What I Wish I Knew About Keeping a Blog Alive

This blog is probably the longest project I've ever sustained during my lifetime. Here's what I wish I knew about keeping a blog alive.

As I'm writing this blog post in February 2025, there are over 500 articles on this website.

Some of them were written when I was a teenager, others when I was in college, and many others through my early to mid twenties.

It's exciting to have an online portfolio that has endured so long. But maintain a project like this is not easy, and many people tend to abandon a blog after a few months or years.

Here's what I wish I knew about keeping a blog alive.

1. Your blog will evolve with you

It's only natural that as you grow and evolve as a person, the content of your blog will grow and evolve too.

Back when I started this blog, I was writing a lot more random content, like posts about about what I had for breakfast, or my family trip to Las Vegas.

For some of those early posts, I had help from my dad, because he had a lot more experience on structuring and creating blog content, having created a few successful websites of his own.

Then, later as my writing skills improved, I started creating content about things I was learning in school, research projects, and even my own poems.

Many of my old content still exists on this blog, but some posts I have deleted, because I felt that they were WAY too random.

However, it brings me joy to know that I have this collection of my thoughts and musings that has travelled with me through time and has documented pivotal moments of my life, such as moving from England to Canada.

In my twenties, my content switched a lot more, to cover themes such as psychology and more structured content about personal development. I begin to pay more attention to SEO (search engine optimization) and creating content with tangible takeaways.

My blog also came to incoporate posts such as course reviews and recommendation on books and audiobooks, to further the personal development theme.

I'm so grateful that I started my blog all those years ago, and to see its evolution sometimes makes me emotional, because one of the things I've been most consistent with in my life!

2. You really have to love what you do

There is no way you can keep a blog alive for a decade or decades if you do not genuinely love creating content.

It was many, many, years before I ever earned a single PENNY from this blog, after gaining a bigger readership and finding a sustainable way to generate an income from sharing book/course recommendations.

Even after I started generating income from the blog, external factors such as algorithm changes and changing business partnerships would later affect my earnings.

If I did not TRULY care about personal development and sharing what I'm learning, there would be no way I would have been able to sustain a blog for this long.

You can't just do it for the money.

I'm so happy to say that this is a real hobby of mine, something I would do even if I didn't make any money from it.

As long as there are people reading and resonating and benefiting from what I'm writing, I'm happy :)

And I've gotten so many warm and lovely comments over the years from people who have shared their appreciation for my work, which warms my heart.

But yes, I've always made time for my blog, even during the busiest times of my life.

I remember when I was in college and juggling assignments and volunteering and I would still make time bi-weekly to create a blog post.

Back when I started blogging, no one was reading my blog, and I would still write, because I loved writing (see my post on 101 Things I love About Writing!)

I would love for everyone to be able experience the joy of having a hobby that brings them true fufillment and being able to sustain it for a long period of time, because it's life changing!

3. Don't be afraid to pivot

Being an entrepreneur means being ready to adapt to market changes, and being a blogger is no different.

Whether or not you're making money from blogging, you're interests will change of time and you should expect for that to happen, and be okay with it.

As humans, it's natural for us to fear change, but the fact is that change is also what brings exciting new opportunities.

I know many bloggers who have felt discouraged by algorithm changes and the rise of AI which has affected blog traffic, but I don't see these changes as a negative thing.

I see changes as a way to learn to be more inventive, to diversify, and look for new opportunities to connect with your audience.

For example, for years I've being building a newsletter (you can subscribe to it at the bottom of this article) where I connect with my audience even more frequently than I do on this blog.

I plan to keep my blog around regardless of what happens with search traffic, because at the end of the day, it's a platform I own, as opposed to social media platforms which can be taken down any day.

Moreover, I believe that if you are an artist, a writer, a creative person, there will always be a medium for you to share you work, as long as you are willing to adapt.

I don't know what will happen to the websites and the internet and Google within the next few years, but I know that there will always be a place for me to share my written content with an audience that loves personal development and psychology and resonates with what I have to say on those topics.

The future is bright, and I'm truly excited to see what the future holds.

If you've been reading my blog for a few years now, I am so grateful for your support.

And if you are new here, I'd be glad for you to join me on this journey, and bring your friends along too.

My newsletter is the place where I'm most active, so subscribe below and I'll see you on the other side.

Kind regards,

Roli Edema