How to Start Blogging Again after a Break

Last updated on 14 January 2025

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I don’t know about you, but I have been loving Threads recently. It’s been a lot of fun to meet new people, chat with them, celebrate their wins (even the ‘little’ ones) and encourage them in what they’re getting up to. One of the things that I’ve been seeing time and time again is that people are thinking about getting back into blogging. They’ve had a blog in the past and after a break, they want to start blogging again.

This excites me to no end.

You know that I love blogging – I wouldn’t be here all these later if I didn’t – and I love helping other people with their blogs, too.

So when the people online, on Threads, are asking about to start blogging again even if they haven’t been in the space for several years (or decades!), then I’m like “hiiii I’m Anjali and I’d love to help!” 👋🏻

If that’s you, if you’ve had a blog in the past, whether that be 3 years ago or 10 years ago, then this blog post is for you. I want to give you some of my thoughts when it comes to reviving an old blog, starting a blog again and how it’s different than it used to be, and also some bonus tips along the way.

Let’s do it.

Things to think about before you start blogging again

But before we get into those tips, I want to talk about some of the things I think you should think about when it comes to starting a blog again. You don’t want to just throw yourself into it without thinking about just a few things. These are going to help you start your blog again well.

The blogging scene has changed

If you were a blogger in the early 2000s through to the early 2010s … things are quite different now. There are more blogs out there, more websites in general, a lot of information, and a lot of noise.

Don’t be discouraged though! It just means that you have to be aware that there will be people out there writing about the same things, who have similar experiences, who provide some really great content. And in turn, it means you’ve got to use your voice and your story. People connect with people – that hasn’t changed – just the way we’re connecting has.

You’ll need to think a bit more about how you’re going to get traffic to your blog. Relying on Google won’t cut it these days, unfortunately Getting stuck in Pinterest is a great additional option, as is starting to grow an email list.

💡 Check out: Blogging Lessons And Things I Wish I Knew When I Started

There are more platforms to choose from

When I started my first blog in 2009, I used Blogger. It was perfect for what I needed at the time – a no-frills, easy-to-use, platform that would allow me to learn more about blogging, a little coding, and finding my groove.

Fast forward to about 2016 and I realised I needed more from my blogging platform and I moved from Blogger to WordPress, self-hosted with Lyrical Host. And I love it. It works so well for what I need.

But there are a lot of other options, too. Squarespace, Wix, heck even SubStack. Picking a blogging platform will be something you need to do when you get started again.

💡 Check out: What Blogging Platform Should I Use?

What you want to write about

This seems obvious, right? Right. You’ll need to have an idea as to what you’re going to write about. Something that I see a lot of is this ‘hurdle’. People get stuck because they know they want to write and have a blog, but they’re not quite sure what they want to write about. Perhaps they have a list of options but are struggling to narrow down a blogging niche.

Don’t worry too much about it. 

If you start writing about all your hobbies, you’ll either have a hobby blog in a year’s time or you will know that you don’t love writing about painting, but you love writing about textiles. You can pivot.

It’s better that you start something and pivot if you need to than never start in the first place.

💡 Check out: What Blogging Platform Should I Use?

Do you know of skills you’re lacking that would be useful to have

When I started blogging, I knew nothing about SEO, for example. But that’s so key for bloggers to know, especially when they’re starting. Even the basics of SEO (keywords, blog post formatting, linking, etc) can make such a difference.

If you used to have a blog but didn’t really pay attention to things like SEO, then that might be something you look into this time around.

And likewise with other ‘blogging adjacent’ things I like to call them. Perhaps email is on the cards this time around, or you’re going to start a social media account to go alongside your blog.

You might have blank spaces where you need to fill in with some info before you get started, or soon after you start. There are plenty of resources out there though, so whatever you think you need to upskill in, there will be help available.

💡 Check out: How a Blogging Community Can Help You Grow Your Blog

How to start blogging again when you’ve had a break

Hopefully, those things have sparked a few thoughts. Don’t worry about them too much – they’re just to get those brain cells whirling a bit.

