2020 Pet Bloggers Journey

Today’s post is about blogging. I’ll be back to regular dog training articles next week!

I am participating in the Pet Bloggers Journey hosted by the Puppy in Training blog. It’s a way for pet bloggers to learn and support each another.

I’m participating in this challenge to look closely at my goals and hopefully help other bloggers.

If you have questions or feedback, please leave a comment at the end!

At the end of this post, there is also a list of all the other bloggers participating in this challenge. Please visit some of them. This is a “blog hop.”

2020 Pet Bloggers Journey – Ten Questions

1. When did you begin your blog? Give us a quick description of what your blog is about.

I started That Mutt in early 2008. It’s always been about dog training and being active with dogs. I also started writing about raw dog food in 2011.

2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2019, that made you most proud.

I launched a book on Amazon that was the #1 best seller in dog training for a few weeks. It’s a short book on teaching your dog to stop pulling. Grab a copy here (Kindle Unlimited or paperback).

3. Which of your 2019 blog posts was your favorite and why?

My favorite post is about grieving my senior dog Ace one year after his death. It’s my favorite because I share personal stories of my old dog and my young dog.

Here’s the link: Things about grief and dogs.

4. What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2019, and how did you tackle it?

My google search traffic took a big hit Nov. 8 during an algorithm change. I know by now that this is just part of the game. On the other hand, my traffic had a big increase in March 2019 due to that algorithm change. I don’t plan to change anything, just keep writing good content and updating older posts.

5. What is your #1 tip for bringing more traffic to your blog?

Write long, detailed answers to questions people are searching for in google. Use the question as your title and write a long, detailed answer. Include related topics in the headings of your post. Also, create Pinterest images for these types of posts and share on Pinterest.

6. Do you do sponsored posts/reviews?

I don’t do sponsored posts very often anymore. I used to write two or more sponsored posts per month, charging about $500 per post. It was a nice income but it did take a lot of time.

The main reason I stopped writing sponsored posts is because I’m now a co-owner of the dog products company, Mighty Paw. The company was a sponsor of That Mutt for a few years, so you never know what can happen!

Now I spend my time promoting our own products. Check out our best sellers here.

If any of you would like to support That Mutt on Patreon, it’s $7/mo and you get a free Mighty Paw product to review every month! Most people have been a member for over two years, and they’ve received over 30 new products! I’ve just opened up 15 new spots, and you can sign up here.

7. Looking forward to 2020, if you accomplish only one thing through your blog, what do you hope it is?

I would like to get my traffic back up to where it was before Nov. 8 and keep crawling upwards!

8. What steps are you planning to take to reach your goal?

Hiring people to help me! Haha. I’ve hired an SEO expert to help give me direction on the best posts to update, which posts to delete/re-direct and to keep me in the loop on all things google. I also have two amazing writers who help both with new content and updating older posts.

9. What changes in blogging do you see coming in 2020 and beyond?

It’s harder and harder to keep people’s attention. My blog is very much geared towards “one time” visitors who are searching for questions about their dogs. So, good customer service and being real is important for convincing someone to actually return to my blog.

For example, actually responding to comments and emails and being appreciative if someone decides to sign up for my email list.

There is so much “fluff”/bullshit content out there that if I can create something real and helpful, people do notice that.

Video is obviously continuing to grow, but I will likely continue writing as that is what I enjoy.

10. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

Blogging can be lonely, so I would just like to hear some praise, please! Haha. Could you tell me something you have enjoyed about That Mutt any time in the last 12 years? Or if you’re new, what stands out to you as positive? Thank you!

You can read my past pet blogger challenge posts below:

2019 Pet Blogger Challenge

2018 Pet Blogger Challenge