Have you ever asked yourself this question “why do blogs fail”?

We interviewed one of the successful bloggers out there, Emenike Emmanuel, the founder of Entrepreneur Business Blog.

In this interview, he shares reasons why blogs fail and how you can avoid these mistakes and start achieving great results with your blog

Introduce yourself sir

Emenike Emmanuel: My name is Emenike Emmanuel. I’m a freelance business writer, social media strategist and topnotch business blogger. Through my Facebook community, The Excellent Entrepreneurs’ Network (TEEN), I educate our members on what they need to know and do to become excellent entrepreneurs.

Your blog clocked 2 years on 21^st September 2018. Tell us how the journey started.

Emenike Emmanuel: My journey into the world of blogging started in 2012 but until 2016, it remained a hobby. It was in 2016 that I decided to step up my game and move into the business of blogging. Right inside Ikot Mbong in Onna LGA of Akwa Ibom where I was posted to do my NYSC, I decided it was high time I gave expression to my vision.

I had everything (lack of power, poor internet connection and financial limitation) working against my decision but I defied them. It was not easy when I started but right now, we are becoming more stable. Back in those days, I used to spend N3,000 every week to travel to either Eket or Uyo where I could access a stable internet connection. These 2 years have been very adventurous for us.

What inspired you to start Entrepreneur Business Blog?

Emenike Emmanuel: So many things were my inspirations for starting www.entrepreneurbusinessblog.com but I will narrow them down to the most paramount two: first was the quest to create my own platform where I can help people discover how to start, manage and grow a profitable and sustainable business using digital marketing strategies and the second one was to create a means of livelihood for myself so that I wouldn’t join the teeming population of unemployed and underemployed youths when I’m done with my National Youth Service Corps. So far, I’m super excited that I took this decision 2 years ago.

Do you have failed blogs? How many are they?

Hmm…. I wouldn’t call them failed blogs because despite running them as a hobby, one made money for me and the other won me an award, Symbol of Hope Inspirational Award.

But the thing here is that when you are ready to build a business around blogging, focus is very important. You’ve got to pick your fight wisely and face it with all your energies. That was exactly what I did. I shut down 3 blogs to focus on 2 alone.

Can you explain 5 reasons that led to the failure of those blogs?

Emenike Emmanuel: I wouldn’t admit that they failed but I can tell you for free that the reasons they weren’t as successful as my current blogs (on business and insurance) were because:

1. They were free-hosted sites,
2. I didn’t have anybody to coach me,
3. My physical and mental environment weren’t supporting my vision,
4. I had little knowledge of some of the ways one can make money from his blog and
5. I didn’t niche down early enough.

Can you be a successful blogger without a failed blog?

Emenike Emmanuel: Of course, with the right mentorship, you can start a blog today and start making money from it the next month. I simplified the process in my Blogging Business Masterclass. But like every other business, you must work hard. There’s no free money on the internet. My transformation began when I started spending extra time and energy on my blogs the same way every other person would do to his business.

Should a blogger put all his eggs in one basket?

Emenike Emmanuel: I wouldn’t know exactly what you mean by putting all your eggs in one basket. But if what you are asking is whether a blogger should focus on blogging alone and neglect every other kind of online business, then my answer is, No.

But however, you must not go into the kind of online business that will take away your attention from your blog or the ones that you can’t easily incorporate into your blog. If done well, one blog can open up not fewer than 10 new income streams for you. So with this in mind, isn’t it better that you spend time now to grow it than chasing after shining objects here and there.

What strategy did you wish you applied in the first week of starting Entrepreneur Business Blog?

Emenike Emmanuel: Had I done proper keyword research, focusing more on keywords within the business niche with higher CPC, my blog would have grown at least 5x what it is today.

Blogging success is all about the keywords you are ranking for. You can be getting 200 page views per day but if you are ranking high for expensive keywords, your blog income will be a shocker to many. Ranking high for cheap keywords is a waste of blogging effort. If you are already ranking for cheap keywords, then you can make it up for yourself by getting huge page views.

What’s your advice for upcoming bloggers?

Emenike Emmanuel: My advice to upcoming bloggers is that they should shorten their learning curve by learning from successful bloggers who are willing to share their tools and strategies.

Beyond that, they should invest time to analyze any successful blog they admire. Don’t be a copy and paste blogger. Invest your time to learn how to create inspiring, entertaining and educating content that will help your audience to always stick around.

And never forget to treat this as a business because hobbies don’t make money – only businesses do. If I could get to the stage I am in 2 years, you too can do even more. From day one, start building your list; email list and messenger list.

Conclusion

Have you been learning the hard way? Maybe that’s why you find it difficult to take your blogging career to the next level.

Just as he said, learning from the pros is very important. Find out the strategies and tools they use and apply them to your blog.