How to Grow your Blog in 2025

Introduction

About this time of year in 2010, my friend Alli came over to my house, and I signed a contract to take over her blog and business Motivating Mum in the UK, while she went back to her native Australia and ran the same business in tandem there.

At that point I knew absolutely nothing about blogging, but I did know quite a lot about the niche topic of Motivating Mum – mums who are running small businesses from home, as I had been trying various home business options since 2003, with varying levels of success. Add to that an active interest in tech and all things digital, and this seemed like a fabulous and fun thing to do while my children were at school.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. It has been an amazing ride which has given me and my family all sorts of opportunities.

I had experience of reading blogs before I took the plunge. I consumed huge amounts of blog content when I was pregnant and when my children were little. Seeing how other mums were tackling the problems I also had, was a great source of encouragement to me, and chatting to other mums online, made up for the times when I couldn’t drag myself physically out of the house.

However, blogging and the social media landscape that surrounds it, has come a long way since those days. What started as a simple online diary, and a way to connect with like-minded people, has now become a full-fledged business opportunity for many. It is possible to still have a blog as a hobby, but most people enter blogging to share in the big pay cheques that seem to be available to bloggers, if their posts on Instagram are to be believed.

But, as you may have discovered, it’s not always as easy as that. If you’re a mum trying to juggle the demands of family life while building a successful blog, you’ve probably noticed that what worked a few years ago just doesn’t cut it anymore. So, let’s dive into what’s changed in 2024 and how you can grow your blog, maintain it, and even make money in this ever-changing landscape.

Ten Top Tips to Grow your Blog in 2025

1. Prioritise Authenticity Over Perfection

In 2024, readers crave authenticity. Gone are the days when polished, picture-perfect content ruled the blogging world. Today, people want to connect with real voices, real stories, and real struggles. They have questions and problems in their own lives, and they look to the internet to find other people who have gone through the same, in the hope of finding hints and tips on how to solve the problems, and encouragement to keep smiling and plod on.

Don’t worry about being perfect in your blog – instead focus on being relatable. Share your ups and downs, your triumphs and your disasters – your readers will thank you for it.

If there is a trend going on in your niche, and you actively hate it and have chosen to ignore it or to do it your way – that’s great. Slightly controversial views and alternative outlooks always go well on blogs – like my take on Faceless Digital Marketing which has been one of my most read posts this year.

2. Focus on your Niche

While it’s tempting to write about everything under the sun, having a clear niche is more important than ever. With so much content out there, readers are looking for experts on specific topics, and with AI bots crawling your site every day, it’s important too that Google can understand what your blog is about so it can show your posts to the right viewers.

Just plain parenting is probably too broad a niche nowadays. Think about what is special about your family situation or parenting style and seek to connect with others who feel the same way or experience the same things, Whether it’s eco-friendly parenting, parenting a child with a special need, multicultural parenting, frugal living, or mental health for mums, find your specific niche and stick to it, for the most part.

It helps you stand out and attracts a dedicated audience who knows what to expect from your blog, and they are more likely to want to pay for your stuff when the time comes to monetise….

3. SEO Is Still King—But With a Twist

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is still crucial for getting your blog noticed, but the game has changed slightly in 2024-25.

Google’s algorithms are smarter than ever, focusing more on user experience and content relevance than just keywords. You may have noticed that many Google searches now show AI content at the top, where people can get the answer to their questions without ever coming to the blogs that are providing that information.

Make sure your content is well-organised, easy to read, and genuinely helpful. Make your titles punchy and compelling and make sure to fill in the snippet below the title so that people can see what your post will offer them, and be tempted to click and see more.

Use keywords naturally, but don’t stuff them in. And remember, longer posts with valuable information tend to rank better.

4. Leverage AI and Automation Tools

As I said above, AI is coming to try to steal viewers from your blog posts, which is a bit of a pain in the bum for bloggers, but at the same time AI tools are becoming more accessible and user-friendly, and they can be a blogger’s best friend if you use them correctly.

You could in theory get all of your blog posts written entirely by AI – just put the title of your blog into Chat GPT and ask it to write a blog about it and you will get one, but it probably won’t be anywhere near as interesting or informative as one you have written yourself, including your own anecdotes and real life experience.

