A
lot of bloggers are constantly on the hunt for a better design, higher
quality content, sharper photography and many more viewers than they
already have.
While there’s nothing bad about
investing more money and time in your blog, you might find it easier to
try “removing” some things before adding more.
Especially
if you run a small to medium sized blog, these 15 eye-opening tips will
help you eliminate some behaviors that are getting in your way. In
order to make your hard work get the feedback it deserves, you should
avoid these common blogging mistakes.
1. Not having a clear motivation for blogging
When
blogs started to come around, they were digital formats of journals and
diaries. But today the options are endless and you can make your blog
about whatever you feel like. What’s important about having a clear
motivation is that it will keep you on track and remind you why you
started everything when things become rough (because they will soon) or
when you lack ideas.
How to avoid it:
Be
clear about why you want to blog and this will help you shape up the
content you’re creating, and readers will find it much easier to
recognize your voice.
2. Relying on giveaways and other shortcuts to attract readers
You
will for sure get a ton of comments if you host giveaways. You will
acquire many new viewers as soon as you do a linkup, and of course
people will sign up for your weekly newsletter if you offer them a free
e-book.
But I bet readers won’t even remember
your blog’s name after they comment on the giveaway and they might trash
the newsletter email because your name or blog won’t sound familiar.
How to avoid it:
It’s
better to have ten readers that comment daily and spread your content
with friends than a thousand new subscribers that don’t even know who
you are. For your next giveaway, you might want to ask your readers what
keeps them coming back to your blog or what they’d like to see more of,
so you’ll get to know what works and what doesn’t.
3. Creating content that is fashionable or searchable for the moment
There’s
no reason why you can’t create vacation posts come summer, but writing
about the latest trend in yoga classes while you barely go to the gym
yourself won’t do anyone a favor.
Readers
notice unnatural and suspicious content immediately and there’s nothing
worse for your blog than to make people feel like you’re treating them
as dummies.
How to avoid it:
While
it’s okay to experiment occasionally, you’d better stick to blogging
about what comes natural to you, what you love doing and what you are
trying to learn. Nobody is going to demand everything from you, that’s
why there are so many blogs out there.
4. Obsessing with numbers and page views
While
the bitter truth is that low numbers mean only a few people are reading
what you pour your hard work into, bigger numbers don’t automatically
mean the whole world is appreciating your work. You might get a crazy
view count once a post is shared through a famous website, but if you
haven’t prepared your blog for that, the next day will be low in numbers
as always.
How to avoid it:
Create
content for your target audience from day one. When those readers meet
your blog, they will find what they need, subscribe and never leave you
again.
Also, choose to work with companies that
focus on the importance of what a single person has to say and not only
rely on numbers and statistics.
5. Not replying to readers’ comments
There’s
no biggest joy for a blogger than reading comments. But somehow a week
has gone by and you haven’t answered those questions about your design
process yet or haven’t thanked the nice reader who wrote a long
paragraph expressing how your last post changed their life. Sound
familiar?
How to avoid it:
Even
if you have thousands of comments to read daily, try answering the
readers’ questions. Also, don’t forget a few “thank you-s” every now and
then through social media channels or at the bottom of a post. Consider
doing it especially when your readers’ reactions surprised you so they
are constantly reminded you appreciate the time they devote to your
blog.
6. Looking around for inspiration before writing your posts
Sometimes
you are drained and no idea seems decent to put out there. So you
assume it’s the perfect time to browse favorite blogs for inspiration.
Beside risking spending the whole day in front of the screen and doing
nothing else, you will probably get input from someone else and post
about the same thing. Or perhaps the visuals you see will make you want
to design a similar style for your own post.
How to avoid it:
Try
to compile your content schedule at least a week or two upfront, so you
won’t be particular to current trends and follow what everyone else is
doing. If you write your posts and publish them on the same day, make it
a strict rule not to browse other websites unless you’ve hit publish on
your post for the day.
7. Not sharing the love
There
are so many hard working bloggers out there with a distinctive voice.
You probably discover at least an article/post/essay daily that is worth
sharing. But sometimes you are too busy to make that happen or even
assume the blogger doesn’t need your share because they already have so
many followers.
How to avoid it:
What
you share is equally important to what you create. So you better have
“worth reading” links in between your own posts. You might also want to
consider discovering and sharing the work of less known bloggers, in
order to stray away from links that have made the round of internet
already. Consider sharing amongst your own niche or completely different
themes too, while mixing the two together.