Now we’re going to look at some of the things I think you should be doing if you’re thinking about starting up your blog again. These are by no means the be-all and end-all, nor is this list complete.

1. Figure out why you stopped in the first place
2. And why you want to start one up again
3. Ignore what everyone else is doing
4. Learn to learn
5. Get some accountability

Figure out why you stopped in the first place

If you used to have a blog in the past – could have been 2 or 3 years ago, could have been 10 years ago, doesn’t matter – try to pinpoint why you stopped your blog in the first place.

It might be super easy to figure out. You might just know it. It might be that you literally didn’t have time to update it. Or that it was no longer a priority. Or you suddenly stopped doing whatever it was that gave you fuel for blog post ideas. Or you started university or a new job … the list could go on.

Or it might be a little more nuanced. Perhaps it was a bit traumatic for whatever reason, or you had a hard time with it. Perhaps it just didn’t feel ✨ right ✨ anymore.

Whatever the reason, try to pinpoint it.

That will help you name the reason and avoid it to the best of your abilities this time around. If you can recognise where it ‘went wrong’ or, perhaps a better way of putting it might be ‘where it went haywire’, then you’re less likely to succumb to the same end.

And why you want to start one up again

Similarly, figure out why you want to start blogging again. Is it to make some extra money for yourself or your family? Maybe it’s because you simply love writing and you want to be doing more of it. Maybe you have experiences, information, inspiration, or encouragement that you think other people will benefit from …

Whatever it is, having that why at the forefront of your mind when you’re starting a blog again will be really helpful going forward.

Ignore what everyone else is doing

This one might seem weird … but I think it’s so easy to get swept away by what everyone else is doing. We can get bogged down in the details, and trying to make our blogs like the people we love and admire. And there’s nothing wrong with that, and I do think it’s important to check out what other people are doing in terms of how they’re formatting things or how they’re connecting with their communities … aspects of blogging where you can glean knowledge and learn from them …

But not that you’re just going to copy. Or think that you need to be doing something just because that well-known blogger over there said so.

See what other people are doing yes, but always remember to be you and to tell your story and do it in your way. People will follow along and read your blog posts if you’re being you.

Learn to learn

Because things have changed a lot since you were last blogging (unless you were blogging last year and it’s only been 12 months or so 😂), then learning to learn is a really good skill to pick up.

Since I started my first blog in 2009, here are just some of the things that I’ve learnt along the way:

• How to write things that I love but that other people will also find helpful
• Finding my blogging voice and how to go about that
• Technical things like:
  • On page SEO
  • Off-page SEO
  • Simple coding
• Email marketing
• Social media and ‘keeping up with’ updates
• How to use Pinterest for my blog and not just for saving craft ideas
• Working with third-party companies on collaboration
• How to guest post well

And there is probably a lot more.

But one of the most valuable things I’ve learnt along the way: is how to learn.

When you’re starting to blog again, be open to the things you don’t know. I already mentioned this but I think it’s worth reiterating. Be prepared to learn things as you go. Yes, things are different today than they were even 10 years ago, but in another few years, they might be different again.

And we as bloggers just need to be aware of the changes and adapt if we need to.

Get some accountability

Due to everything we’ve looked at in this blog post, everything becomes a little bit easier if you have a support group for accountability.

I went from blundering through to thriving when I got a friend or two in the blogging world who I could bounce ideas off, get help from, and answer questions… it made such a difference to how my blog evolved over time.

Having that accountability when you start blogging again is going to help (in my opinion 😊).

💡 Check out: The Blogging Room membership for women

So, are you going to start blogging again?

What’s the verdict? Obviously, these are just some of the things you can be thinking about when it comes to kickstarting your blog again, but I hope that they’re helpful and are what you need to make this year the year that you jump back into blogging.

If you ever need a hand with your blog, check out the blog coaching service I offer. I’d love to help you out.

Are you going to start blogging again this year? Let me know what you’re thinking in the comments!