I did use ChatGPT to write the outline of this blog, and for the most part I agreed with the subject headings and sub-headings it came up with, and some of the words you are reading here were written by machine (it’s not a university dissertation, so hopefully I will get away with it!). But I did mix it up a bit, swapped out, added in and changed round a few headings, and I have added in quite a bit of my own sass and personality into it too.

AI can help you cut down your time when creating content, and can polish it a bit, but most readers can still detect a real human voice and will generally prefer it – so make sure your blogs have plenty of your personality in them – read this guest post on Strategies to Outsmart AI for more information on this from a real expert.

5. Diversify Your Content Formats

When I started blogging, writing text based posts with images was by far the dominant way of publishing blogs, and it’s still the way I prefer, but there are other ways of getting your information across which might appeal more to you or to your target consumer, dending on their age and demographics. Text-based posts are still important, but don’t be afraid to branch out into other formats. In 2024, video content, podcasts, and interactive content like quizzes and polls are gaining traction. These formats can help you reach new audiences, grow your blog fans, and keep your existing readers engaged.

If I do a video blog, I still like to add captions to it, and also transcribe it and put the words underneath the video on the post. This is because I’m old-fashoned and I personally prefer to read blogs rather than watch a video, and I suspect that many of my readers might be the same. There are ways to appeal to all kinds of blog consumers, and you can watch your analytics to find out which ways work best for you.

6. Build a Community Around Your Blog

One of the biggest changes recently is the emphasis on building a community. Readers want to feel like they’re part of something bigger. Engage with your audience through comments, social media, and even live events or webinars. Create a space where your readers can connect with each other and with you.

If you are a blogger, you will find me on Facebook in the Blogging Mums Club. If you are a mum in business who is not a blogger, then come and join me at Mum’s the Boss Digital Marketing Support

7. Monetising your Blog

Now, let’s talk money. There are lots of ways in which you can “monetise” your blog. This is probably the biggest topic and the thing that most people ask me when they are thinking of starting a blog. To be honest, it’s such a big section, that I plan to do a whole separate blog post on it, and I will link to it here once it’s done.

What does it actually mean to monetise your blog? I don’t treally like the term “monetise” – to my mind it makes the whole process sound easy. “Oh yes, I’m going to write a few posts and then Debbie will show me the magic button to press, and then my blog will be monetised and lots of companies will pay me to promote their stuff.”

In the real world, it’s not that easy – you can’t just turn monetisation on or off. No matter which method of monetisation you choose, you have to start with a substantial number of viewers that are regularly coming to your site, where they can see the offers that you have. Even with the monetisation methods like sponsored posts or advertising, where you are not selling anything yourself, you get paid, depending on the number of people who will see the links that you are being paid to promote, and if you are selling a product or service, you will need a large number of viewers, as only a small percentage of viewers buy after seeing things online.

So the number one rule before you start monetising , is to grow your blog and build up an audience first, preferably an audience of people who are interested in your niche, and might therefore be interested in products or services you are promoting that have something to do with it. You build up an audience by writing good posts and optimising them for SEO, by promoting your posts on social media, and maybe running a community on there, and by interacting with others who are in your niche, buyers and sellers alike.

Keep an eye on your viewer stats regularly, and discover which of your posts are the most successful and get the most viewers. When you do start monetising, you can start by adding a few little ads and links into those posts, and then take the time to create more posts like them.

Methods of Monetisation

these are the most poular ways to monetise a blog – there are others but they are more advanced, and definitely not for beginners. I plan to go into detail on each of these in subsequent blogs.

1. Advertising

• Display Ads: Use ad networks like Google AdSense to place ads on your blog. You earn money based on clicks (CPC) or impressions (CPM).
• Direct Ad Sales: Sell ad space directly to companies. This can be more profitable than using an ad network, as you set the rates.
• Sponsored Posts: Get paid to write posts about a product or service. Ensure transparency with your audience by marking these as sponsored.

2. Affiliate Marketing (selling other people’s stuff)

• Affiliate Links: Promote products or services and earn a commission on sales generated through your referral links.
• Product Reviews: Write in-depth reviews of products and include affiliate links.
• Brand Partnerships: Collaborate with brands for long-term partnerships, where you create content or campaigns around their products.

