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Every January, there is a pet blogger challenge. It's a great way to connect with other bloggers, take a look at the past year, and gain some inspiration for the new year. I'm so inspired by this challenge that I tried to do one for the fresh food community and it fell flat with only two participants – thanks, Amanda.
What's a Pet Blogger Challenge?
In my experience, a Pet Blogger Challenge is an online event hosted by one or more bloggers who give participants a list of questions (we all answer the same questions) that we answer in a blog post on our personal websites. Like I said above, I find it inspiring and when I learned that the host of our annual tradition was taking a break this year, I was bummed. But no worries, Colby Morita of Puppy in Training took up the mantel and created a new challenge.
In the past, I shared links to prior challenges just in case anyone was curious, but this year I'm going to start fresh because 2019 was a year of change for me. I learned a lot from the community and those lessons prompted me to take a step back and really think about why I love blogging and where I want to go in the future. The past is always a fantastic lesson in what works and what doesn't work, but when I dwell on the past, I tend to forget to enjoy the moment and dream about the future.
1 – When did you begin your blog? And, for anyone stopping by for the first time, please give us a quick description of what your blog is about.
I started Keep the Tail Wagging in late 2011. I started my blog to write about raising littermates and to educate people about working with reputable breeders and rescue groups. Looking back, I'm stunned by how arrogant I was to think that I could educate people on topics I knew nothing about. In 2014, I changed the topic of my blog to raw feeding and raising dogs naturally. I had switched my dogs to a raw food diet in 2013 and found the process complicated, overwhelming, and wondered if others felt the same. So I decided to share my journey with others who were also having trouble with the transition to raw.
Today, my blog is more about wellness because raising a healthy dog is more than just diet, it's exercise, training, communication, regular health check ups, and more.
2 – Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2019, that made you most proud.
I published my second book, 100 Questions Pet Parents Ask About Raw Feeding, in 2019. There are several things that I accomplished last year that make me proud, but starting and finishing a second book was an achievement because it was hard to find the time and energy to make it happen. Plus, it's always hard to put yourself out there on a new platform because I worry about the haters. So many people love to tear others down just for the fun of it and I was always afraid to write a book for fear of loads of negative reviews. I've learned to let this fear go because it's out of my control. Instead, I focused on creating a book that I thought could help others and I had fun doing it.
3 – Which of your 2019 blog posts was your favorite and why? (Please include a link.)
I live with anxiety and depression and the biggest blogging challenge of 2019 was making the decision to continue blogging. The raw feeding community is growing with new influencers joining every day. There are bloggers, vloggers, social media influencers, and more. This is fantastic, because the more people talking about raw feeding, the more dogs and cats we could help. However, on the flip side, because this is a passionate community, with that growth came a lot more negativity. I began seeing people say horrible things about their clients and customers who weren't ready to feed raw or didn't want to feed raw. I saw people encouraging others to troll people who were anti-raw. And I didn't want to be a part of this type of community.
The number of anxiety attacks I had grew in 2019. While I think that it's important that we be able to have discussions sharing alternative points of views, the “Mean Girl/Guy” vibe in the community was triggering. And when I lost two friends, one to fake drama created to get attention and another to politics, I just didn't want to go on anymore.
My favorite blog post in 2019 was entitled The Death of Raw Feeding. I wrote this after I returned from SuperZoo, an annual trade show for pet businesses and professionals that's hosted in Las Vegas. I was so disillusioned that I began looking into selling my blog. Getting my thoughts and feelings down in a blog post helped me take a step back and think about my role in the raw feeding community, if I wanted to be a part of the community anymore, and what I wanted to do going forward – how I wanted to help dogs and pet parents.
As a result, I left most raw feeding groups, I unfriended hundreds of people, and I began writing what I wanted to write and stopped being afraid to say “I don't agree,” or “I don't know.”
4 – What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2019, and how did you tackle it?
