Why are blogs so popular

 

Why are blogs so popular?

From a handful of blogs in the early 90s (they weren’t even called blogs back then), today there are now more than 600 million blogs on the Internet, out of a total of over 1.9 billion websites. That means roughly one in every three websites is a blog. Meanwhile, 3 billion blog posts are published each year.

In the US alone, there are more than 32 million bloggers who post at least once a month. That’s equivalent to around a tenth of the total US population, or almost one in ten Americans!

It’s clear then that almost thirty years since the first blog was created, blogging has not only survived, but has managed to thrived, and in fact is only continuing to flourish.

But why are blogs so popular, and why are they only increasing in popularity? Here are the best reasons why.

1. Blogs can be anything

The first blog was nothing more than an online journal or diary. Today, a blog can be whatever you want it to be.

You can blog about anything – food, fashion, fitness, or frogs. You can write however you want – formal or conversational, technical or creative, etc. You can create short-form or long-form content. You can publish tutorials, recipes, guides, travelogues, listicles, reviews, testimonies, case studies, news articles, feature stories, journal entries, or whatever. You can also use different types of content other than written, like images, infographics, audio, video, and the like.

It’s not just about the content though – you can design the look of your blog however you want. You can add a variety of plugins to give your site enhanced or entirely new functionalities. And you can make you blog private or public, free or paid, and more. The bottom line is that blogs are versatile, adaptable, and multipurpose. In blogging, the only limit is your imagination. You define your own space. You set your own rules. You create the content you want.

2. Blogs are useful

A large chunk of all the information on the World Wide Web can be found on blogs. That’s because blogs comprise close to a third of all websites on the Internet. So every time you search something online, there’s a high chance that you’ll get your answer from a blog.

Think about the last time you searched something on the Internet. When you wanted a budget travel guide for a tropical island getaway, you probably found it on a travel blog. When you were looking for new recipes to try at home, you likely discovered them off a food blog. And when you needed advice and guidance for new moms, you learned valuable insights after reading a couple of mommy blogs.

Blogs contain so much valuable information and knowledge. They provide answers to your questions and solutions to your problems. That’s how useful blogs are.

3. Blogs are effective

Blogging is effective; it delivers results, both for blog visitors and the bloggers themselves.

For visitors, blogs offer interesting and useful content, from personal finance tips, productivity hacks, postnatal care procedures, to political discourse. Blogs provide information, offer insight, and kindle inspiration. And people trust blogs – did you know that blogs are rated as the fifth most trusted source for accurate online info?

For bloggers, on the other hand, blogging is a perfect way to share your story, knowledge, interests, and experiences. It’s a powerful way to connect with people across the world, build a community, and create meaningful relationships. It’s a low-cost yet effective way to promote your brand or business and reach out to new and existing customers. And it’s a profitable way to earn money, whether that’s money on the side, a fulltime income, or something more.    

4. Blogs are easy to start

Gone are the days when blogging was solely the preserve of computer or Internet geniuses. Today, everyone and anyone can start their own blog. All you need is a laptop, a decent Internet connection, and a couple of bucks a month to pay for web hosting to get your blog going.

And you don’t even need to be a techy person to start a blog. With just some basic knowledge of the Internet, you can build your own blog in a matter of minutes. Plus, there’s plenty of helpful tutorials available online – like this one – to guide you through the process of setting up your very own blog.

5. Blogs make money

Yes, it’s true. Blogging pays, and it pays quite well.  

In fact, did you know that the most profitable blogs rake in millions of dollars a year? The top earners are HuffPost ($500 million a year), Engadget ($47.5 million), Moz ($44.9 million), PerezHilton ($41.3 million), and Copyblogger ($33.1 million). But of course, these blogs are already companies in their own right, with rank upon rank of paid professional writers churning out content after content.

So what about blogs owned by individuals? Well, the monetary picture is also quite rosy. Did you know that pro bloggers earn an average annual income of $185,975, while the best of the best make millions? However, these top bloggers comprise just a small percentage of the blogging population.

More bloggers just make a nice, healthy fulltime income off blogging, while even more manage just enough for a decent side income.

Of course, there are also bloggers who don’t make any money at all.

The point is, blogging pays, and it pays quite well, but only for those who put the necessary time and effort into it.