I’m so happy I heard about this Pet Bloggers Journey 2020 Q & A hosted by Colby from Puppyintraining.com.
Sharing what we did in 2019 and looking ahead at our goals is an excellent way for bloggers to learn from each other and for our readers to see how truly dedicated, we are as content creators.
So with that said, I can’t wait to participate!
Let’s Dive in:
1. When did you begin your blog? And, for anyone stopping by for the first time, please give us a quick description of what your blog is about.
Hello, I’m Kris and my blog is Home Sweet Pups. I created it in September 2019. I started this dog blog to help dog parents and dog lovers learn how to care for their pups and, of course, spoil them at the same time😉.
I might be new to blogging, but I have a lot of helpful knowledge to pass along from my years of owning and caring for dogs.
There’s a lot of helpful pet bloggers online already, but I hope by bringing another unique voice into the mix we could reach and help more dog owners who are looking for help, so our dogs can live long happy healthy lives. We owe it to our dogs for all the unconditional love and support they give us.
2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2019, that made you most proud.
That’s an easy one! I’m proud that I started my dog blog in 2019! I have been thinking about it for a long time. I always wanted to find a way of being able to help dogs and their owners somehow, and now that my children are older and not needed as much, I can focus on one thing I’ve always been passionate about, and that’s right you guessed it. Dogs…
3. Which of your 2019 blog posts was your favorite, and why? (Please include a link.)
My favorite blog post of 2019 is a post that I wrote explaining the benefits of having a dog. My two dogs (Mia, my 4-year-old Boxer, and Sonny, my English bulldog, who is 1 ½-year-old) help me in so many ways, and I think if more people understood how a dog could enhance their lives we probably wouldn’t see so many dogs in shelters.
You can read all about the benefits of having a dog Here…
4. What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2019, and how did you tackle it?
So far, the biggest challenge I’m facing is learning all the back end stuff that goes into blogging. But little by little, I’m learning and getting it done. I enjoy it so much.
5. One goal that we all seem to share is we want to reach more people. What is your #1 tip for bringing more traffic to your blog?
That’s a really good question! Being a new blogger, I have learned that you just need to keep promoting to get it in front of readers so they can find you.
I am looking forward to hearing all the tips from seasoned bloggers! I could use all the advice I can get. Lol..
6. Do you do sponsored posts/reviews? If so, what do you find works best, and how do you determine what to charge for a blog post, social media shares, etc.? If not, is this something you’d like to do more of? What hurdle is getting in your way?
I haven’t done any sponsored or review posts yet but would love to pursue that sometime in the future. I’m more focused right now on building valuable content for readers.
7. Looking forward to 2020, if you accomplish only one thing through your blog, what do you hope it is?
Wow! I have so many things I would like to accomplish, but I would say since I’m a new blogger, a big accomplishment for 2020 would be to get lots of traffic to my blog. If I can do that, then I will be happy knowing that dog owners are learning to do what is right for their dogs.
8. What steps are you planning to take to ensure you reach your goal?
The steps I plan to take to reach my goal in 2020 is to focus on creating valuable content for readers and finding ways to promote it. Like on platforms as Pinterest and any other place, dog owners hung out online. I always see so many people asking questions about how to care for their dogs online so I know there’s a need for all our helpful pet blogs.
9. The blogging landscape is constantly changing. What changes in blogging do you see coming in 2020 and beyond? What plans do you have to evolve?
I hope to see only good changes. I see blogging getting better and better as technology is the future, and all the upcoming young people only know one place to look, and that’s the internet. That’s where they will come for help when they need it.
Pet bloggers just need to stay up to date with all the changes that might come along, work on SEO and keep learning as much as we can about what we’re blogging about so we can continue to fill the internet with helpful information.
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I’m personally reading Pet Blogging For Love & Money right now and am finding it so helpful for my personal blogging growth.
10. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?
My one question would be how to stay organized. I have notes everywhere. I’m using Trello right now and loving it, but I’m just learning so much right now and feel overwhelmed at times.
Short On Time! Pin This To Save For Later….
My Journey as a Pet Blogger
There you have it as you can see; I’m looking forward to seeing where my dog blog goes in 2020 and beyond..
Thank you, Colby, at puppyintraining.com for hosting this Pet Bloggers Journey Adventure.