My traffic decreased by over 50% in 2019 and that scared the crap out of me. I was planning to resign from my day job on July 1, 2019, but that didn't happen. I was relieved that the traffic drop happened before I quit my job, but that relief was combined with discouragement because I don't know if I can count on my blog's traffic to support me full time even if it comes back.
Whenever something happens with my blog, I look to others for inspiration. I'm in groups with people who make over $10,000 a month and have over 500,000 monthly visits to their blog. If they can do it, then I can do it too. So, instead of pouting about the massive drop in revenue, I began thinking about how I could diversify my income, grow my traffic, and build a better blog.
In my research, I learned that my blog was a victim of a couple of Google updates. As a result, whenever I write about dog health, I include references to studies and quotes from veterinarians. I'm currently in the process of updating old posts with this information, deleting and redirecting posts to updated blog posts, and building an Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube following.
5 – One goal that we all seem to share is we want to reach more people. What is your #1 tip for bringing more traffic to your blog?
Creating content that answers a question has always worked well to increase traffic. I've learned to pay attention to the trends, make notes of questions I receive and that I see in groups, and I respond with a blog post or video that is from my experience raising five dogs. While learning from veterinarians and other professionals will always be preferred, getting information from fellow pet parents is valuable as well. This keeps me encouraged to continue sharing.
6 – Do you do sponsored posts/reviews? If so, what do you find works best and how do you determine what to charge for a blog post, social media shares, etc.? If not, is this something you’d like to do more of? What hurdle is getting in your way?
Yes, I do sponsored posts and reviews, but not as many as I used to do. I've found that doing too many sponsored posts takes away the authenticity of my blog, especially now that I have advertising. So, when I do reviews, it's usually on products I purchase. On the rare times that I do collaborate on a sponsored post, I have an hourly rate that is my goal and I use that to create a fee.
There will always be brands that either don't believe in paying bloggers or don't have the budget and I respect that. I do occasionally work in exchange for product, but I save these opportunities for brands that love and respect. The random emails I get asking for backlinks or free product promotion receive a polite canned message in response that says “no thank you.”
7 – Looking forward to 2020, if you accomplish only one thing through your blog, what do you hope it is?
My friend and I are planning the first annual Seattle Natural Pet Expo and I want to put on the best event the city has ever seen. We have a great line up of speakers and we're currently working on attracting sponsors.
One day, we were thinking about all of the events that occur around the country and wondered why we don't have something in the Pacific Northwest. There is such a huge pet lover and wellness community, this seems like the perfect location. So, we decided to host the event ourselves. It's been a learning curve, but I know that we're going to create a fun, memorable event and I love that I get to do this with my best friend.
The Seattle Natural Pet Expo will not be focused on raw feeding. Instead, we are planning an event that is for both dog and cat lovers and has sessions about nutrition, training, behavior, and more.
8 – What steps are you planning to take to ensure you reach your goal?
We're working with professionals in the marketing industry to help us get the word out about the event. And, I'm working my fingers to the bone to continue building Keep the Tail Wagging® and other blogs that will fall under the KTTW Umbrella, the first one being Dog Mom Style. I know that as I build my authority and following, it'll help us with our event and make it easier to make SNPE an annual day of learning for pet parents.
Because this is our first event, we're doing a lot of homework, speaking to a lot of people, and keeping an open mind. I think that if I would have approached this a couple of years ago, I would have wanted a raw feeding for dogs conference; today, I'm happy that we're making an event that is more inclusive because not everyone can feed raw.
9 – The blogging landscape is constantly changing. What changes in blogging do you see coming in 2020 and beyond? What plans do you have to evolve?
In order to build a successful blogging business, I've learned that I need to produce more than just blog posts. Having products that people want is key and I'll continue writing books. I'm also considering creating a course. I think the next step is to take what we're learning and put it into a course. Imagine if someone had a blog about Huskies, I would have been interested in a course when we added a Husky mix to our family.
10 – If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?
