Pet Bloggers Journey 2023 – Paw Print

Happy 2023!  A year ago, I took part in Puppy in Training‘s 2022 pet bloggers journey.  You can take a look back at my 2022 post here.  At the risk of being a bit repetitive, I’m going to take part in the 2023 questionnaire too.  I had fun working on it last year, and I think it can be important to really think about, and write down, things like my blog goals for the upcoming year!  Without further ado…

1. When did you begin your blog and what do you currently write about on your blog?

Paw Print Pet Blog went live in October of 2010.  I write about all things dog but lately have been trying to narrow my niche down a bit.  My main focuses lately have been senior dogs, papillons, Alaskan klee kai, small dogs in general, and hiking/adventuring with small dogs.

2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2022, that made you most proud.

I really, at least attempted, to step up my post game in 2022.  In April of last year I took part in the Blogging from A to Z (almost) daily posting challenge.  At the time I was also participating in a blogging course.  Not only was I posting much more often, but I was learning a lot about how to improve the quality of my posts too.  After blogging almost daily throughout April, I decided it would be in my blog’s best interest to keep up a relatively intense posting schedule.  I’ve been putting up new posts every other day since.  So for 9 months now I’ve been posting at least every other day, if not more often.

I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been hard at times.  I still work a “regular” job and attempt to have a life outside of blogging and work.  But I’m hoping that having more, higher quality, content will really start to pay off soon.  Throughout the last couple of months especially I’ve really started to see more fruits from all my labor, and it really makes me excited to see what comes next.

3. What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2022? How did you tackle it?

Scheduling, finding enough time to blog, and creating a half decent work-life balance has for sure been a big challenge for me lately!  Especially since, see above, I’ve been blogging more now than ever before.  I work from home on my computer.  It can be really hard to sit in front of the computer for hours a day working, to then still find the motivation I need to stay on my computer and write for my blog afterwards.

My planner is my friend!  I’ve really had to get better about setting a schedule for myself, and then actually following said schedule.  The earlier I can get my work done, usually the more motivation I have to spend a few hours blogging in the afternoons.  I set aside Friday afternoons and all day Saturdays as blog days too.  I’m getting better at getting everything done, and still making sure I give myself the time I need to spend with my partner and the dogs, and to just unwind.  But I have a feeling that this will always be at least a bit of an issue for me.

4. Tell us one thing you learned in 2022 that can help us all become better bloggers.

Never stop learning!  I’ve been blogging for 13 years now.  You would think that, after that long, I’d know everything there is to know about blogging.  But that’s SO not true!  Not only that, but when it comes to the internet things are always changing.  A technique that got you tons of views 5 years ago may be completely obsolete now.  I spent more time in 2022 than I have probably since I first started blogging learning, and relearning, everything I could.  And it’s helped me WAY more than I was expecting it too.

5. What are your top three blogging goals for 2023?

1. Keep increasing my view count.  I made a lot of progress throughout 2022.  But that doesn’t mean I can rest on my laurels!  I’m basically going to keep on keeping on with all the stuff I started doing last year.
2. Up my YouTube game.  I think I had this as a goal for last year too, but I just didn’t get it done.  I have no lofty goals of becoming a YouTuber, but I want to create content that’s compatible with my blog posts.  I’ll admit part of this goal is selfish as well.  I just want to make sure I take a lot of videos of my dogs.  They age way too quickly, a fact I’m sadly more aware of now that my Kitsune recently turned 14.  I know that, someday, I’ll be so thankful to have lots of videos of Kit and Fen.
3. Create lots of high-quality content.  I just want to blog!  But I really want to focus on high-quality, evergreen, type content.  I want to feel like I’m helping people who stumble across my little spot on the internet.

6. In the perfect world, where do you see yourself and your blog one year from now?

I mean, isn’t it every bloggers goal to be able to blog full time?  I’d love to be there in a year, although I don’t know how realistic that goal is.  I will say that I’m closer to it now than I’ve ever been before, which gives me a lot of hope.

Other than that, I just want my little pack to be healthy and happy this year.

7. If you had a $1,000 to spend on your blog how would you spend it?

On art.  Most blog related things I can learn to do myself, but not graphic design.  My partner currently does all my art for me, which I am very thankful for, but he has his own stuff going on and just doesn’t always have the time to create what I want.

8. What is one skill you’d like to learn or improve in 2023?

Well I’d say graphic design but I think we’ve already established that I’m no good at that.

So I guess I’ll go with this instead.  I’d really love to get better at promoting my blog, especially via social media.  I don’t know why, but that’s never been my strong suit.  I think I’ve gotten a bit better at it, especially last year, but not nearly as good as I wish I was.

9. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

I’m kind of allergic to asking for help, so this question is hard for me.

I guess if anyone has any tips for growing my social media audience that would be helpful.  Out of all this “blogging stuff” I feel like doing well on social media has always been the thing I’ve, by far, been the worst at.

Here’s to an amazing 2023!

Thanks to Puppy in Training for hosting this years pet bloggers journey!  It’s fun to work on these types of posts sometimes. I hope that everyone has a happy, healthy, successful, fun 2023!

We’ve, unfortunately, been dealing with content scrapers stealing our articles lately.  You shouldn’t be seeing this article on any site other than pawprintpetblog.com!  If you’re reading this article on any other site, we’d love for you to take the time to contact us and let us know and, if you have the time, stop by and visit us on our official site!  Thanks you. 

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