Answering these questions has made me even more excited to share my passion for dogs with others for years to come.
Be sure to go visit all the participating Pet Bloggers!
Until next time,
Have a pawsome day!
Welcome to the Pet Blogging World! Your site is looking great. Lots of great articles. I remember my first month of blogging my desk was covered in scribbles on paper. I wish I could give you some advice on that one. However, I kept a notebook and a day planner to get me started. I am new as well so I can only say it gets better in time. I love your passion for dogs and look forward to seeing you grow your blog. Your post is like a breath of fresh air bringing me back to my first few weeks and reminding me why I am doing it and I agree the more we can share to provide resources to dog/cat/pet owners the better.
Thank you, I think my passion for dogs was there even before I realized it – if that makes sense. lol.. Doing this post was a lot of fun and I’m glad it reminded you of why you are doing it. I had an English bulldog that passed away 2 years ago that didn’t get along with my other dog so it was my mission to find a way to make it work. Some people just give up on their pets before learning how to overcome the issue and I just don’t want to see that. If I can provide help to at least one pet owner I will be happy. We don’t need to see any more pets in shelters. I’m going to work on the organization part. I think I have been taking so many notes that I confused myself lol.. This was a great way to meet you all.
Congratulations on starting your blog in 2019! It’s tough to get things up and running. Probably the biggest thing is clicking publish and getting that first post out to the world.
I took a peek at your post “benefits of having a dog”. We have Labs and Goldens at our house so they aren’t much for security unless getting licked to death is a deterrent. 🙂
Organization is my Achilles Heel and is something I want to get better at in 2020. If you visited my home you’d probably dismiss any organization tips I have for blogging. That being said, what works best for me is breaking bigger things down into smaller pieces. I was actually talking about this with a friend telling her my house is a mess, my office is a mess, my computer files are a mess. She said why don’t you start by cleaning off your desk then move on to the next piece once that’s done. Good advice!
Thanks for joining the Pet Bloggers Journey! I hope you have a great 2020!
Thank you, Funny about the being licked to death part. My boxer Mia is like that even know she should be more protective but on the other hand, my boxer Molly that passed away about 5 years ago was the protective one. Just like kids no two are ever the same. LOL.. That’s good advice to break it down into smaller pieces definitely will try that. Also Thanks again for hosting the blogger’s Journey it was a lot of fun.
Nice to cyber meet you. As a veteran blogger, I can attest to Trello for organization. I also use a paper planner/calendar. Have you tried Asana?
I wish you much success and thanks for sharing!
Great to cyber meet you as well! So far I’m loving Trello but I do think I’m going to get a paper planner as well because sometimes I do forget to go into it probably because I don’t see it right in front of me lol.. I haven’t tried Asana but it sounds interesting. I’m loving your book btw. I would love to do a blog post about in the near future.
Hi Kris,
Welcome to the awesome world of pet blogging! So glad to discover you on this annual reflection hop. Good to hear that you’re reading Pet Blogging for Love and Money. That’s an incredibly helpful resource.
As far as organization goes, I use a customizable Plum Paper Planner to keep my daily schedule and tasks in order. It stays on my desk to help me focus when I sit down to work. My digital filing cabinet is Evernote. Not everyone likes Evernote, but my big suggestion is to find one digital filing cabinet that you do like so it’s everywhere, including your phone. Capture all those notes in one place. I like Evernote’s OCR-capability. I can load a photo or scan I take into Evernote and still search for key terms on that digital item.
Cheers! Irene
Thank you for the tips! I have everything all over the place right now and because of that, I feel I’m jumping around a lot. I’m going to look into the paper planner also. And you’re so right about the Pet Blogging for Love and Money book it’s really helpful…
Your blog looks great for only being live 5 months. Very professional!
I’m trying to be more organized too. I do use Trello and I have a paper planner I love (Plum Planner).
Aww, thank you! That’s nice to hear. I think I need a paper planner also just to carry around with me. I never heard of Plum Planner but will look into it.
Nice to meet you! Google sheets or just Excel spreadsheets help me a lot with organizing. And Google calendar and simple note taking. If I can’t organize everything, then I know I’m taking on too many projects. I keep things as simple as I can.
