What Really Grinds My Gears
Welcome back to another edition of “What Really Grinds My Gears.” I know a lot of you are enjoying these posts because I get so much interaction on them. So yay! And of course, thanks for the support. Now today, we’re going to talk about something that really grinds my gears: bloggers. Now you may be saying, aren’t you a blogger? And to that I say, isn’t Lifesfinewhine and Pooja more of a mindset than a blog/blogger? Just kidding.
Anyway, this isn’t really about all bloggers. Or Google’s once popular blogging platform, Blogger. No, this is aimed at more popular bloggers (the ones with thousands or millions of followers/views) or bloggers that are specialists in tech/SEO etc. You know the kind.
Blogger
So what’s my plant based beef with them? Glad you asked. I have two specific things I want to talk about today. First, I want to talk about those big bloggers who make it seem like blogging is easy. Like you can get millions of views and followers overnight. When that’s obviously not true. Most of those bloggers spent a lot of money advertising, hiring SEO specialists and may I be so bold as to say buying views and follows. Not all of course, just a few. Sure the tips they share are helpful but that’s not the whole story.
Growing your blog organically takes a lot of time and effort. And not being transparent about this can give people false hope. I have seen so many people become bloggers and give up in less than a month because they assumed they would succeed overnight but didn’t. And that makes me so sad because it is possible to grow and enjoy that process and it sucks that this experience was robbed from them by putting false exceptions in their head.
The second thing I want to talk about is aimed at people who are pros at tech, SEO etc. I recently read an article where the blogger was kind of dissing people who share simple/easy SEO tips like I do on my SEO for dummies posts. Because according to them SEO is so much more complicated than that. And I agree with that, SEO is a lot more than that.
Except here’s the thing, those little tips about on-page SEO are also real SEO tips. And not everyone is an SEO specialist. Some people find things to do with tech really difficult and sharing small but easy ways to boost SEO is super helpful for people like that instead of shoving things in their face that they probably can’t even understand. That alone is why I even have the SEO for Dummies series. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean that everyone is an expert at that. You need to understand that not every article you read is going to be targeted to you specifically. If you already know these tips and think they’re basic that’s fine but not everyone is so privileged.
And no shade to the blogger I mentioned. They went on to make a very good point about how the quality of your post matters most and not how SEO friendly it is. Which is kind of accurate. I just found that specific point about articles with easy SEO tips to not be so true.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this post. I always enjoy writing these, I swear they’re like therapeutic for me and I can just get so much of the anger out lol. Apparently, so much stuff grinds my gears, lol.
I am very curious to know your thoughts on all this. So please do leave them in the comments below. Or simply stop by and say hi!
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Both kinds you described here are very annoying indeed. The first kind is the reason why a few annoying but well-meaning people have asked me why don’t I quit my stressful job and blog full time 🙄 people like to assume that blogging is ‘easy’ or ‘profitable.’ If you’re not blogging in a first world country, your path to full time blogging is 100x harder (and less profitable)
So true, it’s so much harder when you’re living in a global south country. And so many things aren’t even available to us which is so frustrating.
Whew! This right here:
“Growing your blog organically takes a lot of time and effort. And not being transparent about this can give people false hope.”
Say it loud enough, please, for the people in the back! Lol.
Haha thanks and yeah people need to know that blogging is so much harder than they think!
Exactly! You’re welcome!
I agree with this, but I also love when you said plant based beef. You are the best.
Lol, thanks.
Yes, it is like a small business vs. a huge corporation. I mean I witnessed small businesses struggling every day and have to suffer when economy is no good. On the other hand, big corporations have so much more resources, manpower, and options. So true and it is not easy. If anybody says it is easy, don’t believe it.
Yeah, exactly. The small businesses suffer while bigger ones thrive no matter what because they can invest in themselves.
I agree. I’ve had enough hopping into hobbies and passions because I heard they’re easy.
Easy means something. Easy is great when starting off, but most things have a way to mastery. Blogging is not easy. Drawing a picture is a LOT less exhausting than having a blog. I would try to do the same things as you with the same effort but I would just be asking for an early funeral. You do so much and work extremely hard.
But sheesh, man. I think bloggers that are just well liked and lucky sometimes don’t have anything other than that. They usually have a specific blog with specific looks and content and pay a lot for it.
Always from an English speaking country and trying to sell comfort from what I see. This website likes to do the same thing with poetry and other people I really don’t want to follow and engage with.
But overall. Blogging is hard work. All of it. Someone should never discredit to seem cool. I know some visual artists do that, but it’s still bad. What you think, other people think. They won’t take blogging as something serious and difficult.
