15 Pros and Cons of Blogging (Is It Worth It?!) - Goats On The Road (2024)

If you’re considering starting your own blog, you’re probably also searching for information about the pros and cons of blogging. Well, you’re in luck. In this post, I’ll be discussing whether or not blogging is worth it. Read on for the various advantages and disadvantages of blogging.

I’ve been blogging full-time for over 2 years and it’s an amazing way to share your experiences, knowledge, and stories with others. You can make great money blogging too, if you do it the right way.

However, while I love being a blogger, there are a few negative aspects to this method of publication. You should be aware of all the pros and cons of blogging before deciding whether it’s right for you.

15 Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogging

Like any job, blogging comes with its own set of rewards and challenges. Some of these apply to all bloggers, others might vary depending on niche. It’s important to note, additionally, that the pros and cons of personal blogging are somewhat different from the pros and cons of blogging for a business.

I’ve put together the following list of blogging pros and cons based on my own experience as a blogger. You might have a slightly different experience, but I believe most of these points apply fairly universally.

SEE ALSO: 15 Pros and Cons of Being a Freelance Writer

Pros of Blogging

Is blogging worth it? Overall, blogging is great and there are many benefits. Here are 10 positive things about blogging.

1. Creative Freedom

Creative freedom is one of the biggest advantages of blogging. Many writers (journalists, columnists, authors, etc.) have to write in a way that satisfies an editor, or someone else with a say over what gets published. Blogging, on the other hand, is different.

Your blog is your own personal canvas, formed from your own personal ideas. You can say whatever you like, about whatever you want. You get to choose what narratives to explore, what opinions to express, and how to present the information you wish to share.

This creative freedom allows you to develop a unique voice and style that resonates with your audience. It also extends to the choice of topics, formats, and multimedia that you use: photo essays, videos, guides, diary entries, interviews – it’s all completely up to you.

2. Flexible Lifestyle

For me, one of the best things about blogging is the flexibility it offers. You can work from anywhere – a French café, a Thai beach, a coworking space around the world, or even from the comfort of your own home.

This is great for people who love to travel and want a way of earning money remotely from wherever they are. I’ve worked in some amazing places all over the world and I love how freeing it feels not to be tied down to an in-person job.

This flexibility isn’t only about where you choose to work –it’s also about how you choose to work. You get to set the rules: choose your own schedule, decide what to write about, and pick how many days or hours you want to work per week. And if you want to take a few weeks off, you can no – vacation requests here!

3. Potential Income

Let’s get something straight early on. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick kind of thing. It takes a lot of hard work, long hours, motivation, perseverance, and a smart strategy to turn a newbie blog into a money-making machine.

However, if you manage to build and scale a successful blog, it can be extremely lucrative. There isn’t a limit to how much money you can earn as a blogger; the more your blog grows, and the more traffic you get, the more money you can make.

I find this “blue sky thinking” aspect of blogging incredibly rewarding and exciting. In my previous job, there was a clearly defined career track, with a set path as to how you could get a promotion or a pay rise. As a blogger, there are no such limitations. The sky’s the limit – it’s awesome!

4. Building a Community

Blogging is a great way to build a community of like-minded people who share your passions and interests. If you blog about, say, hiking, you’ll easily be able to connect with other people who are also into this hobby. You might even end up meeting your next trekking buddy this way.

The same goes for pretty much whatever topic you blog about. Asian cooking, language learning, guitar teaching, fly fishing, parachuting, equestrian care, historical reenactments – the list is endless. If you blog about it, you’ll soon cross paths with other people who share your ambition.

Then, boom! Before you know it, you’ll have just found a whole load of new people who share your interest(s). This can lead to collaborations, meetups, and maybe even close friendships. It’s incredibly rewarding, and also a lot of fun.

5. Improve Your Writing Skills

As a blogger, you’ll probably find yourself writing quite a lot. I mean, it kind of goes with the territory after all. And, in general, the more you write, the better you get at it.

Whether you already consider yourself a good writer or not, regular blogging is one of the best ways to improve your writing skills. You’ll get better at expressing your thoughts, conveying ideas and feelings, and keeping your audience engaged and wanting more.

And, of course, being a better writer isn’t only limited to your blog. It’s one of the most useful transferrable skills you can have. Whether it’s crafting a thoughtful email, writing a report, a captivating social media post, or even a novel, the writing skills you develop through blogging can be useful.

6. Personal Growth

This one kind of overlaps with a lot of the other benefits of blogging on this list. Blogging is an amazing opportunity for personal growth. It challenges you, pushes you out of your comfort zone, and forces you to explore new ideas and learn new skills.

