The future of blogging is bright. Right now, the blogging world is expanding and becoming more diverse than ever before.
In just the last three years, I have seen a huge influx of bloggers from all age groups, different cultures, and different countries for practically every niche.
It’s exciting to see so many new readers popping up everywhere around the globe. Over the years, blogging has grown into a global phenomenon that all businesses need to embrace.
And the blogging industry shows no sign of slowing down.
This increase in diversity means that we will soon witness a transformation in what blogging is used for throughout society.
So what can you expect? What is the future of blogging?
If I think about my experience as a professional blogger, it’s easy to see where things are going.
Here are my reasons why now is an amazing time to start or continue blogging.
Blog hosting will become cheaper
Cheaper hosting services make it easier than ever to start your own blog.
There are so many affordable options with unlimited bandwidth on the Internet today. When I started my first blog almost 20 years ago, finding a decent host with unlimited bandwidth at an affordable price was difficult.
Now I can easily start a blog for $5 per month, including hosting and domain name.
The Internet has evolved into allowing anyone that wants to start their own website the ability to do so without the expensive overhead cost.
This is especially helpful for bloggers because we’re not running huge websites that need massive amounts of bandwidth. The average blogger doesn’t post very often compared to other types of websites.
Now you no longer have any excuses about starting your blog if you’re thinking about doing it. You can get started right now with little investment of your time or money.
All you need in order to get started is a plan, something you can read about in the next reason.
Information will become more accessible
Professional blogging advice is available everywhere online.
When I first started my counter-culture blog back in 2004, there was almost no information or help out there.
The only place that offered any real helpful suggestions was tech support forums where people would give long accounts of their techniques on how they built successful blogs.
It sounded like it took months and years of hard work just to get one page ranked on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
Today it’s a completely different story because everyone has access to information at their fingertips thanks to the Internet. There are tons of bloggers sharing their experiences for free on the Internet.
There are thousands of sites with millions of pages full of information that you can read. With just a little bit of research, anyone can get started right now.
It will be easier to make money from your blog
The Internet is creating more opportunities for everyone to have their voice heard and earn an income from blogging.
When I started my blogging journey way back in 2004, I didn’t know how to make an income online besides Google AdSense.
At the time, it seemed like there weren’t any other options available.
But now, there are many options for creating revenue from your blog, including affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or freelancing.
Once you start building an audience and engagement with your readers, it’s possible to generate additional revenue streams from your content.
Today there is more opportunity than ever before to earn money through blogging, even at the beginner level.
The Internet has created many opportunities that didn’t exist back in my first days as a blogger.
Email marketing will become more important
Email is the king of digital marketing. So collecting email addresses in order to build an email list will become more important in the coming years.
This will become a blogger’s main source of leads and repeat traffic.
Having an email list will help you increase sales, keep in touch with your readers and build a relationship—the more personal, the better.
You can reward your readers for signing up by offering something of value such as discounts, freebies, or access to additional content.
This builds trust and loyalty because they feel valued when you offer them something extra for free.
Besides making money from blogging, having an email list is another way to generate revenue from your blog.
There are many ways to monetize email marketing, including selling products on your blog, promoting affiliate offers, or even running ads within emails that are very targeted based on the demographics of those who signed up for your newsletter.
As long as you’re providing real value to those who sign up, it’s possible to make money from your blog without pushing a hard sales page.
Recently I’ve seen the growth of email marketing even at the beginner level as companies have been discovering there are people eager to receive tips and advice for free online.
It’s important to build trust over time with your readers because this will help you convert them into paying customers when appropriate.
Blogger tools will become more advanced
The amount of technology available to bloggers is continuously increasing each year, but we’re not done yet!
In the coming years, new features will be released that will simplify blogging and enhance the experience for professionals looking into becoming full-time bloggers or launching their own businesses.
One example is TUMBLR, which is already popular among bloggers. TUMBLR has features like post scheduling, traffic analytics, and monetization opportunities.
Blogger tools will continue to evolve in an attempt to make blogging more efficient for bloggers who are growing their audience each day.
