Whether you are amateur or a professional blogger, we all tend to make mistakes in every day of our life so there is a high possibility that we might get into situations where we end up getting ourselves caught into a web of doubt about our own abilities.
Believe you me, it’s not your abilities that are absent. It’s the very basic but very useful know-how every blogger should have.
If you are doubting your abilities, that is a common blogging mistakes made by newbies, NEVER do that!
When, I started writing my first blog, I actually committed blunders! And the first blog of now famous bloggers was definitely nothing to write home about either.
My philosophy is simple- Learn, make mistakes and learn more.
I visit any website, I hover on to their blog section, just to understand the type of content people are using, the type of language they want their audience to reach, the themes that they are working on.
That’s one of the easiest ways to get inspiration when it feels like you’re stuck with no content to write. Let’s talk about major blogging mistake made by newbies.
I simply believe that you can find inspiration and ideas everywhere.
Blogging is not a rich-quick scheme. It might seem like a piece of cake but if you do not do the right way, then it can go downhill for you .You need to make sure that your blog is engaging, fun to read, and clickable.
To help you start off in the right direction, here are some mistakes that you should avoid and some tips for starting a successful blog
- Using a free blogging site
Now this is a blogging mistake that is so common yet so grave. Almost every rookie starts off with a free blogging site. If you’re doing this, I plead with you to stop, this is a major blogging mistake that beginners make and pay dearly with a loss in future growth potential.
First impressions matter and therefore you cannot have the name of your domain looking like something that you yourself wouldn’t click on if you ever found it on the net. Right?
Don’t expect to put in nothing and get hefty returns. Get a shared server, it’s relatively cheap and will boost your website’s performance by an incredible amount.
Otherwise the Speed and bandwidth of your site will be so slow that most of the readers will leave before they even read a single line.
Why stop at performance? What looks good, sells good. Take the customization to the next level, make your blog look beautiful and people will follow.
You won’t be able to advertise yourself if your blog is sore on the eyes. Make your blog look good and if you can’t do that how are you expecting to build a successful blog.
Sure, there are other methods but you need to start off somewhere.
I strongly recommend using Bluehostbecause you can purchase your own domain for as low as $2.95 per month. It also has an excellent technical support team with also a 30-day money back guarantee with no questions asked.
As we see it, there is no loss in giving this a try.
This blogging tip is an essential for everyone. Set up your investment game.
- Not creating an Email list
One of the major blunders that you can make is not creating an email list for your blog, well that’s true!
Not everyone is going to like or love what you write but those who do will definitely want to subscribe to your blog and would prefer to receive updates about your new blogs and domain.
You can actually make money through your email list because people who have subscribed to your blog are obviously interested in you and could be your future potential customers.
I recommend using Leadpagesto collect email subscribers and to grow your email list. You can also use Convertkittobuild an email list and also sell them products down the line.
If these two doesn’t suit your requirement then you can also go for another tool named Milotreewhich is a smart pop-up tool which increases social followers and email list subscribers.
- Presentation matters
People only give attention to what catches their interest. So, you need to design and create your blog in such a way that it catches their interest. What looks good, sells good; never forget this simple rule.
Design your content in a way that it is easy for the reader to sink their eyes into. Cramming thousands of words on one page is never a good idea.
Present your content in a way that communicates your ideas with clarity.
Badly-formed headlines or titles will make your readers and the potential customers and collaborators lose interest in your blog. It won’t matter if you literally have the best content in the whole world, if you can’t attach it with a catchy headline.
Because if you’re not willing to do it, your competitors always are.
Harsh, but true!
To avoid this common blogging mistake you can use images, pictorial representations different type of fonts in you posts.
Decide a specific color theme and stick to it as this will give your domain a more professional look. Remember to use popular keywords that will bring you some searchable traffic (well, that’s important).
But do not worry if you want to change your blog’s design with time, growth is essential. Only thing to remember is that change must be gradual.
Keep evolving with time and you need not worry a bit.
- Not marketing yourself enough
Do not live in a bubble and assume that just because you have a really good content, you’ll garner popularity. Big blogging mistake right here, and an example of the classic ‘Can do, Can’t present’ problem.
You NEED to advertise yourself to increase your traffic. And yes this will take money unless you plan to advertise yourself to every potential client in person, keep in mind you need to practice social distancing HAH!
Bet you didn’t see that coming.
You can also try out the Pinterest Traffic Avalanche course to increase your traffic without the use of ads and to monetize your blog.
You could also try out the Affiliate SEO Mastery course to increase your blog traffic. The way we see it, both of these are the perfect beginner’s guides to a successful blog.
- Writing in a robotic/stiff tone
If you write in a monotonous, boring and robotic tone nobody is going to be interested in reading your blog posts. Think of your blog and the people who read it as a huge family.
Tell me what is more engaging
- A one sided lecture? Or
- A two way conversation with anyone?
A dialogue is always better than a monologue. Don’t you agree?
A strong communicative attitude with your family is essential for a good relationship, there you go! Interaction is the key people.
DON’T do this, this is a blunder not a beginner blogging mistake.
You need to be able to make the readers connect with you and therefore you need to write as if you’re talking to your friends or family.
That way, you will be able to establish a connection with your readers. Be professional but still establish a level of your own personality and of friendliness into your post.
Because there will be hundreds writing the same content as you but there’s only one you. Once people love you and your content equally, they will only ever want the content that you present.
This will help you in the future in ways that you didn’t think about yet, not branding yourself is a blogging mistake made by newbies.
- Not engaging with your readers
This is probably the most common blogging mistakes for beginners and sometimes even for experienced bloggers.
Never ignore your readers when they comment a query, praise you or even if they criticize you.
If you interact with your readers, it builds a sense of trust.
You can obviously ignore the scam comments because they are good for nothing but never, ever ignore your audience when they take their time to read your blog.
Show a degree of appreciation in your responses, even to the ones who criticize you because even though you want to maintain a professional image, you absolutely do not want to look like a cold corporate machine.
While replying or conversing with people, always be polite and again professional with a bit of friendliness. This can come in the form of appreciating a funny comment or sharing a little about yourself.
Goodwill goes a long way in helping you in ways you didn’t imagine possible.
- Not sticking to a particular schedule
Remember when I told you that you have to perceive your audience as your family. You don’t ghost your family or leave them guessing about your whereabouts rather you tell them where you are, how you’re doing.
Am I right?
Keep a schedule, there’s no way you can succeed if you don’t stick to a schedule. You have to keep your readers updated on your blog and upcoming posts. You can’t just ghost them and then come back after 5 months and post something.
This is a common blogging mistake to avoid.
You need to be highly professional when it comes to creating a proper schedule and also sticking to it.
Don’t leave them wondering because the world moves on, no one will wait for your return especially if you’re a beginner. People find others. Not sticking to a proper schedule is one of the common blogging mistake beginners do.
- Stop trying to be a perfectionist
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A perfect blog post does not exist so stop trying to make one and embrace the flaws in your blog .Try to add some personality in your writings.
People love some spark and uniqueness anyway.
As mentioned above, my first blog writing attempt was a disaster but looking back on it, I needed to make those mistakes if I was ever going to think about making it to where I am now.
Tips for new bloggers are only relevant if they stick to the work. Step one is always believing in yourself and being okay with not being perfect. Making mistakes and learning is more important than anything else in any business.
Use that inner curiosity and look for blog writing ideas anywhere you can, a childlike wonder and curiosity can take you a long way with ideas.
I am sure, you have what you are pondering within yourself! Your imagination and your creativity can make your blog go woooo. Not to mention the joy you will derive from it.
- Not having a knowledge of Analytics
It’s really important that you understand some facts like which of your posts are gaining attention, where are you getting the most traffic from and so on.
This information can come in handy to make content that your readers like. You can get your hands on this information if you have a knowledge of analytics.
We know that it is hard for new small businesses to compete with the bigger fish, with more resources they can hire experts that do all the blog writing work for them; but what’s more satisfactory than beating one of these bigger fishes at their own game?
To avoid all the small business blogging mistakes that are hindering your growth, you must know your analytics.
Knowing public opinion is essential.
Analytics are a lot more than facts and figures on a spreadsheet. It’s knowing how the social/political climate of your targeted demographic is and aligning your content in a way that rings well with your readers.
Moreover, no amount of traffic on your blog can compete with the goodwill of loyal followers. Would you rather have one occasional visitor or a loyal follower who feels comfortable with your content? Now THAT’S something only some businesses achieve.
The Final Word
Well, avoid these 9 blogging mistakes and this should help you guys in saving your time. Start working upon the fact that you are way more creative than the solutions I came up with. Follow the footsteps but not the mistakes.
Remember that as long as you’re having fun with what you’re doing, you’re already successful. That is a tip not only for newbie blogging but also for life itself.
Keep these tips in mind and avoid these common blogging mistakes and you’re all set to start up an amazing blogging journey.