between my first month blogging (July 2020 in orange) and the most recent full month (May 2021 in blue).
The early spike in July 2020 is due to the recent launch of the blog and a lot of family and friends checking it out for the first time.
I’m pumped to see growth overall! In one year, my pageviews increased by about 240% and my unique pageviews increased by almost 200%.
How My Mom Blog Performs in Google Search Results
While all those stats are great, I still need people to FIND my blog posts. One way is through social media, which I do. But let’s be honest, when most of us search for an answer to a problem, we use Google.
Before I show you how my mom blog performs on Google, let’s go over a few terms from the graph below.
Total Clicks: This is how many times a user clicked through to my blog.
Total Impressions: This is how many times a user saw a link to my blog in search results.
Average CTR: This is the percentage of impressions that resulted in a click. (From the research I’ve done, the average CTR for all industries is around 1.91%, but that’s likely based on weekly or monthly data, whereas the stats I have below are based on annual data.)
Average Position: This is the average position your site appears in search results.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s a look at my annual data (so you can see the improvement from when Mama Has Her Mindful started to now).
While this is great, the goal is to appear as high as possible on Google’s Search Engine Results Page. (The page that appears after you type something into Google.)
And with only 10 results listed on the first page, and about 7 million blog posts published every day, getting on that first page is seriously challenging.
But I’ve done it! Out of my 47 published posts, I’ve had four appear on page one of Google’s search results. This is something that fluctuates, and you have to work to keep posts on page one, but seeing these results is definitely a high point! Here are those four posts:
- Vegan Artichoke Dipping Sauce
- Just Egg Vegan Quiche
- Vegan BBQ and Beyond Burger Recipe
- Using Bilateral Music to Reduce Anxiety + Free Playlist
So, is the point of this to brag about my traffic? Heck no!
The point is to be transparent, honest, and to answer legitimate questions that even I have when I read blogs (including my own)!
But truthfully, I’d be lying if I said my heart wasn’t swelling with pride right now. Data doesn’t lie. And seeing stats like these is definitely a confidence booster.
So, when people ask me, “Does anyone read your mom blog?” the answer is YES!
Do You Make Money From Blogging?
Let’s move onto the question all of us bloggers want to compare notes on, all of us readers are too embarrassed to ask, and any potential bloggers need an answer to.
Can you make money from blogging??
Totally.
Did I?
Nope. Well, not more than my expenses.
Why not?
There’s a few factors, but first, let’s take a look at my income and expenses after one year of blogging.
My First Year Blogging Expenses
Blogging isn’t free, at least not if you have sights set on making money eventually. Some costs can’t be avoided, like hosting and domain name renewal fees, but others are optional. While the free versions of plugins, apps and software used are great, I found life was easier with the paid upgrade. So, here are my expenses.
- Bluehost hosting: $30
- Social Warfare: $30
- Mailbox: $60
- Sem Rush keyword research: $400
- Ubersuggest keyword research (one time fee): $290
- Canva (annual fee): $120
- Courses: $250
- Instagram Support Group: $160
- Termly (legal stuff): $120
Total: $1,460
A note about my expenses: I did NOT need to spend this much.
But, I enjoy blogging, so most of these costs were worth it. And, looking at my blog’s traffic results after one year, paying for keyword research programs like Sem Rush and Ubersuggest are paying off.
My First Year Blogging Income
Let’s look at my income next. There isn’t much of it. LOL! I’ll explain why in a sec.
- Won free courses: $200
- Amazon Associate: $14
Total: $214
So, after the money I brought in, I’m negative $1,246.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
Why the heck are you still doing this? So many bloggers boast about making tens of thousands of dollars online in their first year.
Why the heck would I reveal that I was in the negative??
Well, for one, this is a realistic look at what my first year of blogging was like. Not everyone makes thousands of dollars year one.
And since I’m in it for the long haul, I had other goals in mind when I started blogging a year ago. Let me explain.
Why I Didn’t Make a Profit Blogging
Do I think I could have made more money blogging? Absolutely. But, these things were a priority for me:
- When I started my blog back in 2019, I didn’t foresee a pandemic. Having three kids home when I thought I’d have a couple of hours a week to work on the blog delayed some growth (and possibly income).
- I focused my efforts on one thing at a time so I could dive deep into a new skill. Getting the technical side down was the first, writing attention-grabbing blog posts was the second, and increasing traffic was the third. Monetizing is next!
- I chose not to run ads on my site for fear they’d be distracting. (Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts on ads are.)
- I waited 6 months after my blog was up and running before I became an Amazon Associate. (In case you don’t know what this is, I may earn a commission anytime someone clicks one of my Amazon links and then makes a purchase on Amazon. If you do that, thanks for your support!)
So, to recap: Can you make money blogging? Yes! Did I make a profit? No. But one of my goals for next year is developing a monetization strategy. Whenever I see growth, I’m happy!
Is Blogging a Lonely Business?
Surprisingly, no. I thought it would be. (And the introvert in me didn’t mind if it was.)
But, honestly, you need fellow bloggers to succeed at this game.
In my first year of blogging, I’ve met so many new people who inspire my creativity every day.
Let me explain.
Followers Can Be Friends
Social media is the most exhausting part of blogging, at least for me. I wasn’t on social media much before starting a blog, so this is an area I have to work at.
But I have to admit, I’ve connected with some awesome people through social media. And after one year of blogging, all of Mama Has Her Mindful’s accounts have grown.