Technology is improving each year, so you can be sure that blogger tools will be enhanced for better performance as they become available.
Blogging costs will go down over time
I’ve already covered hosting and domain fees, but the savings won’t stop there.
Bloggers who build a blog from scratch have many expenses, including web hosting fees, premium themes, and plugins that cost money upfront for investment in their future business.
But many of my fellow bloggers have been able to lower these costs drastically.
There are many free options to choose from when starting a blog, and adding to it as your business grows.
One of the best things about blogging is that even if you aren’t making money, there is little cost involved unless you want extra features or premium plugins.
This makes it an inexpensive investment compared to some other businesses out there, but the return can be significant for those who work hard at growing their business through blogging.
Mobile devices will dominate
For a while now, marketers have embraced a “mobile-first” way of thinking – and for a good reason.
More and more people are using mobile devices to access the web, which also means more individuals will visit blogs when they are out and about or commuting.
This is fantastic for bloggers since many of them create content that can be read on smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices.
Mobile blogging should be part of every blogger’s future plans as it becomes increasingly popular among blog readers.
Bloggers move into traditional media outlets
Some bloggers have already been able to attract the attention of popular media networks, but that’s just the beginning.
It won’t be long before more even more bloggers are making appearances on national news channels and show to discuss the latest trends in blogging.
Bloggers who have already had success in traditional media can help carry their audiences to new outlets, which means there is an opportunity for new bloggers looking to make connections with editors who are interested in what they have to say about current events or industry trends.
The benefits of writing for established sites as a blogger are too good to pass up – something every blogger should consider, whether they are new to blogging or have been at it for years.
Google’s Knowledge Graph will become more advanced
The Knowledge Graph has become more advanced over time as they continue to better serve researchers with accurate results from their search.
As Google’s software becomes smarter, creating content that will rank higher on the search engine will become even more important for bloggers in order to maximize organic traffic coming into their blog.
Long form content will work better than ever.
Content writers have already been taking advantage of long form content, and it’s working well for them – so why shouldn’t bloggers get on board?
Longer articles mean more material to organically attract links from other sites, which can help you build an audience and a reputation as an industry expert.
It also means that your blog posts will be easier to share on social media since readers won’t need to spend as much time reading each post.
As content writing trends continue, the demand for longer blog posts will increase even further and become a core element of any content marketing strategy.
Businesses will embrace the value of blogging
It’s no secret that big brands have used blogs for years.
But now, all businesses can leverage the power of blogs and social media to reach customers around the world while also saving on advertising costs in print or digital formats.
The benefits are clear: a free (or nearly free) access to a wider audience than ever before in exchange for posting company updates online. This not only makes marketing easier for large corporations but allows small businesses with limited budgets an easy way to reach a much larger audience.
The use of Artificial Intelligence will increase
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in our everyday lives.
I’m sure your phone has used it when suggesting words to text or auto-completing a part of an address you are typing.
Bloggers will take advantage of this technology, from implementing chatbots that can answer basic questions to automating tasks like scheduling posts on social media sites and creating high-quality content.
What will replace blogging?
While I believe blogging is here to stay and will not be replaced, there are a few alternatives to people who don’t want to spend their time writing blog posts.
Blogging vs. vlogging is a debate that comes up occasionally.
Vlogging isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely growing in popularity as an alternative to blogging. Anyone can start a Youtube channel and grow it in a similar way to a blog.
Whether you choose to stick with writing blog posts or try your hand at creating videos covering similar subjects, there are plenty of opportunities out there.
The humble podcast is another format that is becoming more popular. Podcasting involves recording podcasts and posting them online for listeners to listen in on.
So if you have the gift of gab, consider your options before deciding whether blog posts are necessary for your marketing strategy.
Conclusion
The landscape of blogging is changing quickly.
New blogging trends will emerge, and more opportunities will be created each year for bloggers looking to build a profitable website.
I’m confident blogging will continue to grow because people love sharing their passions with other people, and there’s a natural desire to learn from those who have experience with something new or different.
Bloggers also provide valuable content that doesn’t come packaged as traditional media does, which gives them authority when they talk about specific topics.