Hello, Bloggers welcome back to our another interview of EBIS (Exact Blogging Interview Series).
Today I got a great opportunity to take an Interview With Santanu Debnath. He is the founder of Blogging joy.
In his blog, he shares blogging tips & tricks, SEO tips, keyword research techniques and all of the things related to blogging.
So, without wasting any more time let’s start asking questions to him.
[su_note note_color=”#fff90c” text_color=”#000000″ radius=”5″]NOTE: He has shared some secrets that will definitely help you to grow your blog So, don’t skip any question.[/su_note]
Interview With Santanu Debnath
Q.1) Please introduce yourself to ExactBlogging readers?
Thanks, Piyush for inviting me to your blog, you are doing awesome.
Hi friends, I am Santanu Debnath, a software engineer by profession and a blogger by passion. I love to write a lot, mostly on personal finance, blogging & WordPress. And that’s what has helped me to continue my passion for blogging.
I try to educate people about how to blog & be a better blogger through my blog BloggingJOY.com. I also share many useful WordPress tutorials and SEO tips. Besides that, I & my wife Manidipa also run a multi-niche blog MyDailyLifeTips.com.
If you want to connect with me, Join my Facebook group where I regularly share useful tips and experiences. This group is one of the fastest growing Facebook groups among Bloggers.
Q.2) What’s the #1 reason for starting bloggingjoy.com?
In my last 10 years of blogging journey, I have created many websites. Few got success, but many were failed too. As beginners, we make a lot of mistakes which hurt your blogging experience.
I have started BloggingJOY.com to share all my experiences & knowledge which can help a beginner to avoid them and save those years without making those common blogging mistakes. You must know how blogging exactly works and create a passive income source form that.
At the same time, I want to build an authority blog through which I can prove my skills and generate regular income through affiliate marketing. And that’s the reason I took a serious step to start BloggingJOY.com to take this dream forward.
Also Read: 21+ Experts Guiding To Rank On Google (Secrets Revealed)
Q.3) Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?
I am not a full-time blogger, however, I am not a hobby blogger either. I just love to write and experiment a lot by trying different niches. Off course time management is the biggest problem which doesn’t always allow me to explore enough in blogging. But I am happy with whatever I am able to do in Blogging.
Q.4) How much time did you put into writing content in 2019?
I spend a lot of time in writing and it’s my best part of Blogging. I know many bloggers who suggest to write less & promote more. I truly believe & try to follow that, but I can’t stop myself from writing.
In 2019, I am targeting to write almost every single useful article related to blogging, WordPress and SEO on my blog. I am regularly following many Facebook groups and comments where people are looking for solutions to their problems. And that’s where I find my next topics to write on.
I cannot control my writing time. However, I write whenever I get free time besides my job & other responsibilities.
Q.5) Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog?
I met many people while building BloggingJOY.com and growing my Facebook group. You need good people and friends who will support you all the time to go forward. Few of the names I would like to mention here are:
- Saurabh Tiwari
- Sumit Sao (Founder of Blogging Lift)
- Rahul Bhicher
- Anil Agarwal
- Navin Rao
and many more.
[ss_click_to_tweet tweet=”An Interview With Santanu Debnath ‒ Founder Of Bloggingjoy.com” content=”An Interview With Santanu Debnath ‒ Founder Of Bloggingjoy.com” style=”2″ link=”1″ via=”0″]
Q.6) How you first got involved in with blogging?
I have answered this question in many interviews and love to share every time. I came to know about the internet back in 2004 when I was in college. At that time, we used it for finding notes and entertainment only.
But gradually I came to know that we can make money from online jobs as well. By 2007, I got into such make money programs and explored many of them which were nothing but scams.
Gradually I came to know about the Google AdSense program. And while reading more about that, I have explored blogging, how to build a website and make money from that. And that’s how I have entered into the world of blogging.
I & Manidipa first started a recipe blog which didn’t go well. After a couple of failed attempts, we were able to start our first successful blog MyDailyLifeTips.com.
Q.7) Can you name some of your favourite bloggers and explain why they are your favourites?