Another set of followers that are the closest to my content are all of you subscribers out there. You are notified as soon as anything new happens.
Let’s compare where we’re at now to where we were on July 1, 2020:
- Facebook: 157 followers (July 2020: 3 followers)
- Twitter: 239 followers (July 2020: 3 followers)
- Pinterest: 459 followers, 27K monthly views (July 2020: 222 followers, 5K monthly views)
- Instagram: 1,277 followers (July 2020: 23 followers)
- LinkedIn: 144 connections
- Email List Subscribers: 78 (July 2020: 10 followers)
👆If you’re not following me yet, please click through and say hi so we can connect!
👇If you’re not already subscribed to my email list, you can sign up below and get all the latest mindful living and plant-based eating tips!👇👇👇
Connections Help You Succeed
No, I’m not only measuring “success” as earning money. Success in blogging can also mean increased traffic, content ideas and collaborations, shared networks, and moral support.
Here are some of my favorite groups and accounts I’ve connected with in my first year of blogging:
- Start a Blogging Business
- Vegan Blog Share by A Blog About Stuff
- Mindful Social Co (no longer active)
Here are some bloggers who keep sending positive vibes my way and are a frequent source of inspiration:
- Keirsten at A Blog About Stuff
- Michelle at The Balanced CEO
- Cindy at Journey with Healthy Me
- Anyka at Plant Fulfilled
I also was interviewed on the Bowl of Life Podcast, which was a new experience for me, but something I’d love to do more of.
And I got a lot out of Shiftcon, a virtual blogging conference I attended in 2020.
Without these groups and special people, blogging would be lonely and I don’t think I’d be where I am today.
Contemplating Starting a Blog?
Do you have a story to tell?
A special gift others would benefit knowing about?
Or maybe you love to write and want a creative outlet?
Or, like me, you want to further publicize your business or services?
A blog is a fantastic way to do all of the above.
Oh, and remember one of my “whys” I mentioned earlier: When you start a blog, you can change the world!
Your voice, message and gifts can positively impact the world when you share it with a larger audience.
If you’ve ever thought about starting a blog, consider beginning here. This is where I started and it seriously streamlined the process.
Disclosure: (Update as of June 2022) All links to It’s a Lovely Life in this post were affiliate links, which means if you clicked through and made a purchase, I received a commission on the purchase with no cost to you. I took these courses and LOVED them. I wouldn’t refer them to readers if that wasn’t the case! But in May 2022, the It’s a Lovely Life team decided to close their courses. They say another project is on the horizon but it’s unclear what that is as of June 2022.
The 5-Day Email Crash Course to Start a Blogging Business by Heather and Pete Reese at It’s a Lovely Life walked me through all the steps I needed to launch my blog.
Once I launched my blog, I loved the step-by-step information from Pete and Heather so much, I splurged in 2019 and purchased their Blogging Blastoff Course—A month-long blogging course that took care of all the details I needed to get up and running.
AND to ensure success, the course included access to a VIP Facebook Group filled with other students so you can work together to share and discover each other’s content, furthering your exposure.
In 2020, once I got settled into blogging and wanted to increase my traffic, I decided to learn more about search engine optimization (SEO) and enrolled in the 5-day SEO Blogging Bootcamp course. And since taking that course, my traffic has seen huge gains.
Do you need to take a blogging course to get started?
Nah.
Does it save you a ton of time researching every little step (and learning some steps you never knew existed)?
Heck yes.
It’s a time saver and headache saver. Plus, it’s fun!
But again, if you’re just starting out, go for a free course to get your feet wet!
Will You Continue Blogging?
Well, the good news is, I still love what I do! So I’m pretty sure that’s a sign to keep on doing it!
With that said, I want to set some blogging goals for year two.
Blogging Traffic Goals:
- 10,000 pageviews per month (double this year’s)
- 50K monthly views on Pinterest (Not sure this is possible with some of the algorithm changes on Pinterest, but here’s hoping.)
- 6 blog posts on page 1 of Google Search Engine Results Page
Blogging Income Goals:
- Book one sponsored post
- Discover more affiliate income opportunities
- Consider selling a product
- Make enough to cover my expenses
Blogging Social Media Goals:
- Interact more purposefully on social media
- Double my followers on all accounts
Creativity Goals:
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Research TikTok (What do you think? Is it worth it guys?)
- Create 2 new opt-ins for email subscribers
New Connections and Friendship Goals:
- Attend one blogging conference
- Do one podcast interview
- Meet 2-3 new blogging friends
On my next blogging anniversary, I’ll refer back to these goals and see how I did!
Alright, let’s wrap up this behind-the-scenes look at my first year of mom blogging!
Conclusion: Is Blogging Worth it? Did I Change the World?
Imagine the warm, fuzzy feeling you’d get when someone tells you your post made them think.
Encouraged them to assess.
And motivated them to change.
That actually happened! On multiple occasions!
Readers have messaged me about trying plant-based diets after reading my posts on social media or the blog.
Parents have shared their success stories with using mindfulness to slow down their busy lives and be more present.
Is that changing the world?
To me it is.
One reader at a time.
So, to all of you reading this and any other post on the blog: Thank you. Your motivation, encouragement and kindness keeps me creating.
Cheers to one year and many more.
As always, stay mindful, even when your mind’s full,
~Chelsea
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