Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Contrary to the belief of some, blogging is not dead. It’s just changed a bit over the years thanks to technology. At any rate, there are plenty of benefits to blogging, some of which you might not realize.
In fact, a lot of people and experts put way too much emphasis on “making money.” However, maintaining your own blog can go much further on a personal and professional level.
And it’s something you can start doing by the time you finish reading this post.
[adrotate banner=”8″]
Should You Start a Blog?
Originally, web logs, or “blogs,” were used as a way for people to share information online. It was easier than email in many situations and left behind a series of pages that anyone can access without having an email shared.
In this case, the benefits of blogging related more to having a running record of data that is easily updated and contributed.
Nowadays, it seems most people have a blog for one reason or another. Businesses will use them to talk about products or services, people share personal life stories, and others like to share information to help others learn.
Which is why this website exists, actually.
So, determining whether you should start one or not really depends on whether you have anything to share. It also depends on what your ultimate goals are for having the website.
Do you want to make money? Is it to promote yourself as a professional? Are you looking to entertain the masses?
Perhaps you simply want to take people along in your life struggles and build a relatable audience.
All of these reasons are viable for having a blog. In the end, it all comes down to what you want and how you go about creating the website.
People blog about all kinds of things depending on their needs, wants, desires and personality.
8 Personal and Professional Benefits of Blogging
Now, I’m sure there are a lot more benefits of having a blog outside of my short list, here. But, I try to keep information practical and realistic.
So, here are my views of why you should start a blog today:
1. Builds Your Reputation
If you’re a freelancer, have a business, or want to be identified as an expert, you need to get your name out there. Setting up a blog is a great way of marketing yourself and building your reputation.
Besides search engines identifying your name as an author, sharing what you know gives others a reason to trust your knowledge and expertise. This is especially true if you can demonstrate that knowledge through a blog post.
For example, if you put in my name as an author on the Internet, you’ll come across a wide scope of content I’ve created. I’m associated with freelance writing, content mills like Textbroker, WordPress tutorials and more.
2. Easily Express Your Opinions and Insights
Some people will incorporate their own opinions and insights when writing. In essence, one of the benefits of blogging is giving you a soapbox so your “voice” is heard.
Well, at least seen and read through text.
Don’t like certain aspects of the world? Perhaps you want to sing the praises of an unsung hero. Write about it. The Internet is full of opinion pieces, and many people relate to that type of content.
This is part of why product reviews are so popular online.
You could even narrow down your niche to be the Internet go-to person for solar-powered kids toys for children under the age of five if you wanted.
3. Sharing Your Knowledge to Help Others
One of the biggest reasons why I built WriterSanctuary.com is to help others by sharing what I’ve learned. I tried to log my entire process from starting out on Textbroker to being the Content Marketing Team Lead of my client today.
And from the comments I’ve received both on the blog and on the YouTube channel, I’ve helped quite a few people over the years.
Blogging lets you engage an audience who wants to learn. Whether you want to review the best diet plans that work for you or how to write a 300-word sample for writing clients, you can drive an audience.
You could even go so far to monetize certain aspects of knowledge through your blog. For instance, you can make some high-quality and informative posts “premium” content.
4. Potential to Help Your Career
Depending on how in-depth and detailed your blog is, it can help you in virtually any career path. In fact, I use WriterSanctuary.com on my resume as a portfolio for writing.
Employers love staff who demonstrate high levels of expertise. So if you’re looking for a daycare-related job, having a detailed and active website about caring for children is a benefit of blogging.
Of course, the best way to do this is to make sure your blog relates to a specific niche. You wouldn’t share an auto repair website if you were applying as a CPA.
5. Improves Your Ability to Write
One of the biggest benefits of blogging, and one I push quite often, is that it gives you a chance to practice writing. This is vital for those who want to be freelance writers or authors.
Practice makes perfect, no matter what the skill. It only makes sense that blogging improves your ability to write. Things like typing speed, grammar, spelling and more all work to improve your ability.
Personally, I used this blog to practice AP Style writing and implement what the editors of Textbroker were telling me.
6. Make Money by Writing from Home
The reason why making money is further along on this list is because it’s not something that happens overnight. Too many “experts” make you feel that starting a blog will replace your full-time income.
In reality, it doesn’t happen that quickly. However, there is potential to bring in quite a bit if you put in the effort to drive an audience.
It could take months, if not years, to reach a full-time income from a blog. That’s if you put in the time it takes to create content, market the website and learn all you can about search engine optimization.
7. It Can Be Therapeutic
For many people, blogging is used as a form of therapy. Much like writing in a journal, you can work out a lot of issues while creating content.
And no, your website doesn’t have to be accessible to the public if you want privacy. In fact, platforms like WordPress have a lot of tools to make a website completely private and hidden.
Still, a lot of people will blog just about anything as it helps them feel better overall.
Add in being able to connect with an audience who may be going through the same thing, and you start to build friendships and a community who is there to help one another.
Think of some of the Facebook groups that are available. A blog is kind of like that but on a much grander scale…and often more private.
8. Allows You to be as Creative as You Want
And lastly, many people will use blogging as a way to express creativity. You can do this in the form of poetry, artwork, music or short stories.
I’m sure that if you dig around in my archives, you’ll see I take advantage of these benefits of blogging by writing 1000-word-ish stories myself. I broke them up into parts and often think I should keep going on a few.
And as long as you enjoy the experience, who’s to say you’re doing it wrong? The only thing that really matters is what you get out of blogging.
The Difference Between Free and Self-Hosted Blogs
So, what is the difference between using a free platform like WordPress.com or buying your own self-hosted website? Actually, there is quite a bit of difference.
Just a few off the top of my head include:
- The ability to monetize your site.
Many free systems have strict guidelines about how you can make money from your blog. - Total control of your blog.
When you pay for hosting, you have absolute control over every aspect of your website. - The ability to market to an audience.
It’s much harder to reach an audience through search engines from a free platform.
Isn’t self-hosting more expensive? Yes. But the benefits of blogging from your own website are easily worth the investment.
For a bit less than $100 per year, you can do nearly anything you want with your own blog as opposed to a free platform.
Most of us will spend more than that going out to Starbucks, or Caribou in my case.
Reap the Benefits of Blogging Today
Blogging is a very simple thing to get into. Achieving certain levels of success, however, requires a bit of work. And it greatly depends on what you view as “success.”
In any case, you can start writing and gaining benefits of blogging right now whether you want to go the free route or pay for hosting.
If you’re unsure what to do first, try the free blogging platforms. That way, you can get a feel of what you’re doing and determine whether it’s something you want to do.
- Blog vs Vlog: January 2025 – Not Quite What I Expected - February 10, 2025
- Substack vs WordPress: Which Should You Use as an Author - February 7, 2025
- How Categories and Tags Work in WordPress - February 5, 2025