The 2018 and 2019 Google updates have negatively impacted traffic for a lot of bloggers. I'd love to know how other bloggers are recovering. And, if you weren't negatively impacted, why do you think that is? What's your niche?
I found the impact of the Google updates fascinating and followed many discussions over the years to gain a better understanding of what was happening and what steps I could take to recover.
Mea Culpa
Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that means “through my fault” and is an acknowledgement of having done wrong.
Wikipedia
One thing I've noticed in the raw feeding community is this attitude that raw is better. I've even seen people tell others that if they don't feed raw, they don't love their dogs as much. While I've never taken it that far, I know that my passion for raw feeding came across as judgmental of others and for that, I would like to apologize.
Over the years, I've witnessed a growing divide in the fresh food and pet lover communities. People are intolerant of alternative points of views that were derived from different experiences and backgrounds. I've been the victim of massive trolling from groups, name calling, and my “block” list on Facebook is a mile long. These experiences have forced me to take a look at how I've treated people in the past. We don't always have to openly attack someone to come across as a bully and that's been a tough pill to swallow.
So, whether you're a blogger or a follower – if you have felt that I judged you in the past, I apologize. It doesn't matter if it was my intention or not and while I do believe that we're responsible for our own feelings, I also know that the words we choose when speaking to others can make a huge difference in another person's day.
Agree 100% that too many reviews reduces their impact and also your own blogging integrity. You can’t use everything all the time and pet owners want to know you speak from a position of absolute truth. They need to know we are trustworthy as bloggers and reporters of facts.
The raw feeding community can be so judgemental. Actually I’ve found a lot of pet groups to be that way. I suspect a lot of parenting groups are too. People have to feel they are “doing it right” whether it’s raising a human child or a furbaby.
I’m so impressed by the sound of your conference. I’m on the other side of the country or I would come.
I 100% agree, Dawn. Whenever I’m tempted to get involved in online drama, I ask myself how it helps dogs. It never does.
Congrats on publishing your book and putting your Expo together! I would like to know where you get your energy! 🙂
I was lucky to not be hit by the latest round of Google updates. My search traffic has surprisingly been growing, though it still not massive. It at least makes me feel like I’m moving in the right direction. I do stay away from health topics and products though. I decided even though I have the background, I just didn’t want the responsibility of giving people information.
I’m sorry the attitudes of others has affected you so deeply. There are times I’ve been bothered by others who are outspoken and attacking with their talk on raw, but then I think I have friends who have been feeding raw since the late 1990s and if they aren’t judging me for my choices, why should I let someone I don’t know bother me? Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who seem to delight in doing this in a range of topics. I’ve unfollowed rescues and shelters who feel they need to publicly make an example out of people who give up their pet. It surprises me that they don’t see how this hurts the animals more than it helps them.
Thank you, Carol 🙂
Thank you, Hannah. What I love about these pet blogger challenges is the feeling of being understood. As you said, everyone is positioning themselves as influencers, but they don’t know what it is to be a blogger. People think I’m foolish for turning down so many brands, but I think it’s smart. It doesn’t make sense to accept free products when I know I’d never purchase them on my own and don’t plan to purchase them in the future. Turning my focus to me, my dogs, and my audience has taken a load off my shoulders. I no longer consider myself a part of the raw feeding community. I kind of wish there was another community that I could join – maybe pet wellness community. 🙂
My you are so enterprising and its wonderful to be working on an area-wide pet expo! I appreciated your thoughts on mailing lists, too! You are definitely niche-oriented and that will most certainly serve you well!! You know, there’s nothing like a book! It’s always there…Best of luck on your projects in the coming year.
Thank you, Barbara
Earlier today, someone asked me about the raw feeding community and I said that on the upside, it’s growing like crazy. But the downside is that with that growth comes a lot of combativeness. I’m just tired of the silly bickering that people do, how people treat others, and the trolling. Yikes! I’ve seen discussions where people celebrate trolling a veterinarian who doesn’t support raw – my question is “why?” What did they hope to accomplish? Personally, I don’t change my mind after being trolled. Is that their goal or is it just petty bullying?
I reached a point where it was time for me to leave the community and I left most groups except two and decline all group invites. Like you, I like seeing the questions (great blog content ideas). The only thing that makes me cringe today are when people ask/answer medical questions. Yikes!
Irene, thank you so much for this comment. It means the world to me. I turn down sponsorship opportunities weekly because I don’t want to promote products that I would never use with my dogs. When people have questions, they trust us more than the brands many times. If I’m promoting every brand that contacts me without having used their products regularly, then I can’t provide answers to those questions. It’s sad that brands don’t get this and will be offended when I turn down their offer. But I feel much better about my blogging presence because I’m not here for the money. I made that mistake years ago and I don’t plan to repeat it.
Thank you again.
Congratulations on all of your successes and additions to your blog on raw feeding. I wish you a super paws-perous 2020 and beyond!
Hi Kimberly! I discovered your blog in 2019. Reading just now about your journey as a writer over years of blogging has been really motivating for me. Your honesty is admirable!
Perhaps your ears were burning last summer? I had responded to an email from Kristie Hill where she was asking bloggers some specific questions to assess pain points. When I had the video call with her, she asked me if I did sponsored posts and I expressed my reticence. She specifically named your blog as one of the examples of someone in the pet community who was writing sponsored posts the right way by being choosy. Woot!
As far as Google updates go, I have little input. After taking a year off from my relatively new blog, my traffic took a dive that had nothing to do with Google updating, and all about no new content.
Looking forward to reading more about the Seattle Natural Pet Expo. Not sure I could travel this year for it, but I really like the concept. Annual event, perhaps!
Cheers! Irene
Hi Kimberly, thank you for being so open and sharing what’s been preoccupying you. I’ve left several raw feeding Facebook groups as well because the moderators were incredibly narrow-minded. The only reason why I’m still part of a larger one is because I find it so interesting to read people’s raw feeding related questions and concerns.
I’m excited to hear about your Seattle Natural Pet Expo! That’s so cool, and I can’t even begin to imagine the administrative load you’ve taken on there! Much success with it!
Wow – I just learned a whole lot more about you. I have noticed the raw feeding community has this holier than thou vibe sometimes. I commend you for cutting out the toxicity and focusing on your mission. I’ve always respected your opinion and blog.
I also have seen this mentality that “everybody is an expert”. I joke about it with a friend that now anyone with an Instagram, youtube, facebook or twitter positions themselves as an influencer.
I’ve grown my IG and got lucky it was during the early days we saw the most growth. I saw brands approach us and we did some work but something felt wrong hawking sponsorships all the time so I’ve really dialed that back so I just focus on writing content for our own little audience in the internet soup.
Congratulations on the second book. That’s a huge accomplishment and I look forward to seeing your articles in 2020.
Thanks, Lindsay. I thought about hiring an SEO consultant, but I really love doing the SEO on my own, so I’ve double-downed on educating myself. With the broadening of my content, I’m looking forward to following you in 2020 and sharing your training content. The new pup has shown me that I have a lot to learn.
Thank you so much, Bren
Thanks again for inviting me, Colby. It would be great to see you here in Seattle.
I know what you mean about people disagreeing – it’s like there’s only one way to do things and we’re always wrong in someone’s eyes. I’ve had to start setting boundaries to protect myself from the negativity. I agree, when we help others, it’s definitely a great reminder of why we’re here.
Thank you, Angela
The EAT update got me too and I’ve spent the past year updating old posts and I’m still not finished, but I think this is why my traffic stopped dropping.
That’s fantastic news about Facebook.
Thank you, Debi – I didn’t get hit with the latest update, thank heavens, and I do see an uptick. I think expanding beyond raw feeding and showing the many ways we can raise healthier dogs will definitely help.
I feel it’s important what you are doing for the health of our dogs. While I don’t feed raw, simply from a cost and convenience standpoint, I know many that do feed raw. It sounds like you have bounced back from your low point and going full speed ahead. Keep your head up and stay positive!
As for the Google updates, I got hit this past fall but I’m now seeing and uptick again. It was scary to see traffic drop overnight. I believe in moving forward and keep producing quality content.
I’m so sorry you were hit by the algorythym updates. I was too by the EAT update even though my health articles are just a portion of what I blog about. Guess I need to start updating those too.
Fortunately for me, as my google traffic was dropping, my Facebook traffic picked up so I didn’t really lose any income.
Hi from Spokane! My niche is pet photography and I haven’t really been blogging about that long enough to see any hits from Google updates. I just wanted to say that I know what it’s like to have anxiety and panic about all the goings-on that can happen within our communities. But I’m really glad that you’ve found your own path. Stay on it! Be true to you and what you want to write about. That’s where you will grow and find the full-time income you want. Believe it.
Those Google updates were rough, I’m planning on including more vet quotes for the same reason, but I’ve found it hard to find experts that I can truly match with – I may think they’re spot on about one thing, but totally wrong about another. Still, that and scientific resources to back points up, plus that healthy addition of being able to admit I don’t know everything – I’m up for that challenge of making my blog more informative than ever. But phew, the drama can be disheartening… I’ll admit I’m also afraid to network because I feed 50/50, so someone’s going to disagree with me either way. But when you get a comment or email from someone who you have really helped, it’s all worth it.
Congrats on your second book! I’m amazed at how much you get done while working a full time job and raise 5 dogs. I’ve been eyeballing your Seattle Natural Pet Expo for a while now. I need a good reason to go to Seattle so I can visit my dogs. I have 1 working dog, 2 puppies in training, and 1 career change dog living in the Seattle area.
My niche is service dog puppy training and I’ve been negatively hit by the Google updates in the past. The biggest one was Hummingbird back in 2013. Back then my traffic was peaking around 125K a month. and after Hummingbird it bottomed at 25K a month. It took about a year to recover. The June 2019 Core update took about 25% of my traffic. It’s starting to improve with the January 2020 Core Update.
I’ve tried to diversify my traffic over the years most recently with Pinterest and building my email list, but I think until something changes I’ll always rely heavily on Google traffic.
Thanks for contributing to the Pet Bloggers Journey! I hope you have a great 2020!
Thank you so much for sharing your Journey, I absolutely love the strength you have to do this especially having issues with depression and anxiety. What you have been able to build is amazing and I am so glad you’re not giving up after the challenges you have had with the new Google Algorithm. Each one of us is unique. And I think we all go through our own fears and challenges in the pet blogging world. I am just happy to see you grow and keep ongoing. You have a great post on blogging topics I enjoyed reading as well. You are very inspiring to those that struggle with similar issues. Being new I am unable to give you any input on the changes. I started after the changes were made. I do have confidence you will conquer these hurdles with ease because your strength shows in your writing. All I can offer you for input is tell you to Keep up the great work your already doing!! It was such a pleasure to get to know you through this post. Best wishes for 2020!
Hi Kimberly! Congrats on another year of blogging, even though 2019 had its challenges. I hope you are feeling much better about everything. Congrats on all you have accomplished. Congrats on you latest book. Also, congrats on your newest dog!
For whatever reason, my blog had a big increase in traffic in March 2019. It continued to grow and then took a dive with the Nov 2019 update. I guess it’s nice to know I’m not the only one but it is a bummer to know that so many blogs are seeing less google traffic.
I’m just continuing on as I always have – trying to write the best content, answer questions and updating older content like you said. I updated to a faster/simpler WP theme to increase site speed and that has helped my traffic crawl back up a bit. Hiring an SEO person has helped me as well, not sure if you’ve done that.