Yeah, it’s definitely hard work blogging. It’s not as easy as people try to say it is. True, some bloggers just get lucky but I think it’s also that they have more money to invest in their blog. Like if you can afford to promote your blog, buy backlinks etc you can get popular in a few weeks. But when you try to grow organically it takes much longer.
True, English speaking countries are much easier to do stuff like blogging and social media in. They just have so many more privileges than other countries.
Oh! I didn’t think of that. I don’t have that kind of money, so, my account is free of PMCs (pecuniary modified content), organic, no pesticides (not creative enough), and always fresh.
Those are the kind of accounts I enjoy most 😁
Great information shared.
Thank you so much.
Keep sharing those tips for dummies, there are so many of us who needs it. If a pro starts shaming you for doing that, you can tell them you only do it for your audience (dummies) who asks you specifically to share more. Every blog has to provide value and this is the end goal.
Thanks so much and yeah I agree we need to provide something of value to our audience. Lol I’ll save this comment for future use if a pro ever starts talking crap again.
😂You sure did a good vent! Well we all have our reasons for being on sites like this lovely one. I write and post simply because I love writing, photography and sharing and seeing what others write, photograph and share. Not everyone resonates and there’s no pleasing everyone. In time all memory of us and our posts disappear. It’s the love we give whether reciprocated or not that matters. Even blog talk. Glad you got that stuff out of your system. 😂💖✨💕
Haha thanks! I love your blog and I’m glad you keep writing just for you and because you want to. Absolutely, not everyone will like everything and that’s totally okay. 💕
Thank you dear lady! Yes, we all see through different filters of perceptions and world views. One of my favourite says is ‘Thank goodness, thank God, we’re all different’. Diversity is a wonderful expression of the Unity of Life that I celebrate every day. Keep being your wonderful self 💖✨
Yes, diversity makes the world a better place 😊💕
Plant-based beef* 😂
I haven’t seen more such bloggers but now that you’ve mentioned it, they seem to be a real pain.
Lol thanks and yeah they are 😅
I always love these posts and I always appreciate the SEO tips.
I don’t really blog to generate traffic, but I did notice recently that when I dramatically reduced my posting output while I was sick for a few weeks, my site traffic actually went up. It was like the WP algorithm noticed that I was posting less, and to lure me back to my regular posting habits, it started suggesting my site to more people to let my traffic increase. When I did start posting regularly again, the artificial bump stopped. Then I pondered over whether I was artificially bumped, or whether they just temporarily removed an artificial throttle.
The SEO stuff, and making the algorithms work for you all the time, is a lot of work.
Thanks so much. You’re not the only one to notice that and it’s not just on WP. It’s like that on social media too. When the algorithm notices that you aren’t as active it tries to bring you back by pushing your content more.
I suppose if you know how the algorithm works, you can use its manipulative tactics to your advantage.
Thank you for calling this out!!
Thanks!
You have raised a very good point here. Unfortunately, there are many people out there who take blogging easy and dream of an overnight success. But, they are not to blame for their naivety. They have in fact been made to believe so by some (big) bloggers. So, when this does not happen, they get disappointed immediately. They thus disappear from the blogosphere as quickly as they surfaced on the scene. This is tragic.
I wonder why some of the seasoned bloggers don’t tell the truth. Why do they mislead people into believing something which is not going to happen without putting in time and effort? There is no overnight success in any field, including blogging. That is the only reality.
Thanks so much. Yes, I think many people believe that which is so sad because it’s not their fault they’re just misinformed. The reality is definitely that it takes a lot of work and constant work that is.
I’ve been blogging for seven years now. It’s hard to keep going because it takes a lot of time and energy. I’ve put out over 18,000 posts over the course of that time but I think that both of my followers appreciate the effort I put in and the quality of my blog. Last year my number of followers increased by one hundred percent (for two whole weeks) but both of them drifted off elsewhere.
One of my followers calls himself a bot but I think he’s kidding.
Once I produced a post that went absolutely viral (over seven reads in the course of a month). That gave me quite a buzz I can tell you. Filled me with purpose and made me double my efforts.
I’ve read your posts about these ESO thingees. I’m looking to buy some of them so that my blog will really take off but I couldn’t find any for sale on Ebay or Amazon. I guess they are snapped up as soon as they become available. Everyone wants to be popular.
Thank you for all your hints and advice Pooj. I guess I’m not a very good pupil.
Haha well, as one of your followers I always enjoy your posts!
