<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/8908225_s-300x200.jpg" alt="SMART Blog Goals" width="300" height="200" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-10241" />Setting goals has always been a smart thing to do for a business, individual, website, blog or any other endeavor. However, you cannot just set goals and expect to reach them. The goals have to be set in the proper way to ensure you have a fighting chance of reaching and achieving your goals.

Your blog is no different. Whether it's a blog for your company or a blog for you as an individual, setting SMART goals will make a huge difference. It doesn't matter why you're blogging, the way you set your goals will make a difference.

<h2>Defining a SMART Goal</h2>

SMART goals are not a new thing. They have been used by many very successful professionals and individuals for many years. SMART is an acronym and helps you set the right type of goals. It stands for:
<ul>
<li>Specific</li>
<li>Measureable</li>
<li>Achievable</li>
<li>Relevant</li>
<li>Time-Bound</li>
</ul>
By setting SMART goals, you will have the right plan in place to make achieving your goal much easier.

<h2>Specific</h2>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/12701763_s-300x199.jpg" alt="SMART Goals" width="300" height="199" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-10242" />The first part of setting a SMART goal is making it very specific. If you set a vague goal, such as "I want to grow my business by using a blog," you don't really have much to shoot for. 

It will be much harder to achieve this goal compared to a more specific goal, such as, "I want to add 10 new posts to my blog every week to increase the number of new leads I get for my business," or "I want to use my blog to earn enough money to pay my monthly rent/mortgage bill."

By making the goal very specific, it can become a motivator and you can use the other steps of SMART goals to make it more achievable.

<h2>Measurable</h2>

Once you have made your goal specific, you need a way to measure the goal. This can be very easy to set up, depending on your goal. An unmeasurable goal would be, "I want to use my blog to increase how many leads I get every month." This type of goal only means if you get one more lead than a normal month, you have achieved your goal. 

A measurable goal would be, "I want to add 10 new leads every month by using my blog." This sets a specific and measurable goal you can actually see as you work towards achieving it.

<h2>Achievable</h2>

Making your goals for your blog achievable is another very important factor. If you set too high of a goal, it can be very discouraging instead of motivating. Make sure the goals you set are realistic and you can actually achieve them. 

An unachievable goal may be to make $100K your first year of blogging, while an achievable goal may be to build your blog to make $500 per month by the end of the first year. You want your goals to stretch you a bit, but they still need to be achievable.

<h2>Relevant</h2>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/32138177_s-300x277.jpg" alt="Blog Goals" width="300" height="277" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-10243" />Setting relevant goals makes a difference, as well. There's no need to chase a goal that won't help you or your company achieve your overall focus. An irrelevant goal may be to double your audience on social media, while a relevant goal would be to double your actual blog subscribers. While social media may be important, it's not your blog so setting goals for social media doesn't fit with your blogging goals.

<h2>Time-Bound</h2>

A time-bound goal gives you focus and allows an end date for achieving the goal. You don't want to just set a goal, such as "I want to increase my blog traffic." Instead, you want your goal to be time-bound, such as, "I want to increase my blog traffic to 100 visitors per day by the end of this year."  By adding a time-frame for achieving the goal, you will be able to see how close you are and keep yourself on the right track.

As you set SMART goals for your blog, you want to make sure they fit with every part of the acronym. With SMART goals, you will have something to shoot for and something you can achieve. As you achieve every goal, you will build confidence and it will help you find success with the blog you are working on.