This list is really big. But I want to share a few of the names whom I have seen growing from their early days. Harsh Agarwal, Ankit Singla & Anil Agarwal are few of them. I am a regular reader of their blogs and still learning a lot from them.
Q.8) How is your daily schedule/how many hours you work on your blog?
My weekdays are mostly occupied with the job & other priorities. Besides that whenever I get time, I spend that answering my Facebook Groups questions and try to help people. I need to manage time a little more efficiently to be consistent in blog commenting & answering in Quora.
However, I utilize my weekends properly to execute my blogging plans. Mostly I write on new topics, research & then plan for publishing new articles. As my wife Manidipa is also in the same field, she is taking care of the on-page SEO and editing part of my articles on weekdays.
Q.9) What do you find most challenging about blogging about your topic?
The biggest challenge in this niche is competition. You are competing with the real big guys and ranking is very difficult. But right now that is not that important, as it is all about building your own audience.
In the last 10 years, Google has changed its algorithm multiple times and the ranking mechanism works completely differently. One has to give enough time to grow as an authority.
There are challenges in every niche, but this niche is for bloggers. So you must have genuine knowledge and skills to attract readers and grow.
Q.10) Describe your writing process, from concept to publishing. How do you stay motivated?
Mostly on weekdays, I read and research a lot. As I said, I am not 100% depending on tool based keyword research. I generally look for different Facebook Groups and blog comments or forums where people are seeking for solutions. I am also following what other bloggers in my niche are doing. And that’s how I plan my topics.
After that my next target is to build the flow of the topic. Mostly I write articles with lots of subheadings as they make the article easy to read. As soon as I structure the article, I keep that aside. Also, I make sure to add all the useful resources, stats & data to refer.
On weekends or early morning of any day, I plan to write the entire article based on the collected points. While writing, I never look for editing. I just write in one flow, so that I can build a good story while writing. Most of the time, I can write 1000 words in 30-40 minutes if the topic is among my favorite niches.
After that, I revise the article and do all the headings and picture placements. Before publishing the article, Manidipa always reviews the same, completes all the on-page SEO activities, proofreading and also correct everything wherever possible. We use Canva to create thumbnail images and then finally plan to publish.
Also Read: 19+1 Top Social Bookmarking Sites To Increase Your Traffic In 2019
Q.11) Can you tell me some of your strengths that really helped you in blogging?
You actually need some different skills to stay active in blogging. Blogging is not just about building a website and putting some articles on that. While doing that, you also need to help others, be polite to connect with everyone, listen to what people are looking for, writing really useful articles in simple English so that everyone can understand.
I think my biggest strength is the patience & passion I have for this profession. I just love to spend time with people having similar interest, can talk for hours and write articles throughout my life. You must love your niche and should have 100% genuine passion to continue blogging.
Q.12) What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?
Well, I spend most of my time with my wife & kid, either watching movies (Animated & Marvel especially) or preparing foods. We both can cook well, and do a lot of experiments on weekends.
Besides that, I love driving and occasionally go for short travels. My kid is growing and he has a lot of questions to be answered and that is what I am enjoying these days 🙂
Q.13) What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?
Building a strong & happy family is my biggest achievement. My family is very accommodating and they support me for anything and everything. I don’t think I can count anything other than this as an achievement.
Q.14) Did you Start blogging with a business plan?
I am not from a business background and my education also doesn’t support this. So, if you ask me from a business point of view, I would say, No. But I am learning things gradually and trying to implement them.
Q.15) What’s your suggestion for my blog? (If any)
Well, I think you have started recently and with some good strategy. Featuring top bloggers in your niche is the best way to get connected with them and build your network. Networking is the key skill to grow in the blogging & you have already taken that step.
I am sure we are going to get some useful articles on different topics from you in the coming days. Keep up the good work.
Also Read – Timeline Domination Review & Bonuses, $100 Discount: Sell Anything Online
Thanks for the kind mention brother.
?
Hi Piyush,
great interview with Santanu.
I love reading interviews with my fellow bloggers, and I love the format too. Leaves no stone unturned…
Thanks again to you and Santanu,
have a nice day:)
Welcome Dear
Great Santanu bro is really helpful and polite.
Thanks Piyush for this.
Thank you dear