Well, 2021 is just around the corner, and if you are new to blogging or have taken a break from it, you may be wondering if blogging is still relevant or not.
The answer is, blogging is NOT dead in 2021, and likely won’t be for a long time.
However, I do predict that blogs that have lower authority will slowly but surely be outranked by ones with true, real content written by experts. This won’t happen overnight, but I feel the writing is on the wall.
So if you want to succeed with blogs in 2021 and the future, the most important thing you can do is pick a topic in which you are an expert in or one that you are very passionate about.
It’s OK to be a beginner as long as you are truly excited about your niche.
One exception to this rule will be when celebrities start making niche blogs. I really hope this doesn’t become a thing, but my gut tells me it will.
Anyway, I’m going to list some other thoughts in no particular order including the ones above to summarize the current State of the Blogosphere:
1 – When starting a new blog, pick a topic in which you are passionate and an expert in. If you are not an expert, that is OK as you can write from the beginner perspective and other beginners will appreciate the legwork you have done for them as it will save them time and frustration when they follow your footsteps.
2 – Super long skyscraper articles may not be as important as a shorter, “meatier” blog post written by someone with more authority.
3 – It is important to not only have a blog, but have companion social media channels such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. I’m not a big fan of this but if you show your real self including photos and videos, you will likely do better than a competing site that does not.
4 – Brush up your writing skills. Instead of doing what the competition does by creating a post with 1000 more words than the top ranking post, do what nobody else is doing… aim for a high quality writing style. This is an area I need to work on… for this post I’m writing off the top of my head without editing. Ha!
5 – Improve the user experience – Take a look at some of the top blogs out there and you may notice some that have a great user experience, are clean and simple. You want to take that same experience with you on your social media channels and try not to have too much clutter.
6 – Forget SEO, except for the basics. Seriously, just let it go. Let’s face it, for the most part, SEO experts are pretty much trying to give you the latest tricks and gimmicks that may help you in the short term. But they will not last in the long run. For one, algorithms constantly change. What worked a few months ago may not work today. If you are writing truly great content, and are continuously working on building an audience, you won’t have to worry about it as it will take care of itself automatically.
Conclusion:
Well, that about wraps it up. To conclude for the year 2021 and beyond I think blogging will continue to thrive and likely we will start seeing many top search results replaced with real experts as the barrier to entry gets easier and easier.
Ah yes, I forgot to mention that. Have you noticed over the last few years how much easier it is for the average Joe Blow to start their own website, YouTube channel or Instagram account?
In the past it use to require owning a fairly expensive desktop computer, expensive software as well as expensive computers.
Now, anyone with a smartphone can get started in a few minutes…. except blogging. I would never recommend anyone try to blog on a phone lol.
One final thought to try to drive this point home. As we go further into the future, I think what we will see is experts emerging from the woodwork that previously were unknown to the world due to the technology barrier.
A random example off the top of my head would be this. Imagine if actor Johnny Depp started a blog and YouTube channel on acting or perhaps making cocktails? It would likely explode overnight. Do you see the power of his authority and existing audience now?
No amount of SEO could match that…
So anyway, try to become the best expert in the world… or the most passionate beginner that wants to become an expert.
Stop making forced content that makes you want to bang your head against the wall. Nobody will enjoy it and as a result it won’t have long term success.
Aim to become the Cesar Millan (TV show “Dog Whisperer”) of your niche.
Good luck and may 2021 bring you much success and prosperity…
P.S. One final trick… if you want to stand out from the rest and are not an expert, but do have the passion for a topic, you might want to consider trying to become an interesting character rather than just another blogger.
A great example of this is Dr. Disrespect. He could have tried to be a gamer like everyone else, but he stands out with a unique & cocky 80’s persona he created. Here is a video clip from his channel… hopefully it will inspire you: