Just over a year ago I uploaded my first blog post at Debatable Opinions. I started posting on my blog for a variety of reasons:

1. I had ideas about marketing, business, websites, and copywriting which I wanted to share with readers.
2. I wanted to be an example to those companies I consult for. If I recommend that a blog is a worthwhile use of their business resources, I better have a blog to back up my claims.
3. I wanted to see the results on search engine rankings on a real blog and using real posts, tags, and images.

One year, and 155 blog posts, later I have learned a lot. The five main lessons are:

1. Posting regularly is possible – In the beginning, daily blog posts were the norm as I had a lot of business thoughts I wanted to share with readers. As time went on I posted less frequently and now try to post at least twice a week. The lesson learned though is that posting regularly may not be easy, but it is achievable with the right planning and goals in place.
2. You can get good search engine rankings without pay-per-click or advertising – Simply tagging my entries correctly, finding catchy titles for the posts, and writing content rich blog entries has enabled my blog to increase in search engine rankings. Some of my most popular blog posts regularly show up in the top 10 of keyword searches. To date, I have not invested in pay-per-click or online advertising; not because I believe it to be ineffective, but because I needed a pure sample from which to draw my insights on the effectiveness of blogging.
3. Beware of spam comments – Currently I average 35 to 50 visitors a day; not a huge number but I’m proud to be beyond the single digits! I screen all comments before they are posted to the blog. I consider this to be a required step because of spam comments that are unrelated to the post topic. Links to other services, offers without relevance, and fields of links to other sites are all attempts by spammers to get their content online. By blocking their IP address and not posting spam comments, the blog becomes a place where education and conversation can take place without having to wade through spam comments.
4. Reading helps provide prompts for blog posts – I love business periodicals and regularly read the Wall Street Journal for blog ideas. Rather than coming up with topics from thin air, a well written article that I read can prompt me to further expound on a topic, give my opinion on a new piece, or plant the seed for further research. Being a voracious reader also exposes me to both well written and poorly written pieces. I learn what not to do in my writing and what things I can work on. Reading other people’s blogs can also plant the seeds of topics to discuss on my blog. The key is finding the right blogs to read that can help expand your knowledge in a meaningful way.
5. Writing a blog is an fun! – I enjoy making time to write on my blog. The time spent writing, researching, or thinking about a business topic for the Debatable Opinions blog has been extremely worthwhile. I have become a better writer, I have found ways to be concise and get my point across in a meaningful way, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the blog writing experience.

Thank you to all of you who have joined me on this journey to date. I look forward to another year of sharing ideas with you about business, copywriting, marketing, and websites. Look for more regular 20 Word Reviews in the coming year, as those are always fun to try to edit down to make the self imposed word limit. I always appreciate your comments and feedback and know that you’ll have some great topics to read about as we continue full steam ahead into year two.