During my blogging career so far, I’ve learned a huge amount and developed a wide range of skills. I’ve become a better writer, and a better photographer, learned more about SEO (see below), and am now better at communicating my brand in a way that resonates with my audience.

The journey isn’t always easy or smooth. As with any career, there are lots of challenges to overcome and setbacks to deal with. However, the resilience, mindset, and skills that you learn from blogging can help you grow a huge amount as a person.

7. Networking Opportunities

Blogging is an amazing way to network with other professionals, both in your niche and outside of it. You’ll get to connect with other bloggers, industry experts, companies, and brands on an almost daily basis.

There are many different ways to network as a blogger. I’m a member of several excellent Facebook groups that are full of fellow bloggers and other useful contacts that I reach out to fairly often.

LinkedIn can also be a great way to make connections, as can attending in-person events such as conferences and seminars. These connections often lead to collaborations, guest blogging opportunities, and sometimes, even new career opportunities.

8. SEO Skills

If you want to run a successful blog, you’ll inevitably need to get to grips with at least some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) skills. SEO is one of the best ways to make sure that your blog is seen and read by as many people as possible.

SEO may seem intimidating at first, but the basics are fairly straightforward and easy to pick up. Once you’re comfortable with doing keyword research, building backlinks to your site, and coming up with a solid content strategy, you’ll be in an excellent place to grow your blog.

SEO skills are also highly sought after in many industries. Acquiring these skills can pay off, both when it comes to your own blog, but also in terms of finding other work. SEO specialists tend to be paid pretty well too.

There are lots of resources available online that you can use to teach yourself the fundamentals of SEO. Some are free and some are paid. I took this course by Nick from Goats On The Road and it taught me most of what I know about SEO. (He didn’t ask me to write this, honestly, the course is just excellent!).

9. Portfolio Building

Your blog is a real-time portfolio of your work. Just like an artist includes their work in a portfolio, a blog showcases your writing (and/or photography or videography) skills, as well as your personal brand and style. It’s also publicly available so can be seen by anyone.

Whether you’re an aspiring writer, a photographer, a graphic designer, or even a food recipe developer, your blog serves as a collection of your best work. You can even use it to display testimonials and reviews of any services you might offer.

Some people will come across your blog organically (especially if you nail your SEO game). For others, all you need to do is send them your URL and they’ll instantly be able to see what you’ve created and what you’re capable of.

10. Travel Perks

Okay, so this doesn’t apply to every type of blog. But I’m mainly a travel blogger, so I want to include this one here too. For me, one of the most exciting perks of being a travel blogger is the numerous travel perks that can come your way once your blog starts becoming more successful.

From complimentary hotel stays and free outdoor gear to fully-funded press trips sponsored by tourism boards, these perks can allow you to travel in style and have amazing experiences for a fraction of the cost, or for free. Sometimes you even get paid! Sounds pretty great, right?

However, you must take an ethical approach to such freebies and perks. Any reviews and content that you write must be honest and transparent. What I mean by this, is that you shouldn’t write glowing reviews about a company and a brand just because they gave you free stuff.

Certain laws and regulations (like the FTC Rules on Affiliate Disclosure and the UK Advertising Standards Authority’s Code) also require you to adequately disclose affiliate links and other business relationships to your readers. This is something that all bloggers need to take seriously.

Cons of Blogging

Despite the many advantages, there are also a few downsides to blogging and it’s important to acknowledge the less glamorous side of the job. It’s not all sunset co*cktails on the beach. Here are some challenges that I’ve personally faced as a blogger:

1. Time-Intensive

Blogging can be a huge time-sink. There’s a lot more to it than just typing out posts. As well as the up-front learning you’ll probably have to do, you’ve also got to manage your website, engage with your audience, and keep up to date with the latest technical developments and industry trends.

I often find myself spending far more hours working on my blog than I would in a regular 9-to-5 job. This is partly because I care a lot about it, which I see as a positive thing. However, it’s undeniable that the whole process of blogging takes a lot of time.

You also have to be prepared to manage admin too; tasks like dealing with finances, marketing, affiliates, and collaborations. It’s a juggling act between being a creator, a marketer, and an entrepreneur.

If you’re not careful, all this work can lead to burnout, which is why it’s crucial to strike the right work-life balance between blogging and your personal life.

2. No Guaranteed Income

One of the things I find most difficult about blogging is how unpredictable your income can be. Unlike a regular job with a steady paycheck, the income I get from my blog varies hugely from week to week and month to month. And I earned nothing at all for the first 12 months or so.

