You don’t have to be a full-time blogger to be familiar with the terms “design blog,” “fashion blog,” “mommy blog,” or the all-inclusive “lifestyle blog”. People love to put things in boxes, it makes it easier to for us to organize what we’re seeing or looking for. Blog world has its boxes too. Putting your blog in a box, or category, isn’t totally necessary for its success (there are tons of interesting/popular blogs that fit into multiple categories), but it can be a powerful tool in creating the best content, promoting it, and reaching your audience.
Why? Like I said before, categorizing our thoughts makes things easier. As readers, we know we’re interested in certain things—DIY projects, street style inspiration, cute baby memes, etc. In order to consistently find what we’re looking for, we follow blogs that provide it. Just like Pinterest boards (related note: I rarely follow a person’s entire Pinterest, but find myself following individual boards more often—I love them categories!), categories divide content in a cluttered internet. Knowing this can give your content purpose and direction, making less work for you.
Those of you who don’t know your blog category because you just post what inspires you or love lots of different things (I feel you), get out your notebook and answer these three questions…
Note: Beauty, fashion, fitness, family, photography, design, DIY, and more are all options. Check out bloglovin’ categories for the most popular ones if you’re stumped.
1) Which categories have you written about the most?
I’ve always considered myself a DIY blogger, but I’ve actually written more on home and photography. If your findings surprise or disappoint you—think about why. You can use this as a tool to steer your content in a new direction or focus in better.
2) Which pieces did you absolutely love creating?
This is important because as with most things in life, sometimes the things we like aren’t the most well-received. It’s also nice to feel validated when others love a topic just as much as we do. You can’t go wrong reflecting on this!
3) Which posts have performed best?
Gauge this by checking Google Analytics, reviewing which posts got the most comments + shares, investigating how it performed on social media, etc. What are your top 5 – 10 posts? Make a note about which category each individual post would fit in, and tally it up.
So how does this help you?
Think of a category as a guide (not a requirement). It’s important to have a balance of all three things I outlined. Yeah, there’s always going to be that out-there topic that you just have to write about (hello, last minute ‘ode to national coffee day’ post!), but for the most part, a balance of the three can help you create the best content for your blog. This balance = posts that perform well, topics that you gravitate toward, and pieces you really enjoy sending out into the world.
FINDING YOUR BLOG CATEGORY…
- Makes it easier to plan content
- Helps you get to know your audience
- Lets you know when change is necessary
- Lets you know how your blog has changed
- Tells you whether an idea or initiative is/isn’t working
- Helps for sponsorships and ads—you know yourself and your audience, making it easier to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’
- Allows you to do market research based on other blogs and their categories
One last thing. Just like in real life, getting a little too crazy trying to shove things in a certain box does more harm than good. Don’t think of this as a push for people to fit themselves into a type. Most blogs I follow are like mine—a blend of four or five different topics consistently rotated through—and the type of website you hang out on is an important factor, too. But now you’re armed with info about which topics work and perform and make you feel good, and you can either continue to create it, improve it, or switch it up as you please.
So… What’s your blog category? Have you given it much thought?
Angela
Jessica says
Love this! I think my blog falls into Fashion and Photography pretty nicely, but I also have a bit of travel and DIY/Tutorials thrown in there. Tutorials seem to do best though, but honestly….they’re not my thing! haha.
Love your new site, its beautiful!
Jennifer says
Thanks Jessica! I feel the same way about tutorials. They always do well on social media but I’m just not always passionate about them. C’est la vie!
Laura says
Good tips! I classed mine as lifestyle from the beginning, but I thought the content was going to be mainly focused on motivational fitness and food/recipes (hence the name!). What I’ve found that I enjoy writing and photographing more is beauty reviews/lifestyle. I suppose mine is a personal blog rather than for a mass market / revenue so it’s probably going to go through little changes in the same way as I do. It’ll be interesting to see what I’m writing about in a years time and how my blog develops!
http://www.fitfoodfun81.blogspot.com
Angela says
What you want to do with your blog changes a lot as the internet evolves and you discover new things too so changing directions makes sense!
Sophie says
I think this will be very useful for certain bloggers.. I see a lot of people putting their blogs in a specific section because they WANT to be a “lifestyle/beauty/fashion” blogger but their content tells another story. I see a lot of irrelevant content in certain categories.
Adorngirl says
Overall I am fashion blogger, but I put it out there as lifestyle because I don’t want to be restricted in one box as opportunities for travel, food and drink, beauty and home features have arisen that I love. I understand the need to be categorised but as a person I have a few interests, I love to learn and explore, but the base of the blog is fashion.