Nobody told me how much work goes into building up a blog.  Like many beginners, I figured writing everyday would be enough but that’s not true at all.  Creating a successful website involves constant research, promotion, social networking, web design, plugins, pages, posts, advertising and more…

Behind the scenes, you have to get to know terms like Analytics, Adsense & Affiliate Marketing.  There really is a lot to do on a daily basis if you want your blog to grow…  And honestly, my blog isn’t that big yet.  Even after two years, I still feel like a rookie with a lot to learn and even more to prove.  Especially to myself.

Yet every so often, there are tiny victories that make me smile.  Victories like being mentioned on Final Draft’s website or being mentioned on /Film.  The latest tiny victory occurred when I saw an advertisement for a movie I plan to see on my site.  Google’s Adsense program has matched my site with many film AD’s before but the Warrior advertisement below was nice to see.

It’s a lot better than generic ADs that don’t really involve movies or writing.

Advertising on a blog is a tricky thing when you are first starting out.  I didn’t even have advertising until my second year because I didn’t feel like my traffic was high enough.  I just focused on building graphics on my own that promoted certain features of my blog.

Someday soon, I’ll start pursuing advertising a little more but I’m okay taking things slowly.  I don’t want to become a site that’s full of ads.  To me, the content suffers because there are too many distractions.

It’s a complex line to flirt with but I’m confident that I’ll keep learning.  I have to.  This blog has to keep evolving and improving and that’s exactly why tiny victories count.

Incidentally, if you’re interested in learning more about advertising on The Athletic Nerd email me at jason@17west.ca.