9 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog in 2023

Last Updated on January 24, 2023

Think blogging is dead? Think again! There are so many reasons why you should start a blog in 2023 (and beyond!). Whether you’re a beginner, already have a business, or simply want to make money, we’re proving why blogging is still relevant and necessary, and giving you all the inspiration you need to take the plunge!

This post is sponsored by Bluehost. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make it possible for us to provide free content and blogging business inspiration.

Wait… isn’t blogging dead?

So, you want to start a blog, but have heard rumors from other “experts” doubting whether it is worth it to start a blog. There’s plenty of people out there eager to rain on your parade sharing stories about how they’ve worked tirelessly on their blogs for years and never made a dime. “Nobody reads blogs anymore,” they say.

PSA: Don’t let the people who couldn’t figure it out make you believe that you can’t, either.

Just look at me. I started my first blog, Root + Revel, in 2015, wayyyy after blogging’s heyday. And just six years later, sold it for multiple six figures. Who says that you can’t use blogging to make money and create something you are passionate about?

One of my favorite mantras is: All websites are blogs, and every business needs one.

When I say “blog,” I don’t mean just the traditional written blog post (although they’re great, too). I mean any free, valuable content you have on your website that is specifically aimed at your ideal customer.

Any business that wants to attract ideal customers needs to be creating this type of content on their blog. Well-defined, search-engine-optimized content marketing is how you generate high-quality organic traffic to your website. Once people are on your site, you get to choose how you want to engage, nurture, and convert them into paying customers. In this sense, it is 100% possible to use blogging for marketing purposes.

So if you want to start a blog that will bring your ideal customer to your business and serve as a resource to them, then now is the time to start your blog!

Read on for nine compelling reasons you should start a blog TODAY!

9 Reasons You Should Start a Blog in 2022

1) Blogs are virtually free to start.

What other business can you start for about 100 bucks?!

All you need is a domain name and hosting, and you can get started. Show me another business, or even a hobby, that doesn’t require some start-up costs?

To get started on how to start a blog that makes money online, I recommend buying both your domain and hosting with Bluehost. There are dozens of hosting services out there, but in my opinion the best, cheapest and easiest option for beginning bloggers is Bluehost.

They’ve got a few different plans, but I recommend just starting with the Basic Plan for just $3.95/month (this is a special deal just for my readers; normally it’s $7.99/month). I also recommend choosing the 36-month plan, which will help you save money, too. Another way to save money?

Sign up for Rakuten, the FREE cash back app that gives you extra money in your pocket! With Bluehost, you’ll get $10 cashback.

Even better? When you choose Bluehost, you can get your domain for free. Simply type in your desired domain to make sure nobody else has already taken it.

AAAAAAAAnd, with Bluehost, you’ll have WordPress automatically installed, and you can even pick a theme right away. To learn more about how to get started blogging, check out this 6-step guide we created for you!

But here’s the thing: while blogs are virtually free to start, I still recommend investing some money into it in the early days if you want to see success faster. If you’re serious about wanting to grow your blog (and thus your income)–even just part-time–then this is exactly why I recommend investing some money into it. You need to treat it like a business.

This is like saying, “I want to open my own restaurant, but I won’t spend any money on ingredients.” Newsflash: you can’t open a restaurant without food 😉 Even if you’re a ‘hobby blogger’, I challenge you to show me one other hobby that exists that doesn’t require a dime for activities or materials. If you try to start or grow a blog with zero investment, it’s going to take you WAY longer to reach your income goals and be much more demanding on your energy. Smart investments are where it’s at!

All too often, I hear people talk about how the cost of starting a blog (or any business) holds them back. People simply say, “It’s too expensive” or “I can’t afford it” and proceed to tell me 20 reasons why the thing they want isn’t possible right now.

To be honest, I find this infuriating! I’m not saying that you should spend money willy nilly, or that it’s never true that spending money on a business at a particular time is a bad idea.

But almost always, people argue for their limitations, rather than fighting for their desires. If you spend tons of energy telling me about the reasons why you can’t be/do/have what you want, ask yourself instead why you’re not spending that energy on focusing what it is you truly WANT and figuring out a solution and roadmap for how to get there? It’s up to YOU to make it happen!

2) It grows your existing business.

Maybe you already have a business as a health coach, or maybe you’re a web designer. Perhaps you offer consulting services, or maybe you even own a brick and mortar business.

No matter what business you currently have, you’re probably wondering why on earth–given your busy schedule and existing demands you already have as an entrepreneur–you should even consider starting a blog and adding anything more to your plate. 

Or, if you already have a small blog on your website, why it matters and why you need to make time for it.

While it might not be the most widely used marketing strategy, using blogging for marketing is one of the most underrated methods for advertising yourself and attracting customers.

Here are just a few stats for you left-brained people out there to get your head wrapped around just how important blogging can be: 

• B2B marketers who use blogs generate 67% more leads than those that do not. (source)
• Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to have a positive ROI on their efforts. (source)
• 57% of marketers say they’ve gained customers specifically through blogging. (source)
• Small businesses that blog see 126% more lead growth than the businesses that don’t. (source)
• 77% of internet users read blogs and US bloggers are projected to have a readership of 31.7 million by 2020. (source)
• Internet users in the US spend 3X more time on blogs than they do on email. (source)
• 81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. (source)

Convinced yet?

Finally, just to drive this point home further, I’ve got to mention Google since it’s the #1 traffic source for almost all websites. Google LOVES blogs!

