Meet the Blogger: Emily from Love, Em
As much as I love writing blog posts for you full of blogging, search engine optimization, and Pinterest tips, it’s also important to me to build a platform that helps other bloggers/digital business owners grow as well. As a blogger, it’s important to always find new ways to be visible online and to find opportunities to be discovered by new readers.
That’s why I decided to start a recurring item on She Can Blog called Meet the Blogger! I will interview bloggers/digital business owners about their blogs/businesses and experiences. Who are these bloggers/entrepreneurs, what type of blog/business do they run, what drives them, how do they drive traffic to their websites and what else can you learn from them?
Featured on this Meet the Blogger:
Emily from Love, Em
Who are you and what type of blog do you have?
My name is Emily, but most people know me as Em. I am an accountant and student by day and blogger in every little bit of spare time I have. I started my current blog in 2020, but have had over 5 years of blogging experience. I had a few other blogs and a new-food-related Instagram, however, I don’t run those anymore as I felt like my life needed a different direction!
I am dedicated to my blog and career while trying to make my life as eco-friendly and positive as possible. That’s why my blog, Love Em, focuses on sustainability, personal development, and money! You will find a range of other blog posts including decor, recipes, and gift guides, as I wanted a blog that could really capture who I am.
It may seem like a huge range of content, but I think it flows quite well and really represents who I am and the person I’d like to become. I like to come up with content that showcases my life at the current time. When I’m in a baking mood, you’ll find more recipes and when I’m feeling productive, you’ll find more tips and tricks on planning!
Why did you start blogging?
I started this blog during the first UK lockdown as a way to pass the time. I also am very career and money-driven, so I have lots of tips and hustles that I wanted to share with other young adults. As a 19-year-old, I have accomplished a lot including purchasing a new car by myself, starting a career in accounting and already have saved up enough for a healthy deposit. I wanted to share how I did it, and give others the chance to achieve that for themselves.
Initially, I had a few other blogs where I would talk about various things such as health & fitness and food reviews, but I didn’t feel connected to them. I wanted to switch things up and find a niche that I could really be passionate about. I started Love, Em as I wanted to help others become financially stable, find a positive path and to give people a happy space to learn something new.
I missed blogging once I had closed my first blogs, so I wanted to create something that I’d never want to end. If I could make one person happy or be there for someone who really needs some guidance, I would feel accomplished.
“As a 19-year-old, I have accomplished a lot including purchasing a new car by myself, starting a career in accounting and already have saved up enough for a healthy deposit.”
Emily Wells
What makes your blog stand out compared to other blogs in your niche?
I like to think that my blog is a true reflection of who I am. It is open, honest and only contains content I am passionate about. There are so many blogs out there, all with similar content, but I like to think my content is unique and well researched. I don’t put pop ups or ads on my blog, so you can stay focused on the content. I also only accept gifted items and Ads if I truly believe in the collaboration. I put a lot of time, research and effort into writing longer posts where you can really learn something different. My posts are also based on what I have learnt, so anything I do share, I have been through so you know it’s genuine and works! I love all bloggers and don’t knock their work, I just write what I’d like to see or have known when I was looking for guidance.
Which aspects of blogging do you like the most? Which aspects do you dislike?
Honestly, I love most things about blogging. It’s a great hobby, gives you the chance to make money and you can meet some amazing people. I love coming up with new blog post ideas and putting together the final post. The thrill of hitting publish and watching your views go up is exciting, and I love creating the digital imagery to go along with it. There are so many posts I’d like to write, so finally getting the chance to create it makes me very happy. I also love to know that I could be helping out people with the content I write.
Every week I go through, reply and return comments, so I read what other people are feeling. When the content I publish has helped others, it makes me feel accomplished. If someone learns about a new sustainable brand or a way to budget better, then my job is complete.
I dislike taking pictures for my blog and social media. I am getting better, but still can’t get my head around angles and editing. I also don’t have a visually creative mind, so taking photos and flatlays aren’t my strong suit. I am trying a few photography courses to better my skills and be able to take quality photos for my blog. I’d love to include more recipes and my own pictures, so photography lessons are important!
Blogging can also be time consuming and there are so many things to think about. You need to SEO optimise the post, take photos and promote them, so you need to either be good at everything, give it a good try or to hire someone to help you. It’s a lot to manage when you’ve got other commitments, so staying consistent is difficult.
Personally, Twitter and Pinterest are my biggest sources of traffic. I love Twitter and have found that it’s the best place to build a community and find friends. I schedule tweets every two hours, try to engage with bloggers/blog threads and I also do a lot of networking. Twitter works best if you engage with your followers and other bloggers. You should also be open and share a few personal things so your audience can get to know you a bit better. When I publish a new blog post, I post it in comment threads to try and gain initial readers. I will then schedule it twice in a day for about a week, and use Pinterest.
Pinterest is great if you’re big on images. I’d recommend you find some good templates and come up with some catchy titles to help leverage Pinterest and welcome click-throughs to your website. Make sure you schedule pins all throughout the night too. Just because you are sleeping, doesn’t mean the rest of the world is. If you schedule throughout the night, you may gain a different and more diverse readership from across the world. I have worked hard to schedule tweets and come up with pins that work well for my content. I would love to use Facebook and Instagram more to diversify my traffic sources in case one platform goes down. I have also heard that TikTok is great for small businesses and bloggers, especially those looking for a younger audience.
Which strategies do you use to get more eyes on your content?
I write my blog posts from the heart and try to make them long, detailed and reader-friendly. I like to think that by writing honestly and sharing my thoughts helps readers to connect, so they keep coming back. In 2021, I made a big push for SEO optimising my blog posts. I didn’t know much about search engine optimisation when I first started blogging, so I had about a year’s worth of blog posts to update. I was stuck on the same amount of readers for months, so I needed to make some changes. I always use meta tags and descriptions, make my content longer and use headings as a start. I then had a bit of a rebrand where I updated all the about me pages, changed my theme and made my social media the same across the board so that readers could see they were from the same blog.
I have done a few ads with bloggers, which have temporarily helped my page views increase, but not as much as a rebrand. Comment threads are also good if you’re looking for a quick boost in traffic. The other thing I do to get more eyes on my content is to publish seasonal content. By doing this, I’ve had a lot more American readers and pageviews in general, so if you like the holidays, I’d recommend you include seasonal content on your blog. Try to publish the content no later than a month before the holiday so that people have a chance to find your post and you can establish the right promotion it needs.
Also read: the best blogs to read and follow in 2023
Which SEO tactic has helped you the most to improve the SEO of your website?
I use Blogger for my website, which doesn’t have the handy SEO Yoast plugin that Wordpress has. It took me a while to learn about SEO and start implementing the strategies. I did a lot of research into SEO, why it helps and what I can do right then to improve my website. I think the tactic that has helped me the most is taking my time, researching about SEO and knowing where to start. If you were to put most people on the spot and ask them about SEO, they would draw a blank or give you the standard points of writing descriptions and putting in headings, but there is so much more to SEO. I like to write myself a checklist to make sure I am doing everything right.
It’s also worth taking the time to update old blog posts and go back through content that isn’t performing as well as other posts. If you have a WordPress blog, I’d highly recommend you using the plugin and try to work towards getting the green tick on your blog posts. I also started researching keywords which has helped me to boost my traffic and rank in search engines. Since researching keywords, I have really started to see my website and content improve.
Any advice you’d like to pass along to beginning bloggers?
There are three things that I would tell any new bloggers. The first one is to just go for it. You will never get anywhere if you don’t start. Blogging can lead to so many amazing opportunities, you just need to start. If you’re thinking of starting a blog, you can purchase a domain for less than £5 and start writing within a few hours. You don’t need anything fancy, just a passion, an idea and a little bit of time.
This leads me onto my second piece of advice; be original. There are so many bloggers out there, you need to stand out. Don’t copy other bloggers, don’t take their work/photos and try to do something a little different. Find something that you’re passionate about and show the world why they need to be passionate too.
The last piece of advice would be to have fun writing. Create cute content with gorgeous pictures and have fun while doing so. The moment it feels like a chore or you’re not enjoying it, take a break. It may be tempting to push through, but you may start to dislike blogging. Blogging should be fun and an enjoyable way to pass time or make money. Take a break if it starts to feel too much!
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What’s in store for the rest of 2022? What can readers expect if they start following you?
I am excited to start my Christmas content. This year, I am very excited for the festive season, so you can expect Black Friday tips, eco-friendly gift guides and a little bit of baking! Christmas is a very special time to me, so I want to come up with lots of relatable, cosy content. I really want to make my blog feel warm and welcoming so I am having a bit of a rebrand to reflect where I am in my personal life.
If you follow my social media, you’ll be updated with tips and tricks on how to lead a more positive life along with ways you can find your passion. I am trying to get back into Instagram, so you’ll be sure to see some cute winter content over there!
For the rest of 2021, I will be working on my blog, updating old content and trying to create my best life. So, if you’d like to find ways to lead a happier, more fulfilling life, I’d definitely look out for my upcoming blog posts! As 2022 approaches, I will be finishing the first level of my accounting qualification so you may also find some career and exam tips!
Other bloggers to follow
Looking for more inspiring, amazing bloggers to follow?
Read last week’s interview with Laura Howat here!