Hello! It great to meet you as well, Thanks for the tip.. I think you are right about taking on to much at one time. I have to remember one step at a time.. Have a wonderful 2020
Loved your post on the benefits of having a dog. It’s all just so right. <3
When it comes to organization, I use Trello for planning my photography sessions but I use OneNote for a place to keep extended notes on blog post ideas, possible headlines and inspiration from other bloggers.
It's a mess. So I'm no help. LOL!
Hello, It’s great to connect.. I’m glad you liked the post. As far as my organization I have just been taking so many notes and making myself get lost at times lol.. I’m writing my blog ideas in trello which I’m loving but I think I’m going to add a paper planner because I finding I need it right at eyesight to get me on track for the day.. BTW you have helped – writing down possible headlines is a great idea I need to do that LOL.. thanks again..
Happy New Year and welcome to the blogging world! When it comes to staying organized, I use an annual planner. I’ve tried several apps, but my planner has always been the best way to keep track of everything I need to do. Each day has a list of tasks and by the end of the week, I have everything done.
Best in 2020.
Thank you, It’s really nice to connect with fellow pet bloggers. Thank you for the tip I think I need a paper planner that is just right in front of me. I know I’ll get a system down sometime soon I hope. LoL.. Have a great year ..
Welcome to the world of pet blogging! Your site looks great and seems like you are on the right track. Just keep your head up, keep writing and helping dog owners!
I just hit my 3 year mark and I can tell you it’s an emotional roller coster. Being part of the blogging community helps keep things in perspective.
I keep a notebook next to my keyboard. I write all of my thoughts and ideas down. If I watch a video or take a course, I write notes. In the times I get lost, I will flip through the notebook and get inspired again. I know many people like Trello, I’ve tried time blocking using a Google calendar. But I do better when I have it written down on a to-do-list on my desk.
Hello and thank you! That’s good advice… I will always have to remember why I started blogging and that is to help dog owners. It makes me very happy being able to do this. I’m also happy to be apart of this blogging community – I always say pet people are some of the best!… thanks again..
Kris wow your Blog looks great! It looks like you’ve been writing for years and the format is clean and sharable. So nice to meet you through the Blog Hop and here’s to a wonderful 2020.
Aww Thanks for commenting on my blog! That means a lot :)… I’m taking everything I’m learning and applying it hoping I’m doing it ok, so it nice to hear that…. This blog hop is such a wonderful thing. I feel very welcomed to the pet blogging community.. Thanks again..
Hi Kris, welcome to the pet blogging world! Your blog looks very polished and organized as far as I can tell 🙂 Love the pictures of your pups, too – I have a thing for Bully breeds. Much success in 2020!
Thank you, I’m putting a lot of time into the blog and I’m loving that I can speak to all the dog lovers. it’s a wonderful thing… Also Thanks for the comment on my pups they sure make me smile everyday! Here’s to a great 2020 to you also..
Welcome to the pet blogosphere!
Good for you for getting the back end of your blog figured out. It can be daunting enough that some people don’t even start. There can be challenges, but It feels so good when you accomplish something with it.
Wish I had some organizing suggestions. I find myself jotting notes down on post its and then having them in a pile. I should probably just get a blank notebook to put the post it’s and organize that by category or something.
Thanks I’m glad to be here.. Who knew there was so much tech stuff to learn but with all the help from bloggers out there it makes it so easy (most of the time). LoL.. I do the post it notes also and I love that idea of putting them in a notebook that might actually help HAHA.. Thanks again.. Have a great year blogging…
The back end stuff can be a real challenge. It is a definite learning curve but, thanks to things like a good host (who can help) and friends who know ‘tech stuff’ it makes things a lot easier doesn’t it!
Organisation tip: You can only do one thing at a time. Set that goal then work out how to achieve it in small steps. Then do one small step every working day.
Thank you for the helpful advice. I do agree about taking the small steps but it’s really hard when your mind has all these ideas… LOL
Welcome to the pet blogosphere. Your site is beautiful. Very polished.
Trello is a great tool isn’t it?
Have a great 2020.
Thank you, It’s great to be apart of the pet community… Yes, I’m loving Trello and I also started using a paper planner. It is helping a lot. Best to you in 2020
nice and very informative blog
Thank you so much.
Great by all means and a very informative blog. I’ve learned something new today, keep sharing worthy info like this!
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