• Companies who blog get 97% more links to their websites. (source)
• Companies that blog receive 434% more indexed pages. (source)
• Companies that blog have 55% more visitors to their websites. (source)
• Businesses that blog experience twice as much email traffic as businesses who don’t. (source)

So even if you have another business or creative project, adding a blog to your existing website is a no brainer. It helps your audience gain trust with you and builds your email list, so that when you launch a new program, a podcast, a book, have a sale on your products–whatever your business may be–that those other projects will be more successful! 

3) You own it, unlike social media.

When people ask, “Is blogging dead?” they usually think that social media has replaced blogging. I can tell you from my personal experience that this isn’t the case at all.

In the last few years, I decided that social media is not in alignment with my values: not with the way I want to spend my time, or with how passive and automated I want my business to be. And I know I’m not alone on that. Sure, many people have had great success in using social media to grow their businesses. And if you find joy and satisfaction out of using social media, I am not here to tell you not to continue using it. However, I do want to share what I believe trumps social media: your OWN website (and, as an extension, your email list).

Why?

Because your blog and your email list are your routes to communicate DIRECTLY with your audience.

Think about this: at any moment, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter could pull the plug or change their rules or algorithm––and whatever fan base you’ve grown on those platforms could disappear. Plus, when you use social media as your marketing strategy, you are starting at zero everyday, putting a lot of work into building up traffic through each individual post. And you are competing with ever-changing algorithm rules, perhaps putting in a lot of time researching the newest trends for each platform.

That’s why I never recommend anyone just be an Instagram influencer, for example, because you could have 1 million people following you, but you don’t control it. Get your own website, get your own email list, and those platforms are yours––forever!

4) Blogging to make money: you can start earning from day one.

Many people have asked me how to use blogging to make money. Okay, while you’re not going to make six figures on day one, I love that you CAN monetize immediately! How?

• through affiliate marketing (recommending other people’s products and services, like on Amazon)
• creating a product for sale, like an e-book, course, menu plans, etc.
• selling your services (coaching, consulting, writing, speaking, etc.)

According to BlogHer, 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog (source). That’s POWERFUL! 

If you start a blog today, you truly can make money from day one, with limitless potential as you grow.

5) Authority and credibility.

Building an archive of content makes you credible and, over time, establishes you as an ‘expert’ in your niche. This can lead to speaking gigs, book deals, podcast interviews, TV show segments–the sky is the limit! You just need to start by putting yourself out there and creating a platform for your knowledge. 

6) You get to serve and help people.

At the root of it all, it comes back to being of service. You’re not going to be successful at blogging or owning a business if your audience isn’t receiving value from you–simple as that.

Plus, you’re most likely not going to enjoy what you’re doing in the long-term, or have it feel rewarding or sustainable, if you can’t connect into the bigger picture of WHY you’re doing what you’re doing.

Blogging (like any job) can be hard, and sometimes I want to throw in the towel. But then I get a beautiful email from a reader telling me how much I’ve helped them, and everything comes back into perspective–that reminder of why I’m doing this in the first place renews my inspiration and motivation. Nothing feels better than getting to help someone else!

7) Fuel your creativity and learn new skills.

One thing I love love love about blogging is that I’m constantly learning new skills, being challenged, and getting to flex my creative muscles. Whether it’s designing images, emails, and sales pages, or crafting compelling stories that improve my thinking and writing skills, or learning new tech, or strengthening my knowledge on subjects I’m passionate about, it never gets dull or complacent! 

8) Location independence.

As long as you have an internet connection, you have the luxury of working whenever and from wherever you dang well please! I’ve worked from the mountains of Central America, the beaches of Hawaii, a jungle in Thailand, my grandparent’s cottage on Cape Cod, hotels in cities all around the world, my parent’s lake house, you name it…I’ve probably worked there. It’s the ultimate freedom!

9) You’re your own boss. 

There are few things I love more than being an entrepreneur (obvi, my family takes the cake!).

But seriously, just imagine if…

• you had a flexible schedule and the freedom to work from home, watch your kids grow up, all without sacrificing self-care.
• you could financially contribute to your family, pay off your debt or travel the world, all while working on YOUR terms.
• you could grow your blog from a passion project or hobby into a legit, profitable, full-time career, and STOP TRADING your TIME FOR DOLLARS.
• you felt empowered and confident in knowing where to start and could stop wasting time and money, feel less overwhelmed and stressed, while getting more results and satisfaction!

This isn’t some pipe dream or made-up reality. It’s my REAL LIFE, and it can be yours, too!

Ready to start a blog of your own? There’s no better time than today! Check out our FREE resources to help you get started:

• Download our 30-Day Roadmap to Start an Online Business: You want to start an online biz to create the financial freedom to support your family or leave your corporate 9-5. But you’re unsure how to  make your dream biz a reality; where do you even start?! That’s why I created the First Month Biz Plan.
• How to Start Your Blog in 6 Easy Steps
• The Best WordPress Plugins for Bloggers
• Quiz: What Kind of Blog Should You Start?: If you love the idea of blogging (maybe you love to write, are looking to make extra money, or have a story you’re burning to share with the world) but aren’t exactly sure what kind of blog to start, this quiz is for you.
• See all my favorite blogging resources here!

Why are YOU interested in starting a blog? Comment below and share about your idea!

FAQ on 9 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog