How To Set Blog Goals, Measure And Achieve Them: Realistic Tips For Bloggers

Remember when you started your blog? You had a reason why you wanted to launch one. However, as you got into it, you somehow lost the big picture and ended up in the weeds. This post is about how to set blog goals, and measure and reach them, without losing sight of them along the way.

More importantly, it’s about how to set blogging goals (for 2024) that actually help you grow your blog.

If you’re blogging just because you like to write stuff, then this post isn’t necessarily as important to you as it would be to somebody who sees their blog as a business.

It’s for bloggers who are interested in blog goal planning.

Any well-run business will have a yearly goal, objectives and tactics, as well as measurement (KPI’s – i.e. key performance indicators) and a timeline.

If you’re blogging to make money and grow year-over-year, you need to have a goal that’s measurable and with a timeline.

Otherwise, you’ll continue to prolong your chances of success.

For new bloggers, this may seem something they shouldn’t be thinking about. Yet, I say, it’s never too early to start with a plan in place.

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How To Set Blog Goals Using The SMART Method

So how do you set blog goals? You may have heard of the SMART way of setting goals.

It’s broken down like this:

S: Specific

The goal is specific and not general. “Grow my blog” isn’t specific. “Grow my blog traffic by 200% in one month” is very specific.

M: Measurable

When you know your baseline – e.g. average of 150 pageviews a day, or 150 newsletter members – you can measure your success.

Your goal should be looking to achieve something that you can measure. So “Grow Blog Traffic By 200% ” will be comparing your sessions or pageviews in Google Analytics (whatever you decide is your key performance indicator (KPI) from the start of your goal-setting project to the end date.

A: Achievable

You have to be realistic about your goals. If you aim to have 50,0000 pageviews per month in one year of blogging with a new blog, you’ll probably not be able to get there, unless your blog niche is wildly popular with a broad audience interested in it.

Instead, aim for smaller goals that you THINK you can achieve. So for example, if right now you have 100 pageviews a day, you can most likely get to 300 pageviews a day in the span of a year without burning out in the process.

R: Relevant

Your goals should link back to the reason why you’re blogging in the first place. If you’re blogging to make money, your goal should help achieve your overall reason: to make money.

So for example, if you want to grow blog traffic, you’re doing so to increase revenue from ads on your site, which are making you money! Increasing your email list while not using it to sell affiliate links or products isn’t a relevant goal (you may need to adjust why you’re sending out a newsletter in the first place!).

T: Time Deadline

Giving yourself a deadline to achieve the goal will help you keep on track to achieving it. It will help you see how your strategies and tactics have been working to achieve that goal.

You may need to adjust them. Personally, I like to set mid-point time deadlines and a final deadline so that I can adjust as needed to make it to the end date.

Regularly Measuring Blog Goals

When you set blog goals, you also have to determine how you will measure them.

Tools for measuring your success vary, depending on your goal.

• For traffic growth: Google Analytics
• Organic growth: Google Analytics, Google Search Console
• SEO improvement: Google Search Console. MOZ, SEM Rush, Rank IQ

Some goals don’t require anything but a quick check-in to see how you’re progressing.

Checking in weekly, monthly or at the mid-point, depending on the length of your deadline, helps you see how you’re progressing.

It allows you to modify your approach if something isn’t working.

Types Of Blog Goals For New Bloggers

If you’re a new blogger, I strongly recommend you max out at two to three small goals at a time. You can always add more goals later!

Why? Because you’re still learning so many new things along the way, and achieving those goals will be tough.

They also have to be highly achievable and realistic goals.

I’ve seen veteran bloggers advise new bloggers that, yes in your first year, you too can be earning $13,000 a month with your new blog.

Yes, you can achieve this. But they don’t tell you that it’s because you’re blogging full-time and ignoring your family and friends.

So, let’s be realistic, acknowledging that full-time or part-time jobs, family commitments, home commitments, school or other things in your life are priorities before your blog.

So what are the top three REALISTIC blog goals you should be looking to achieve as a new blogger?

1. Growing Blog Traffic

When you set blog goals for your new blog, growing blog traffic will probably be one of the top ones.

Give yourself six months to measure this kind of blog goal. Then another goal for the one-year mark.

However, as I’ve said before: set realistic, achievable goals.

Knowing that you will probably have many other things to set up and get going at the same time, expect that your monthly pageviews may probably look like this (pageviews may be lower – but that’s OK):

This is a very realistic approach to growing blog traffic incrementally by 50 -100 pageviews extra each month.

If you get more, that’s FANTASTIC. Always set realistic goals, and when you go over them, you know you’ve hit it out of the park.

It also makes you feel great when you’ve over-achieved in your goal!

As you create more content and promote it on Pinterest, and other sources, you’ll see your pageviews grow incrementally.

PRO TIP: Start on your SEO from the start. It will take a few months before your posts begin appearing on Google searches if you focus on good search engine optimization for each post. Check out my book for beginner bloggers – Optimize It: A Beginner’s Guide To SEO For Blogs – where I run through all the basics and steps to optimizing your posts and more!

| RELATED: How To Get Set Up On Pinterest For Blog Promotion

2. Creating Great Content

One of the most important blog goals to set as a new blogger is to create well-written new content.

