Growing a blog nowadays can be challenging. With so many competitors and generative AI taking away users’ clicks from search engines, website traffic is disappearing.
Given this new reality, is blogging still worth it? Yes. But you have to be strategic about it. Performing a SWOT analysis will help to identify your blog’s strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — so you can establish a plan to grow your blog’s visibility.
In this post, I’ll share how to do a SWOT analysis for your blog and give you a FREE downloadable template.
What’s a SWOT analysis?
A SWOT analysis is versatile tool to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a business, project, blog, website, product, or individual. This tool is used in business schools for strategic planning.
These aspects are separated into two categories: internal and external. The internal aspects are those you can control, like the strengths and weaknesses of your business. Whereas the opportunities and threats are external aspects out of your control that could have an impact on your business.
When was the SWOT created?
This model was created in the 1960s by Albert Humphrey, a management consultant from the Stanford Research Institute. Humphrey, however, didn’t take credit for it, leaving the origins of SWOT unclear.
Why Should You Do a SWOT Analysis on Your Blog?
Because it can help in understanding the competitiveness of your blog and how the landscape could impact it, so you can plan a growth strategy. This simple yet effective tool can help you discover:
- The strengths you can leverage to seize opportunities and mitigate threats.
- The weaknesses you can turn into strengths.
- The opportunities in the environment.
- The threats you should be aware of that could affect your business.
How to Do a SWOT Analysis for Your Blog
1. Define Your Mission and Goals
First, you have to know the purpose of your blog (mission) and what you’re trying to achieve with it (goals). This will help you identify what strengths and weaknesses to focus on.
2. Set a Brainstorming Session
Set a time to do a brainstorm and create a 4-column or a 2 × 2 table to write your results. Alternatively, you can download my free SWOT template.
3. List Your Strengths
Think about what you’re good at, what you do better than your competitors, and the resources you have.
For example, your skills, experience, social media influence or brand recognition.
4. List Your Weaknesses
Identify the areas you can improve to be more competitive.
For instance, to build an outstanding blog, you’ll need to create high-quality content. So it’ll be crucial to level up your writing, marketing and computer skills.
5. List the Opportunities in the Environment
What are the conditions in the environment you could take advantage of? These can be economic, technological, legal, or social. In the digital world for example:
- the costs of entry are very low;
- the reach is global;
- there’s an increase of people going online looking for solutions to their problems;
- there are underserved markets; and
- the rapid advances in technology can help to create higher-quality content.
6. List the Threats in the Environment
Are there any conditions you need to consider that could affect your blog? For instance:
- Who are your competitors?
- What legal requirements you need to follow?
- What consumer behaviours are trending?
- What online security and privacy issues you should consider?
You might like reading: How GenAI is Changing User Search Behavior
7. Set a Strategic Plan
Once have your results, reflect on them and pick the ones you have to work upon to achieve your mission and goals. In short, you should:
a) Select the strengths you’ll use to seize the opportunities and mitigate threats.
b) Choose the weaknesses you’ll transform into strengths.
A SWOT Example
Take a look at this SWOT analysis I did for a fictional character, Julie, an avatar I invented.
Julie is a nail artist who’s been working for 10 years for a famous high-end spa in Mexico. Creating fun customized designs for her clients is her passion. She’d love to start a YouTube channel where she can empower women to do their own nail designs and monetize her vlog. She doesn’t have computer skills but she’s a fast learner.
Julie’s SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS
- 10 years of experience in her niche.
- An impressive portfolio with her unique designs.
- Fast learner.
- Solid reputation among her clients.
- Motivated.
OPPORTUNITIES
- Most of her competitors’ content has low quality.
- It’s free to start a YouTube channel.
- YouTube is the leading video platform.
- The beauty industry is one of the most profitable industries online.
- Global reach.
- The pandemic has forced salons to limit their service, making customers to DIY their nails.
WEAKNESSES
- No computer skills.
- A small audience on social media.
- Little time to start a side hustle.
- No writing skills.
THREATS
- High competition.
- Constant changes in YouTube’s algorithm.
- Facebook is pushing video content for its platform, taking away viewers from YouTube.
- Privacy compliance, cybersecurity, cyberbullying.
A suggested plan of action
Finally, after performing a SWOT for my customer, here’s a plan of action I’d suggest that meets her goals:
1. Create a blog that showcases her outstanding portfolio and testimonials of happy customers. Capitalizing on her strengths.
2. Take an online course about starting a YouTube channel, blogging and marketing skills. Turning weaknesses into strengths to seize better opportunities.
3. Build her website to beat the changes in YouTube’s algorithm and diversify her sources of revenue. Developing a force to take better opportunities and mitigate a threat.
4. Learn about cybersecurity to protect herself and her blog from online attacks. Developing a strength to reduce threats.
Perform a SWOT Analysis for your Blog
Starting a blog can be challenging, especially with so much competition and genAI technologies changing users’ behaviors. But by discovering your blog’s unique advantage and areas of improvement through a SWOT analysis, you can plan a growth strategy for the AI era.
I hope you found this article helpful. If you’re ready to run a SWOT Analysis for your blog, grab my free template here!
Recommended reads for your blogging journey
- What’s a blog and how can it help to grow your business?
- Is Blogging Dead in 2020?
- How to Grow your Email List Fast With Quizzes?
- Download 20 exclusive free stock photos from Styled Stock Society. Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link. If you decide to join their membership I’ll receive a small commission. The price you pay won’t change.
