When I founded Student Debt Diaries nearly two years ago, I never expected to write more than a few dozen articles. I started this website to tell my own student loan story, and to compile a student debt repayment guide for borrowers hoping to pay off their student loans. Over time, I continued writing articles to respond to questions posed by readers and to provide more information about student loans. Although some blogs are very reflective, and include many “meta” posts about their own development, Student Debt Diaries has refrained from doing so. However, this is the one hundredth blog post published by this website, and I figured that reflecting on one hundred blog posts would be a good means to discuss the progress and direction of Student Debt Diaries over the past few years.
One of the main thoughts I have after reflecting on one hundred blog posts is the scope of the student debt crisis in this country. When I started Student Debt Diaries, I imagined that student debt borrowers themselves would be the primary readers of my website and the people who most often communicate with me about student loans.
However, many parents and other relatives of student debt borrowers have reached out to me for advice. I have even communicated with a few spouses of student debt borrowers who have inquired about ways that they can improve their family’s finances. Although I never considered it before, for every student debt borrower, there are many other people who are affected by student debt. As a result, statistics about the number of student debt borrowers might understate the scope of the student debt crisis in this country.
While reflecting on one hundred blog posts, and all of the emails I have received over the years, I am also amazed at how widely read Student Debt Diaries has become. When I started writing blog articles almost two years ago, I would only receive a handful of views a day. I did not mind having so few readers, since I was writing the articles for my own benefit as well as to provide advice for individuals with student debt. About a year after founding Student Debt Diaries, the website experienced an explosion of growth. It is rare for this website to receive less than one hundred views a day, and oftentimes, Student Debt Diaries gets many more views than this.
I have communicated with a number of other personal finance bloggers over the years who have asked me how to get their own websites off the ground. After reflecting on one hundred blog posts, I encourage anyone wishing to start their own websites to stay the course and write as much and as consistently as possible. Many personal finance bloggers write a few dozen blog posts, and then get discouraged by how long it takes their websites to receive substantial search engine traffic. However, the more content you write, the more likely people will find your website, and your traffic will grow exponentially.
However, building a well-read blog requires more than just tons of content. In order to engage readers, and keep the most people coming back to Student Debt Diaries as possible, I reply to almost every comment or email I receive, unless it is obviously spam. In addition, I blog once a week for Above the Law, and I used to discuss student loans in my ATL pieces and link to articles I published on Student Debt Diaries. This helped me drive readers to Student Debt Diaries before I was receiving substantial search engine traffic. More recently, I have used my Above the Law platform to publicize my law firm, but the effect ATL had on Student Debt Diaries in its early months shows the value in blogging for other websites.
Many people often ask me how much money I earn from operating Student Debt Diaries. I have addressed this topic once before, but it is worth mentioning again that I do not make much more money from advertisements than it takes to operate the website. I probably could make additional money if Student Debt Diaries had more annoying advertisements or more shamelessly promoted products. However, I am hesitant to sacrifice the user experience in exchange for making more money.
When hearing that I don’t make much money from blogging, numerous individuals ask why I continue to write articles. The answer is that I genuinely enjoy sharing my opinions on student loans. It is also great to write a narrative about student debt that is not as dark and gloomy as many of the stories depicted in the media.
I also really like communicating with people from across the country about their own finances. After reflecting on one hundred blog posts, I can honestly say that I enjoy writing just as much now as I did when I started the website. And since not much money can be made from blogging (most of the time), you better like what you are writing about if you are going to make it as a blogger.
It has been a real pleasure operating Student Debt Diaries over the last few years, and I cannot believe the website now boasts one hundred blog posts! And after reflecting on one hundred blog posts, I feel that Student Debt Diaries has fulfilled the purpose I set out to achieve almost two years ago. Moving forward, Student Debt Diaries will continue to be a resource about student loans, and I appreciate the thousands of readers who have visited the website over the past few years.