Content In Plain Text
The number one reason people don’t start a blog isn’t the tech, or the niche, or imposter syndrome. It’s this: I just don’t have the time. And I get it. I really do. I started my houseplant blog in 2019 while working 50 hours a week. This is not about time blocking or putting everything … Read more
The word “routine” tends to conjure images of people waking at 5am, journalling before sunrise, and having everything colour-coded by 7am. If that’s you, brilliant. If that makes you want to close this tab immediately, stay with me. A blogging routine doesn’t have to look like a productivity influencer’s morning. It just has to be … Read more
Publishing one post at a time, from blank page to live article, every single time, is exhausting. You sit down to write. First you need to do the research. Then you realise you haven’t got an outline. So you outline it. Then you write the draft. Then you need images. Then you format it in … Read more
I have started and abandoned more blogs than I care to admit. Makeup. Personal finance. Veganism. House rabbits. Each one followed exactly the same arc: excitement, momentum, a flurry of articles, no traction, the decision that the niche was problem, but this time it’ll work. I didn’t recognise it as burnout at the time. I … Read more
I put off starting this website for longer than I’d like to admit. My houseplant blog — Planet Houseplant — used to get 100,000 clicks a month and make a tonne of cash. By the time I started building carolinecocker.com, it was getting 15,000 (and making a couple of hundred quid). And I had somehow … Read more
There’s a post that appears on blogging subreddits with remarkable regularity. It goes something like this: “I published my first article two weeks ago and I have zero traffic. Is something wrong? Should I be doing something different? Is blogging even worth it?” Here’s the thing. The lack of traffic is completely fine. Two weeks … Read more
My original blogging plan was this: I am not joking. That was it. That was the whole plan. (Let’s be real, it kinda still is, but it shouldn’t be yours.) I am going to tell you two things I wish someone had told me years ago: Why most blogging goals don’t work “Grow my blog.” … Read more
You cannot throw money at blogging until you know what you’re doing. Bar hosting and a domain name you don’t need to spend money until you make money. Not courses, not gear, not software. The lesson I eventually learned — slowly, as is my way — is that the tools don’t do the work. Here’s … Read more
Keyword research sounds like something that belongs in a spreadsheet, not a blog post. It sounds technical and slightly joyless, like something you’d have to do before you’re allowed to do the actual writing. I avoided it for years. And I have the traffic stats to prove it. Keyword research is simply the process of … Read more
Your domain name is your address on the internet. It’s the thing people type into a browser to find you, and it’s what shows up in Google results next to every article you ever write. It also doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think it does. Your home address is very important. It tells … Read more