8. Not networking
It’s
not impossible to thrive in blogging without networking, but it could
be extremely hard. Especially if you come from a country full of great
bloggers, it might be a pain to get noticed. In addition, blogging is a
relatively new profession and not many people understand many things
about it, so having someone to talk to about difficulties or just to
celebrate a milestone is crucial.
How to avoid it:
Don’t
be shy to reach out first and tell someone you read his/her blog daily
and appreciate the hard work. Be personal, mentioning a specific thing
you like, such as their sense of humor or the beautiful photography. If
possible, organize meetings with bloggers living near you. You might end
up getting along in real life and support each other in the online
world too.
9. Posting something light, just to fill in a day
Life happens and more often than expected, bloggers don’t have everything together.
You
could have overslept, taken a longer vacation time to join your family
on the beach or just can’t come up with great ideas. If you always aim
for high quality content, a light and fluffy post won’t look good a year
from now and you will regret posting it. It’s better not to post
anything at all than something you’re not proud of.
How to avoid it:
On
days like that, you can ask a fellow blogger to guest post on your blog
or you can just share your best old content in a new way, by doing a
thematic round up of links. However, don’t be afraid to be real with
your readers. If they know you’re not feeling okay or something is going
on in your life, their support might get you back on track faster.
10. Falling into the comparison trap
With
so many websites posting great content multiple times a day, with
flawless images and well researched texts, it’s not easy to keep feeling
proud about your own blog at all times. What you shouldn’t forget is
that many blogs are run by a team and they need a lot of money to run
smoothly, so they are accepting far more sponsors than you are.
How to avoid it:
Notice
when you blog faster and when ideas strike write them down. Try to do
writing in bulk, take pictures on a good lighting day and edit
everything at once. These will make your blogging much faster and
organized. Also, don’t forget that you’re doing your best. Consistency,
quality and honesty are valued more than anything else you might bother
with.
11. Accepting every single offer that comes your way
It
might be tempting to say “yes” to every email that says, “We love your
blog! Would you like to work with us?”, especially when you’ve just
started blogging. While that might be fun at first, spending your time
and your valuable blog space with companies that you’re not interested
in is such a wasteful way of blogging.
How to avoid it:
Work
to achieve your dream collaborations and create the work you want your
favorite people/brands to see when they come across your blog. Be
selective and don’t be afraid to say “no” when the proposal is not a
great fit. But be kind and leave some doors open for possible future
collaborations.
12. Telling people to do something just because you think so
Indicating
you know best or have heard a lot of people say so is not the right
tactic to approach your readers. Phrases like “go out and buy this” or
“stop doing this today” are not professional and might even offend
readers.
How to avoid it:
Give
people options and tips based on different conditions. If you’re
talking clothes, consider examples based on budget. For beauty items,
give an option for every skin type or age range. You should never say a
particular thing is the only or best answer.
13. Not personalizing sponsored content
No
matter how much bloggers want to believe the contrary, most readers are
put off by sponsored content and especially posts written by a brand
representative. Every blog is a personal space and the owner can do
anything they like, but you better use your own voice to express things.
It is important that sponsored content is sparse and clearly stated as
such.
How to avoid it:
Even
if you are reviewing a product you were sent for free or you accepted
money from the brand, everything will seem more reliable if you share
your own experience. This way the readers will know your opinion is true
and it’s not the money you were given that made you love an unheard of
before gadget.
14. Ignoring user experience
It
is very easy to spend all of your time on making sure your design is
cohesive, with easy to read text. But what you might miss is that your
website could not load correctly on a different browser or pop up ads
might appear every time a reader clicks on a link.
Also,
don’t forget that colors never look the same on two different screens.
So you might want to check things before you spend all your time
perfecting them for your own browser/monitor/device.
How to avoid it:
Follow
yourself on every social media and subscribe via email to see how
everything looks from a reader’s perspective. Notice if things are
published on time, how the graphics look on different formats and if the
post looks the same on a mobile browser. It might seem like a chore to
do, but it’s crucial to try it when you start out and every time you
switch hosts, blog URL or launch a redesign.
15. Not giving readers enough options to follow you
No
one can deny that keeping up with all the social media platforms is a
huge task. Adding the new ones that seem to appear daily out of nowhere,
things surely get insane. But since blogging relies heavily on social
media, you can’t justify not using them correctly. You should not only
use these platforms to promote your blog and your latest posts, but also
treat them as the readers’ tool to keep in touch with you.
How to avoid it:
Try
to be on all the social media your users are, including Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin, to mention a few. You
can cut time by using apps that schedule posts. Also, don’t forget to
provide the option to your readers to subscribe by email.
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