2016 Pet Blogger Challenge

Another year done and dusted! Last year, I completed the 2015 Pet Blogger Challenge that is run by the blog and website GoPetFriendly. I had a great time, and found a lot of awesome pet bloggers that I have continued to read throughout the year. So of course, we had to do it again this year! If you want to join in, all you have to do is go across to the Go Pet Friendly blog and it will have all the instructions. I hope you enjoy my answers, and I look forward to reading yours :)

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog.

I have been blogging since March of 2014. Daisy Pets is a blog 100% dedicated to all things pets and animals. I blog about my own experiences with my two dogs, and two guinea pigs, as well as review a range of products. I review everything from animal related books and humane human products to dog and small pet products. I have a passion for writing and animal photography so that often features in the blog as well.

2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?

There has been a lot of moments this year that I have been amazingly happy about. I have met so many talented and friendly people through the blog and love being able to work with these great people. One stand out moment is to do with Puss & Pooch. We originally won a contest through their Facebook to trial their new product and give an honest review of it. From there we had contact multiple other times, and Janelle sent me new items to try which was amazingly generous. Now we have a coupon code that offers 25% off the whole Puss & Pooch site! The coupon code is 'DAISYPETS'. I am excited to see what other opportunities come our way, and what we can achieve with Puss & Pooch in 2016.

3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)

My favourite blog post that I made this year has to be my interview with Alex from Bow Wow Boutique. I hadn't done anything like it previously, and it was so well received. I love the idea of spotlighting a bunch of small businesses that are making fantastic animal products. I definitely will be doing more interviews like these in the future.
Link to the interview: http://www.daisypets.co.nz/2015/08/interview-with-bow-wow-boutique.html

4. A common theme from last year’s challenge was that many of us wanted to increase the size of our audiences. Whether or not we intend to monetize our blogs, it seems we’d all like to reach more people. It feels good to know that we’re connecting with others, sharing a laugh or supporting a cause, and it’s motivating to see those numbers grow! What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog?

I haven't worked too hard on trying to get more traffic, I have just been cruising this year, writing what about things I like, and enjoying it as the last year I got too caught up in who was seeing my blog that I stopped enjoying it. I have found that connecting with brands via social media is a great help in bringing traffic in as they like to share content about their product as much as I like writing it.

5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)

The post with the most traffic that was written this year was my June review of the Bow Wow Box, however my review of SkinFood products was written last year, but gained most of its views this year. The reason both of these got popular is that I shared the content with the businesses that make the products through social media, and they then shared it to their fan base. This was a win/win for both the businesses and I, as the businesses got exposure for their product being good, and I got foot traffic to my blog.
June Bow Wow Box: http://www.daisypets.co.nz/2015/07/june-bow-wow-box.html
SkinFood Review: http://www.daisypets.co.nz/2014/07/out-of-conventional-skinfood-skin-care.html

6. What is one blog that you read religiously – other than your own – and what makes you such a devoted reader? (Please include a link.)

My favourite and most read blog this year has definitely been 'Keep the Tail Wagging', which is strange because we blog about completely different things! I love her outlook on life and blogging, and all her posts are so informative and interesting and written in a way that keeps you engaged. I don't currently raw feed, and probably won't any time soon due to a number of silly excuses on my side, but I love learning all about it through her blog.
Kimberly's blog: http://keepthetailwagging.com/

7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?

This question had me thinking for a little bit, but I think my most used resource in general is Lightroom, which is a photo editing software. All my photos are shot on my Canon 70d, and shot RAW which means I have to put them through an editing software to change them over to jpeg. This means I can also adjust little things in the photo that I would like. Without this tool, I really feel that my content across the blog and social media would be lacking.

8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?

Be yourself. The worst thing you could do is try and mimic someone else in order to achieve their success. It won't work out. There is enough space on the internet for everyone, and for everyone's different interests and styles. Just stick to yourself, show your passions and don't be afraid of anything, readers will come to you naturally if you are as authentic as possible. They will also trust your opinion more.

9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?

This has been the hardest question out of all of them. I haven't really thought about it, I am definitely a passion blogger, and have no financial interest in my blog at the moment. I think I want to be more consistent, maybe even have certain days and times that I will posting so that my readers know when to expect a new post. I don't have any specific goals otherwise, but I just want to continue what I have started and grow the community, both within my living area, but also throughout the world. I would love to get the blog behind some more charity work as well.

10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

I am not sure how the whole SEO thing works, and as much as I have tried to understand it, it still baffles me. If someone could 'SEO for Dummies' me, I would really appreciate that!