Blogger Interview: Atul Maharaj, founder of SocialMaharaj blog

August 22, 2021 Vanesh 4 min read

In the Bloggers Interviews series on TechnoVans, we would like to introduce Atul Maharaj, one of the top Hyderabad Bloggers from India. He writes about Technology, Food, Travel, Lifestyle on his blog. In this interview, he talks about his blogging journey and sharing some important blogging tips on the basis of his blogging experience.

Blogger Interview: Atul Maharaj, founder of SocialMaharaj blog

Can you please tell our readers about yourself and your blog?

I’m Atul based out of Hyderabad. I’m a Software Engineer by the day and a blogger otherwise. Blogging happened to me almost a decade ago in 2012. I’ve been blogging about Food, Travel, Technology, and Lifestyle on my blog SocialMaharaj.com for close to a decade now. Though my content creation journey on the internet started way back in 2007, I started blogging only in 2012.

How will you introduce yourself in three words?

These are all the words you can associate me with – Maharaj, Consistent, Social

How did you first get into blogging?

You would be surprised to know that this was due to an assignment that I was given in college as part of my Communication Skills subject. Our faculty then emphasized a lot on learning through social media. So creating & publishing YouTube Videos and blogs were something we were graded upon. That’s when we created a blog for the class on blogger.com and I was made the admin. That’s when it struck me, “If the class can have a blog, why not me?” So it was in December 2012, I started my blogging on WordPress and have never looked back since then.

How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?

I always say that the motive with which you start anything is the single most important thing. I’d like to share a small anecdote from my schooling days when I set up my first website. My professor back then asked all of us “We’ve taken everything for free from the internet, but what have we given back?” That statement left a mark and that’s how I started my contribution to the internet.

With this intent to contribute to the internet, I blog about a lot of things that I feel would be of help to someone. And when random people leave comments on the blog posts, share them, and say that the post helped them, there’s no great motivation than that for me. And that has kept me consistent too over the last decade as I share 2 blog posts at least every week.

What do you think is the best strategy that worked well for you to get more traffic to your blog?

I think it’s all about what you want to write and then understand the reader’s intent. More than writing a blog post, I spend time analyzing the keywords and user intent that help me craft a better post that is valuable to the reader.

I’m not someone who gets into numbers and works solely on improving that. I’ve believed that when you write, write for users. If they like it, search engines will like it too.

Related Post – Tips to get more traffic to your blog

How are you currently monetizing your blog traffic?

Most of the monetization on my blog happens through sponsored blog posts and campaigns, affiliate programs, and as well Google Adsense.

What advice would you have for someone who is just starting with their first blog?

The intent. Make sure that the intent with which you want to start blogging is clear to you. Choose a niche that you are passionate about and not something that you think will help you make money.

Only if you are passionate, you’ll be dedicated and consistent. Remember blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme that most of the newbies feel. It’s a slow and long process that will help you build your readership, online presence, and eventually your personal brand.

What are your thoughts about the TechnoVans.com platform?

It’s a great platform for all the technology and business enthusiasts.
The way the content is curated around technology news and advancements and paired along with startup stories is commendable.
A one-stop place for all the latest technology and business news.
Best wishes to the team.