Should I Shut Down My Blog and Quit Blogging

Should I shut down my blog and quit blogging? If you’ve spent any period of time blogging, you’ve probably asked yourself this question hundreds of times. I know I have.

It is a LEGIT question, especially if you don’t love what you do OR you don’t feel that you will ever be compensated fairly for the time you invest growing your blog.

Should I Shut Down My Blog and Quit Blogging?

What I want to do in the paragraphs below is share some simple questions you should ask yourself before you make the decision to keep blogging, or shut down your blog and quit blogging for good.

Why am I blogging in the first place?

Many people start a blog because it sounded like a good idea initially. In many cases, they didn’t put a lot of thought into their decision BEFORE they got started. You must take some time and figure out why you are blogging in the first place. What motivates you? WHY are you doing it? The answer to this question will give you clarity.

If you’re just blogging to make money, I can tell you there are lots of BETTER options than blogging. Blogging is a long-term strategy and the money you make during those first few years is normally less than you would get working for minimum wage (in most cases).

What is my end game?

Every blogger needs an end game. Is your end game to make enough money to replace your job income? Is it to simply share your message or passion with others? Is it to promote your traditional business? Or, is it to eventually sell your blog for big profits? Be honest with yourself and answer this question objectively.

Why does this matter? If you don’t know your end game you are WASTING your time blogging, unless you just see your blog as a hobby or way to express yourself. A blog is a BUSINESS. And all businesses NEED an end game.

You see, every game–chess, tennis, business–has an end. Every business will eventually die. We cannot escape this inevitability. Yet we hold on to the fantasy that somehow OUR company will be different, that our company is “built to last.” The key to long life in business is knowing how to play the end game so that you can position yourself to play the next game. ~ Fast Company

Do I love to write and I do I love my niche?

Do you love to write? Do you love your niche? Is your work enjoyable or a chore? I understand there are good and bad days for everyone, but do you enjoy what you do MOST of the time, when you are working on your blog? If not, shutting down your blog or selling it might be your best option.

Why? Life is too short to do something you don’t enjoy. Plus, your odds of succeeding with something you don’t enjoy are quite slim.

Is there a BETTER way I could reach my audience?

If you’re blogging because you are passionate about something, that’s cool. What you need to determine is if there is a better way to reach your audience.

For example, would it be better to have a YouTube channel? Or, would it be better to have live seminars? Would it be better to write for a magazine or have your own podcast? Would it be better to find a new job in a niche you are passionate about?

Reaching your target audience is an important step in marketing your business and your products. It is only when you reach your target audience effectively that you’ll be able to drive more sales conversions.
Source: GRIN

Could I OUTSOURCE some of my work?

At some point in time, you will either burn out or max out. It happened to me and I know it will happen to you. Trust me, if you’re trying to do EVERYTHING yourself, you will burn out or max out.

If there are certain tasks that you don’t enjoy doing, could you hire a virtual assistant or freelancer to help you with it? I hired someone for about $4 per hour, in the Philippines, and they have saved me a ton of time and made blogging much more enjoyable.

Some bloggers decide to outsource EVERYTHING on their blog, including content creation. They take on the role of project manager, and have others write articles, edit articles, create photos, share their content on social media, etc.

I’ve decided to take advantage of outsourcing. My next novel will be written by a couple of guys in Bangalore, India. ~ Tom Robbins

Why am I frustrated?

This is a great question. Why are you thinking about shutting down your blog in the first place? Is it because you aren’t making money? Is it because you just don’t have the time to blog and do your day job? Or is it because your traffic and income aren’t what you want them to be?

Is there a better way to make money online?

This is a great question you must ask yourself. If you are determined to make money online, blogging is a good strategy, but it’s also one of the hardest and slowest strategies.

Why? Because it takes a lot of time and effort to create great content, get ranked high in the search engines, and build an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you. There are faster ways to make money online than blogging.

To get rich, you have to be making money while you’re asleep. ~ David Bailey

Do I have realistic expectations?

I saved the best question for last. Most bloggers have unrealistic expectations. That’s why most blogs get abandoned in 90-days or less. It’s a sad reality. As a blogger, don’t expect to make a penny your first year.

It normally takes a few years to make a profit in ANY type of new business. That is normal. Yes, you could be profitable sooner, but don’t expect it. Blogging is a LONG-TERM game.

A successful blog is built over a period of five to ten YEARS, not a few months. Unrealistic expectations are the number one reason people quit blogging, in my opinion.

A Stanford University study found that the willpower you have at your disposal is limited. You can only achieve so much before it dwindles and you begin backsliding.
So, if you create many blog writing goals to accomplish at the same time, you’ll burn through the willpower.
Source: CoSchedule

Alternatives to Shutting Down Your Blog

Rather than shutting down your blog, you do have a few good options.

# 1: Outsource

Outsourcing is the best thing I ever did with my blogs. My only regret is not doing it sooner. Even if you don’t think you can afford to outsource, I’d argue that you can’t afford not to.

Make a list of the top 20 to 50 tasks you do for your blog each week and identify any tasks that you don’t enjoy or any tasks you could hire a virtual assistant to do for you.

Hire your first virtual assistant and try it for a month. Test out a few different virtual assistants if needed. Once you find someone good, you can outsource more work and get your time back.

# 2: Blog Less

Another option is simply to blog less. Slow down your posting frequency. Instead of blogging three to seven times per week, blog once per week. Do that for a few months and reassess the situation. This will free up a lot of your time. If necessary, revert to blogging once per month!

It’s still better to publish good quality posts less often, rather than publishing badly-written articles that are too short and don’t contribute anything new to your industry’s online conversation.
~ Beth Hayden

# 3: Sell Your Blog

Your third option is to sell your blog. For most people, this is a viable option. There are websites online where you can list your website for sale. Even a small website that doesn’t get a ton of traffic or generate much income is worth something to someone.

Whether your blog is worth a few hundred dollars or a few thousand dollars, it is worth something. Selling your blog is much better than just throwing away all of your hard work and shutting down your blog.

# 4: Repurpose Your Content

Your next option is to repurpose your blog content. You could take all of your blog posts and convert them into several eBooks, reports, PDFs or KINDLE books that you can sell online. You could even sell your articles as PLR articles. For most bloggers, this could be a profitable option. Or, you could convert each blog post into a great YouTube video.

Ebooks are an intuitive next step for repurposing your content. They offer readers something they can save to their devices and refer to again and again. They also present a great opportunity for you to offer users something in exchange for email subscriptions.
Source: Business 2 Community

# 5: Take a Month Off

Your final option is just to take a month off from blogging. Walk away from your blog for 30-days. Focus on other aspects of your life. At the end of the 30-days, come back to your blog and ask yourself if you want to keep pressing forward or move on to something else. 30-days off should give you enough clarity to make a reasonable decision.

Taking time to do something slower than you normally would is a privilege that should not be ignored. ~ Harper Reed

Final Thoughts

Only you know what is best for you. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to shutting down your blog and quitting blogging. My best advice is don’t be brash and make a quick decision without putting much thought into it.

In summary, these are my thoughts as to whether or not you should shut down your blog and quit blogging. What are your thoughts? What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.

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