Most bloggers monetize their blogs through a mixture of affiliate marketing and ads. Some also do sponsored posts and/or sell their products or services. However, the amount of traffic you get each month can vary quite significantly, which affects how much you earn.

This often means you have to diversify your income streams, which can add even more to your workload. Building a blog to the point where it generates a significant income is a long game. Until you get there, budgeting for life can be quite a challenge.

3. Highly Competitive

Once upon a time, there weren’t very many blogs. Therefore, the blogs that did exist had an easier time when it came to competing for the best keywords. I’m not saying it was easy back then, but it was easier.

Today, things are quite different. By some estimates, there are more than 600 million blogs online as of 2023. So, it’s fair to say that the blogging world is quite crowded.

Getting your blog to stand out and become noticed amid this vast sea of content creators is no small feat. With so many blogs vying for attention, carving out a niche for yourself requires not only great content but also savvy marketing and SEO skills.

For new bloggers, breaking into this saturated market can be daunting and requires a combination of perseverance, creativity, and strategic thinking. I’m not trying to put you off – it’s definitely possible. But you need to be in it for the long run and work both hard and smart to be successful. Investing in yourself and taking courses to help you grow is a great idea as well.

4. Technical Challenges

Navigating the technical aspects of blogging can be a hurdle, especially if you’re not naturally tech-savvy. I’m fairly computer literate, however when I first started blogging I found myself feeling pretty overwhelmed by all of the tech stuff that I had to learn. It’s quite a steep learning curve.

You need to deal with website hosting, maintenance, speed, domain management, and various other elements. If something goes wrong with your site, you need to figure out how to fix it. And don’t even get me started on having to troubleshoot issues when you’re somewhere with bad WiFi.

I’ve been very stressed at times when trying to deal with a problem with my blog, especially when I was just starting. My blog actually crashed and went offline at one point and I wasn’t sure whether I’d lost months of hard work, (thankfully, it was fine in the end!).

These things get easier the more you do them and the more you learn (see the points about skills and personal growth, above). But, it can be tough and frustrating at times, particularly at the beginning.

5. Work-Life Balance

I used to be a corporate lawyer. One of the many reasons I changed careers was the lack of work-life balance.

As a blogger, I love the freedom and flexibility that this career offers. However, I still often find myself working odd hours, weekends, and sometimes late into the night. It’s easy to get a bit obsessive with your blog, at least that’s what it’s like for me.

I want my blog to succeed and grow so much that I pour large amounts of time and emotional energy into it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but, it’s important to ensure that you don’t end up defaulting to being in “work mode” all of the time.

I find this is especially true for travel bloggers. When you’re adventuring, every moment can feel like a potential blog post and you might end up viewing experiences more through your camera lens than with your own eyes. It’s important to remember to step back and enjoy experiences for their own sake.

Personal Experience as a Blogger

I’ve always loved traveling, ever since I was a child. After spending most of my 20s studying and working in London, I felt an increasingly strong pull towards a life that was more adventurous, spontaneous, free, and exciting.

Becoming a blogger was one of the best decisions I ever made. I love all of the benefits that come with the job (see above). For me, being able to work hard on something that I have 100% ownership of is the best part of it – I’ve never been more motivated, it’s an amazing feeling.

My blog – Just Go Exploring – focuses mainly on exploring lesser-known destinations around the world. My readers tend to be people who appreciate a mixture of outdoor activities and culture, with the occasional comfort thrown in here and there.

There have been ups and downs along the way. One of my biggest frustrations is the speed at which I produce content. I’m a pretty slow writer, so it takes me a long time to write and publish each post. However, my blog is heading in the right direction and I’m excited for what the future holds!

SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons Travel Bloggers Will Never Return To 9-To-5 Jobs

FAQs

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the main advantages and disadvantages of blogging:

Is Blogging Worth It?

For me, the many pros of blogging definitely outweigh the cons. Blogging is an extremely flexible career; you can choose to focus on whatever you’re passionate about, and you can work from (almost) anywhere in the world.

However, blogging also requires a big investment of time and effort. It takes a fairly long time to earn any money from blogging, your income will fluctuate a lot, there are technical challenges, and you need to ensure you carve out a lifestyle and work-life balance that’s sustainable for you.

Overall, I’d say that blogging is worth it as long as (i) you enjoy writing; (ii) you’re the sort of person who doesn’t mind a little uncertainty; (iii) you’re self-motivated and can manage your time efficiently; and (iv) you’re prepared to work hard (and smart) to achieve your goals.

If these all apply to you, why not give it a go? To start your own blog, click here to receive Goats On The Road’s free Beginner Blogging Course to help you get started the right way.