by As a new blogger trying to kickstart your blog, you will make mistakes. You’re probably going to make a lot of them. We can probably even cross the word “new” out of the title and just make this a generic post for everyone – “Mistakes Bloggers Make and How to Avoid Them.” Heck, I’m probably making at least one of these mistakes right now.
Ok, I’m trying to be funny there (and hope I’m not making any mistakes), but the point is that we all make mistakes.
At some point in your blogging career, you’re going to mess it up, get it wrong, and totally everything you’re not supposed to.
So why bother writing this article, then?
Like G.I. Joe taught me in the 80s, “knowing is half the battle.” At least if you know some of the pitfalls, you can be prepared to avoid them or, at a minimum, know when you’ve crashed head first into one.
So, what are my Top 10 Mistakes New Bloggers Make? Here they are, in no particular order.
Mistake 1: Not Having a Clear Niche
We’ve already discussed how to choose a blogging niche, and by now, you should have your niche in mind. If not, we might have a problem. When I originally started this site, I had no clear goal in mind, and it showed. It was disjointed, sporadic, and not very well loved by Google. I wasn’t clear about my intention (writing an elevator pitch can help you with this), and it showed.
Much like anything in life, it always pays to have a focus. Pick your niche first, then get started.
Mistake 2: Inconsistent Posting
Writing can be hard work, and because of that, it’s easy to become inconsistent. Going for weeks without posting, only posting once a month, never posting at all after the first week or so…these are signs of your inconsistency.
While it can annoy your readers to never know when you’ll post next, it always makes the Google Gods angry. Google loves consistently updated websites – seeing new content signals that you have more to say and that they should listen. At a minimum, I suggest posting once a week, but even that is a little sparse, especially with so much competition out there.
You also want to avoid logging on and seeing that no one has posted since the previous year (or longer). Nothing says “move on to the next site” quite like something that looks like it’s been left to die and hasn’t seen a new post in months…or years.
Mistake 3: Neglecting SEO
Unless you’re hiring professionals to work on your SEO, you will need to learn a thing or two. When you don’t consider SEO, you might as well be typing into the deepest reaches of space. No one will hear you except maybe that one friend who supports you no matter what you do.
SEO is essential to success on the internet. While you want to pay attention to it, you also don’t want to be a slave to it. If you only write with SEO in mind, you’ll start sounding a bit robotic. Trust that some posts won’t be instant Google classics, and some never will be. Just remember that completely ignoring the subject will also get you ignored.
There are some fantastic tools out there to help with your SEO, and we’ll have to post about some of them one day, but we love SurferSEO.
PS Using a tool like SurferSEO or Yoast will help improve your natural SEO ability over time.
Mistake 4: Ignoring the Importance of Good Design
How old were you the first time you got on the internet? How old are you now? Depending on your age, you may remember different versions of the internet. I’m old enough to have been around before AOL was even connected to the internet, so I remember the early web as a place to look at lists of books in libraries and read research papers. And it was grey…very, very grey.
Web design has grown by leaps and bounds since the first time I fired up a dial up modem, and it is ever evolving. It wasn’t that long ago that mobile-responsive wasn’t a thing. Or that blinking text was a thing. (I am so thankful that’s gone.)
Pay attention to design – form, function, and just the feel – does it look good? An ugly site will send people packing. A confusing site will have them heading toward the nearest exit. Grossly under- or oversized images or non-responsive sites that require a bit of the ‘ol pinch and zoom will see them leaving in droves.
Make it look good. Make it make sense. And make it usable.
Mistake 5: Not Engaging with Readers
I mentioned previously that I come from a music background before all of this. One of the most important things you can do as a musician is interact with fans. Ignore them, and record sales (remember those?) will dry up, and concert venues will be empty.
No one likes someone above them or, worse yet, doesn’t even know they exist. Make friends, communicate, ask questions, and learn from others – that’s the foundation of the internet and something we sometimes forget.
Mistake 6: Poor Quality Content
One excellent blog post is worth more than ten posts you obviously didn’t put your heart into. ‘Nuff said.
Mistake 7: Not Promoting Content
I admit this is my weak spot and something I always have to work on. You are in business for yourself (even if you’re not making any money), so get out there and make it known that you and your incredible content exist. Blogging into a void is no fun (trust me).
Mistake 8: Not Networking
For the most part, bloggers are a friendly bunch, and I have met some incredible people online and off. Reach out to someone you read regularly, ask questions in the comments, attend a local event, and say hello. I have found that most bloggers will share what they know (even those packaging it and selling it tend to be more than generous with their knowledge).
And it’s not just bloggers you should be networking with. Do you know others who work in your niche? Are there people in related fields that you could meet up with? Is there someone you can learn from who would love a free lunch?
Don’t be shy just because you sit behind a keyboard.
Mistake 9: Not Monitoring Analytics
Not everyone is a data scientist, but ignoring analytics will keep you from growing. You need to see what’s working, what’s not working, who your audience is, where they’re coming from, and how long they’re staying. Even if the data-nerd label is not for you, learn some basics and watch those numbers – they can teach you a lot.
Mistake 10: Expecting Instant Success
How long will it take for my blog to succeed? I see a lot of answers to this question online, and quite honestly, I think they’re all wrong for the most part.
There is no magic timeline. You could write the perfect post on your first go, or you maywrite 100 posts and only be read by your mom and some guy from Spokane, WA, who keeps spamming your comments with veiled attempts to get backlinks to his business.
For most of us (myself included), it can be months before you catch on. I wrote for one blog years ago that never got past a handful of readers. If you avoid the previous nine mistakes, you’ll improve your chances of becoming a success, but you’re probably not going to see it overnight.
So What Should You Do Now?
Look back at what you’ve written already. Do you see any of these things that could be corrected? Are you guilty of more than one?
That’s okay.
There is always tomorrow. And many tomorrows after that. Keep writing. Keep focusing on your niche. Don’t get discouraged (this one can be tough).
And if you want someone to check out your blog, look back to #8 and leave me a comment.