3. Selling Products or Services (selling your own stuff)

• Digital Products: Sell eBooks, online courses, printables, templates, or software directly from your blog.
• Physical Products: If you have an online store, your blog can drive traffic to it. You can also use dropshipping to sell physical products without holding inventory.
• Memberships/Subscriptions: Offer premium content, a community, or other exclusive benefits behind a paywall
• Services: If you’re a consultant, coach, or freelancer, use your blog to showcase your expertise and attract clients.
• Free Content with Paid Upgrades: Offer a significant portion of your content for free, but provide additional valuable resources for a fee. Examples include premium guides, video content, or access to a private community.
• Live Webinars: Charge for access to live webinars or workshops where you share valuable insights.
• Events: Organize paid virtual or physical events related to your blog’s niche.

8. Stay Updated on Social Media Trends

When I started blogging, the biggest platform for bloggers by far was Twitter. I got my first big break in blogging when I told someone at a networking meeting that I had grown my Twitter following organically from zero to 5,000 followers in six months, and she immediately invited me to talk at a conference she was organising, to tell people exactly how I did that. That conference led to several requests for me to work with people and my virtual assistant business was born.

Fast forward to 2024 , and I am so sad to see what Twitter has become, as it used to be so amazing. I still have a lot of followers on there but it’s a shadow of its former self and I just don’t like the vibe any more. I’m keeping my account open for now (yes, I admit it’s because of the vanity metric!) but I very rarely use it. For my own business, I’m finding my best platforms in order tight now are Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and I’ve started to explore Threads, and test out a few other platforms.

Social media is a powerful tool for driving traffic to your blog, but it’s constantly changing, and you need to keep up with it, and figure out which of the trends are relevant to your audience. In 2024, platforms like Instagram and TikTok (I’m not going there…) continue to dominate, with an emphasis on short, engaging video content.

Keep an eye on new features and trends, follow and learn from platform experts and adapt your strategy to stay relevant. And remember, it’s okay to focus on just one or two platforms that align with your audience.

Don’t forget too, that whichever platform you choose, less than half of what you do on there should be posting your own content. These channels are called “social” for a reason, and you will get as much of a benefit from interacting with others content as you will from banging on about your own stuff all the time.

9. Email Marketing is Your Secret Weapon

Social media algorithms can be unpredictable, but your email list is something you own, and an email community can be a wonderful thing to grow and nurture. Focus on building and nurturing your email list by offering valuable freebies, exclusive content, or personal insights. Regular newsletters can keep your audience engaged and drive traffic back to your blog. Again, I plan to cover this topic in more detail later on.

10. Take Care of Yourself

This is a big one – blogging can be rewarding, but it can also be all-consuming. It can become addictive to put your opinions out there and then promote them all over social media. It’s easy to let your self-worth be defined by how successsful or otherwise your content is. It takes a long time to grow a blog from scratch nowadays, as the market is very saturated, and it’s easy to get downhearted if you are not immediately successful.

Over the last 14 years, I’ve had several times when the blog had to take a back seat as there were other more important things in my life, and members of my family needed me more, and times when I needed to do more paid external work and less of my own stuff. And yet, i’m still here, and still making a modest medium sized income with my “little blog on the side”.

In 2024, more bloggers are prioritising their mental health by setting boundaries, taking breaks, and avoiding the comparison trap. Plan your time well, and only do as much as you can, given the other commitments that you have. Remember, it’s okay to step back and recharge. Your blog – and your readers – will be better off for it.

Final Thoughts to help you Grow your Blog

Blogging in 2024 is all about staying authentic, engaging with your community, and being adaptable to the ever-changing digital landscape. By following these tips, you can grow your blog, keep it thriving, and even turn it into a profitable business. Remember, it’s a journey—enjoy the ride and look out for more blogging posts from Mum’s the Boss in the next few weeks.

Here are some more posts you may enjoy:

• Tips to Set Your Small Business Apart From the Others
• AI-Powered Money-Making Ideas for Stay-at-Home Mums
• How To Become An Affiliate Marketer
• How to Make a Difference in your little corner of the world
• Maintaining Your Business Website