Writing a great blog post that your key audience will love to read (whether it’s informative, inspiring or entertaining), takes time to write.

From researching your blog topic, and writing a draft, to editing it and then formatting it, with visuals, can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two depending on your time availability.

Usually, it takes me about two days before I have a blog post ready to publish.

The rest of the week I spend my time promoting it on my social media channels, Pinterest, and through my email newsletter.

As well, I use Facebook groups to push it out and drive traffic by leveraging the networks of my fellow group members.

For new bloggers, I recommend getting into a routine:

• One blog post per week
• Write it within 2 days
• Promote it throughout the rest of the week
• Then start writing the next one.

Some bloggers like to sit down at the beginning of the month and spend a week writing ALL of their blog posts for that month. That works too.

If you can aim for four well-written blog posts a month, you’re in excellent shape.

As somebody once said: it’s not the amount of blog content you have. It’s the quality that counts the most.

So spend time on creating valuable content, making sure it’s optimized for SEO, and promoting it within the RIGHT social media channels, and groups.

You can set this blog goal as: “Write four blog posts within one month” or 16 blog posts in 4 months.

| Read More: How To Create A Blog Content Calendar To Keep Yourself Organized

3. Growing Your Email Newsletter List

My final recommendation for when you set blog goals for your new site is to start creating your email newsletter list as soon as possible.

If all of a sudden your preferred platform for promoting your blog posts has an issue (like Pinterest had in 2020 for many bloggers), you have a robust list of dedicated followers interested in what you post regularly.

An email newsletter list helps you:

• Get blog traffic
• Monetize your blog
• Build a community around your blog
• Promote any services and digital and physical products you sell

| READ MORE: How To Start An Email List And Grow It Using Freebie Opt-Ins

Create Your Opt-In Freebie

To grow your email newsletter, create a freebie opt-in offer that you know your readers would love to sign up to get. It should be a valuable resource or solution to a pain point.

For example, I have 10 free Pinterest templates for Canva that help my readers create beautiful pins fast.

Weave your opt-in into your blog posts in a way that makes sense.

You may want to create two to three opt-in offers. Try which ones work for your readers and always modify the opt-in copy if what you have isn’t attracting interest.

Realistically, you can expect to grow your email list to about 200 sign-ups within six months when you’re just starting out.

PRO TIP: Add your top converting freebie to your About Me page as it’s one of the top pages people visit when they want to get to know you.

| READ MORE: How To Find The Perfect Lead Magnet Idea For Your Email Subscriber List Opt-In

Add Fresh Goals Throughout The Year

Once you feel like you’re in a good place with your initial goals, add fresh blogging goals throughout the year.

So perhaps, in the first few months, you’re going to focus solely on boosting your blog traffic.

In the next few months, you can perhaps set a goal of signing up for affiliate networks and programs and adding affiliate links to existing posts.

You may have a long list of goals, but it’s worthwhile to break them down into chunks to achieve them.

Plan your goals for the year by spreading them out on your calendar. It will reduce the overwhelm greatly.

PRO TIP: If you’re planning on scaling up your blog to begin monetizing it, you’ll need to invest in tools and resources to help you with this. Learn how you can make an extra $100 online to help fund you blogging goals.

| RELATED: How To Keep Your Blog Organized: Productivity Hacks & Tools

Blogging Goals For Advanced Bloggers

So you may have been blogging for a while and you’ve got it. Your blog is growing. You have an audience.

What’s next?

You’re wondering how to set blogging goals, now that you’ve figured out the basics.

Maybe it’s things like:

• Monetizing your blog
  • Getting started with affiliate marketing
  • Creating digital products to sell
  • Offering coaching or consulting services
• Focusing on growing your personal brand
• Networking with other bloggers to participate in bundles and collaborative projects
• Starting a podcast or a vlog on YouTube

No matter what your goals are, it’s time to scale up and take on new challenges.

If you’re stuck in your comfort zone, you’ll never feel like you’ve achieved anything.

| RELATED: 50 Awesome Motivational Quotes For Bloggers And Entrepreneurs

Set Your Realistic Blogging Goals And Work At Them!

So there you go – tips on how to set blog goals and how to work at achieving them.

A few things to remember:

• Use the SMART method to set blog goals
• Be realistic in your expectations
• Know your limitations: don’t burn out because you’re obsessing over achieving impossible goals
• Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers
• Keep to a maximum of 2 to 3 goals
• Measure your progress and adjust as you go

Finally – if you fail at your blogging goals, don’t give up! Sometimes it takes a bit longer to get there, but you will!

If you’re an advanced blogger ready to start a business, learn about productivity tips for new business owners. Get faster at achieving your goals!

| Related:

7 Best Ways To Balance Being A Busy Mom With Growing Your Blog And Online Business

Top Work From Home Tips For Bloggers And Solopreneurs To Boost Your Productivity

Finally – wake up early and get things done! Read up on productivity boosts before 9 AM.

If you’re focused on achieving your key blog goals in your first year of blogging,

I recommend my course – Grow It: From Blog To Online Business. It takes you through 5 key blogging goals and skills that every blogger needs before they’re ready to scale up to a blog as a business.

QUESTION: When you set blog goals, which ones are the top ones you focus on every year?

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