On a more serious note I must actually take more note of these SEOs and algorithms. Something happened in the course of last year and overnight my traffic dropped by two thirds. Any idea why?
That’s really odd. Is it a general drop in traffic or is Search Engine views that have decreased?
I sometimes wonder that if all corporate bloggers and websites focus on trending words and topics to rank the first in Google search, does that mean that some original, unique, and interesting articles or blogs are waiting for readers at the 10 th page of Google search?
Yeah I mean I think only certain posts make it to the first page. It’s really sad because crawl bots don’t know what really good content is they just care how SEO friendly it is.
This is why you are my favorite blogger
I’ve said it a lot, but let me tell you I mean it .
Till now, you haven’t said or shared anything absurd, you even didn’t said that blogging is easy.
It’s very hard and it takes a lot of time.
What you are today is your years of dedication and hardwork(7+ years if I’m not wrong).
.
What new bloggers needs to understand that it’s not for everyone and honestly there are tons of things one needs to learn and understand.
I know you don’t call yourself just a blogger, you are a freelancer.
And it’s very deep.
I’ve mad respect for you, because you are person who’s genuinely helping others to grow.
You keep sharing stuff, that’s knowledgeable and easy to digest, but at the same time you are also telling people to learn more than this. That’s the best thing about you.
.
I hope this praising is easy for you to digest 😝
Stop being realistic, and maybe I can stop praising you. 😆
Haha thanks so much. Yes, if you actually want to grow it takes so much hard work to grow. I like to share that because I want to be realistic. I would rather do that than use clickbait and pretend that you can be successful overnight.
😃
I agree with you.
As a person who has zero knowledge in tech, your SEO’s for dummies post are very helpful.
Thanks so much and so glad they’re helpful.
nice touch
and as such
i do blog
but only in that it is online
prose to thumb your nose
grow
hell no
lmao
Haha well not everyone cares about growing that much.
sadly
I love this! I’m a new blogger and I am stumbling my way through. I learn more from you and other real bloggers. I came into it without any expectations and just waiting to see where it goes. I write about mental health and my journey. I figure the people who want/need it will eventually find it. If anybody has any tips though, I would be very grateful. 😊
Thanks so much! Yes, keep concentrating on posting high quality content. It will definitely help you grow. If you’re looking for more tips you can check my blogging advice posts: https://lifesfinewhine.ca/blogging-advice/
Thanks for your post, Pooja. Blogging is much more complex than I ever imagined when I started. I’ve learned a few things from you already and appreciate the things you share.
Thanks so much and yeah I agree, blogging is so complicated. Way more than we think when we start out.
The biggest names in any arena are often more than a little shady. I love that you said growing your followers “organically” because I have a possibly well founded feeling that a lot of big “influencers” don’t have any organic growth. It’s fairly easy in 2023 (and has been for years) to buy followers to pump your posts appearance in various feeds.
SEO is one of those things that I’d love to be great at but when push comes to shove I’m not interested in even trying. 😂 I’ve used various analytics and tag indexes over the years and it’s boring to me. Probably the main reason I’ve relinquished myself to only publishing a personal blog rather than trying to be “successful”.
And I do love this series of yours. I don’t know if it’s because we, as animals, love the cameraderie of hearing other people who have similar frustrations or what it is.
Yeah, it’s really easy to buy views and followers and many people choose to do that when they start out. I mean, you can even buy comments these days. Sure, they’re lame and generic but still.
Lol SEO is no fun and I was like that for years too. I only got into SEO because I got serious about blogging/freelancing full-time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be making SEO changes either lol.
Thanks, I think as animals we definitely like finding people who have similar frustrations but also we like rants in general haha.
I might do an experiment and buy views to see what happens, depending on the price of course, lol. I don’t think this is too unethical as I’m not trying to sell anything and generally don’t care about my count and I’m curious if there’s actually a benefit or if it’s just another trap for people to fall into.
I would be very interested to know the results lol.
It’s more difficult than I thought to even find a place to do this, lol.
Lol that sucks.
Blogging is never easy if you look at it from all angles. So anyone who gives people the impression that it is easy, may probably be buying followers and all that.😄🙊
As for those who bash bloggers for sharing easy SEO tips, all I can say is that people learn more from simplified stuff.
Agreed, so many of these bigger bloggers got big because they bought traffic and followers. Or paid for backlinks, ads etc. 😮
I think so too, like I always learn more from easier advice posts than difficult ones. Which is why I try to keep it simple for my readers too.
I was applauding you all the way through this post! I have encountered those people in real life too and they are such snobs!
