If there’s anything my social media journey has taught me since it began in 2019 — from running multiple websites to handling different social media platforms — it’s that mistakes will humble you.
And there are two mistakes I made early that nearly destroyed everything I worked for:
👉 Not choosing a niche
👉 Not doing keyword research
These two things might sound simple, but they can make or break your entire online journey.
And I’m not telling you this because I read it somewhere — I’m telling you because I lived it.
Let me take you back to where the biggest shock of my content career came from.
My First Big Mistake — And How It Ruined My First Blog
My first blog was taculia9ja.com.
When I started it, I had no direction.
I was posting music industry news today… motivational quotes tomorrow… gossip the next day… then business tips… then freelancing… then random topics.
I was literally tossing content around like I was testing microphones.
But the annoying part was that traffic was coming.
AdSense was paying me.
Views were rising.
Everything looked fine.
Until one morning… everything crashed.
Traffic disappeared.
Earnings dropped to almost zero.
And I was confused because I didn’t do anything wrong.
Not until I discovered that Google had rolled out an algorithm update favoring niche-specific websites — and because my site had no focus, Google removed the “trust” it once gave me.
I wasn’t a music blog.
I wasn’t a motivational blog.
I wasn’t a news blog.
I wasn’t a business blog.
I was… nothing.
And the sad truth is:
when you try to be everything, you become nothing.
That painful experience taught me a lesson that I now carry into my social media journey.
Secret 1: Choosing a Niche Protects Your Growth
If I had chosen a niche earlier, both my blog and my social media journey would have grown faster and safer.
In social media today, choosing a niche is not just an option — it’s a survival strategy.
1. The algorithm doesn’t trust confused creators
If you post funny skits today… cooking tomorrow… motivation next week… bible study next month… you’re confusing the algorithm.
Platforms can’t recommend what they don’t understand.
2. Your audience doesn’t know what to expect
People follow you because of a single type of value. If you don’t stay consistent with that value, they won’t stick with you.
3. A niche helps you stand out
There are millions of creators posting randomly.
But fewer creators dominate specific niches.
That’s where your opportunity lies.
4. Your niche attracts the right audience
When people know what you are about, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube know who to push you to.
Secret 2: Keyword Research Is the Real Cheat Code
The second thing I wish I learned earlier is keyword research — both for social media and blogging.
Keyword research is simply finding what people are actively searching for or engaging with.
If you know what people want, your content automatically becomes relevant.
And relevance is the fuel of virality.
How to Do Keyword Research on Facebook
1. Use the Facebook search bar
Start typing your niche topic and see the autocomplete suggestions.
These suggestions show what people are searching for the most.
2. Check trending groups
Join groups related to your niche.
Observe the posts with the most comments, most shares, and most “insightful” reactions.
Those are the topics people care about right now.
3. Explore competitor pages
Look at creators in your niche:
What content performs most on their page?
Copy the structure — not the content.
How to Do Keyword Research on Instagram
1. Use the Explore page
What type of content similar to yours is going viral today?
Take your clues from there.
2. Check hashtag performance
Type your niche hashtag and see related hashtags.
These help you understand what people are engaging with.
3. Study Reels from top creators in your niche
What topics are they focusing on?
Instagram doesn’t promote topics people don’t care about — so use their strategy.
How to Do Keyword Research on YouTube
1. The YouTube autocomplete trick
Type your niche keyword in the search bar and wait for the autocomplete.
Those suggestions are real keyword searches by real people.
2. Check top-performing videos
Click on videos with high views but low subscriber count.
That means the topic itself brings the views — not the creator’s popularity.
3. Use the comments section
Creators often ignore comments, but that is where audience pain points hide.
Comments tell you exactly what people want more of.
The Two Secrets That Would Have Saved Me Years
If I had chosen a niche earlier…
If I had done proper keyword research earlier…
- My blog wouldn’t have crashed.
- My traffic wouldn’t have dropped.
- My social media journey would have taken off earlier.
- I wouldn’t be starting over multiple times.
But today, because of these painful experiences, I have clarity.
My blogging now has a defined niche.
My social media content now has direction.
My research now guides my creativity instead of guessing.
And trust me, you don’t need to make the same mistakes before you learn.
My Advice to You
1. Choose a niche — and commit to it.
Don’t try to impress everybody.
Target a specific group and give them consistent value.
2. Use keyword research — don’t create blindly.
Find out what your audience is already searching for.
Don’t waste time creating content nobody cares about.
3. Learn from people like me who suffered the consequences.
Trial and error looks brave, but it’s stressful.
Strategy is smarter.
Final Words
Social media is not just posting — it’s understanding.
Not just creating — but researching.
Not just showing up — but showing up in the right direction.
If I knew these two secrets earlier, my journey would have been different.
But I’m glad I know them now.
And I’m sharing them with you so you won’t repeat the mistakes that almost destroyed my first blog and slowed down my social media journey.