Thanks so much! Haven’t met these kind of people in real life but they definitely do seem snobbish.
It’s very tough to grow your blog organically because it needs a lot of hard work, time, creativity, and patience. So we should appreciate such bloggers.
Yes, it definitely takes a lot of time and work to grow organically.
You do share good SEO tips, and I don’t think you’ve ever claimed that they were the end all-be all of everything you needed to know about SEO.
Thanks and yeah I usually specifically say the tips are usually for starters.
“Pooja writing blog posts on SEO is like Hermione Granger saying magic spells.”
Both are very well informed and wise.💡😇
Is it saying, speaking, chanting or singing?
I think some are spoken and some chanted?
Yeah.
Haha thanks 😊
Been following you from my old website! (Now deleted) It was 2020 and I was still in the Philippines back then. I remember growing to almost a thousand but I was fueled with manic episode at the time. And I wasn’t aware, and wasn’t diagnosed. Now I’m back and slowly participating again but I’m on meds now and definitely stable for sure😊 I saw Peter, and I just had to read😁 (I’m a fan of the show 👨👩👧👦) Growing a blog takes time, and a whole lot of interacting with people. It’s always the connections, even “unethical” ones like paid subscribers and stuff. Connections make it possible for expansion. I enjoyed reading this post! Thanks for sharing😊
People who crave a big following are usually using the blogging mechanism for commercial purposes in one way or another and I have no problem with that. Others may use it to promote their page for an ego fix. But there are those who really have something to say to improve our outlook in life and those are the ones I favor.
YES gir!!!!!! Growing your blog takes a lot of time and effort. Constantly trying to figure out how to stay current, relevant and authentic at the same time.
Yes, totally! It’s literally so much work!
Great grinding your “plant based beef” Pooja!
so agree on all and “I swear they’re like therapeutic for me and I can just get so much of the anger out lol. Apparently, so much stuff grinds my gears, lol.
🤣💗
Lol thanks so much! 😅
I like the tips and the way you explain them Pooja. Because yes, sometimes when you read an article written by someone all tech orientated it’s harder for me to understand. You keep doing what you do and never mind the people who think that they are more superior to you.
Thank you so much. Yes, I think sometimes people don’t realise that not everyone is super tech savvy and some people prefer easier/simpler explanations. Will definitely keep doing me.
Pooja, your SEO tips are great. Keep them up! I’ve been getting more followers since I tweaked some things. So thanks, always. 🌸
That’s amazing, so glad to hear that.
I’m the little blogger who has buried her head in the sand because SEO seems beyond my abilities. I’ll have to go back and read your series on SEO for Dummies! I’m sure it would help me! Thank you Pooja. Hugs, C
I understand, SEO is so confusing sometimes and time consuming so I know a lot of bloggers shy away from it. But it’s super worth it in the long run.
I’ll renew my efforts!
If you ever need any help feel free to email me!
Thank you! 💕C
You’re welcome!
Terrific blog Pooja. As usual I have something to say about the “What Grinds My Gears?” series and this one is selling like hot flakes judging by the 84 comments here.
As a Blogger I too agree that blogging is not child’s play and it is hard to get the blog up and remaining consistent in them by generating new ideas, research topics in advance, work with other departments such as photography & Graphic Design to ensure the blog has visualization and visualization is an important skill Bloggers must utilize. Also, I would like to add that getting lots of followers and likes doesn’t happen overnight and if that is your plan as a New Blogger well better drop this skill now because blogging is a lot of effort it needs you to be passionate about what you do. Take me for example, I have a deep passion for men’s fashion and that’s why I created a fashion blog in the first place🔥🔥🔥💯💯
Thank you so much 😊 Yes, I completely agree with you. Blogging takes a lot of time, effort and consistency. And of course you have to blog about what you are passionate about.
I completely agree with you! All those bloggers (or influencers on social media) pretending like it is “just that easy” to make a profit out of blogging *must* know that they lie to their audiences… Just the other day I read a blogger saying that “the average blogger makes 20K a year”… well I’m pretty sure it’s not true ahah
Lol, I can assure you the average blogger does not make that much a year! Yes, they lie and exaggerate so much, I get so irritated!
It takes a long time to master the SEO fundamentals and get your blog traffic to take off. With the right strategies it’s very much possible though 😎!
Yes, it’s definitely a lot of work but very worth it!
What gets on my nerves is when people like a post of that I’ve written but haven’t taken the time to actually read it. They simply like the picture in the post’s header.
I can understand how that can be annoying for many.
Haha .. I’ll keep it in kind. Great read.
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed the post.