Top Five Mistakes Bloggers Make
The definition of a successful blog isn’t universal, and everyone has their own say when it comes to that.
However, we all want a blog that has excellent content, a clear audience, plenty of readers, and which can help us reach our bottom line be it growing our reach or selling our products and services.
To properly grow your blog and improve it, there are some common mistakes that most new bloggers make and which should be avoided.
Here is a look at some of them:
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Not Focusing On Your Target Audience
One of the biggest mistakes novice bloggers make is forgetting all the people they are targeting.
After they’ve set up a blog, most just start creating content and brain-dumping a list of topics they are interested in and that they like.
While writing is a good thing, if you do not think about the intended audience and the kind of topics they like and resonate with, then you just might be wasting your time.
A blog does not serve any purpose if no one is reading it. Therefore, it is vital that you create content for yourself first, this way, what you create will benefit others.
Nevertheless, before your content benefits others, they’ll have to start by finding it and reading it.
But, they’ll only find you if you have them in mind in the first place and continue to do so.
When starting a blog, it can be somewhat challenging to determine your target audience and the kind of content they like.
However, doing things like checking your competition and analyzing their social media followers and readers can help you get an idea of what to do.
It’s better to create less content that’s higher quality, then fill your blog up with poorer quality, less interesting blogs according to ClickFirst, a marketing company that specializes in this area.
Consider creating a profile focused on your average target audience and see what their needs and interests are.
You could even call your ideal audience members or send out a survey to see what their interests and needs are.
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Inconsistent Blogging
Another major mistake newbie bloggers make is inconsistent blogging.
When starting a blog, it is vital that you set apart time to update and manage it consistently.
Some blog owners make the mistake of publishing tons of content during the first few months, then disappear from the face of the earth once they get burn-out. And doing so will certainly burn you out.
Doing so confuses readers and makes the traffic you worked so hard for, to start declining.
Furthermore, if you are looking to work with sponsors or advertisers, it could affect their decision to work with you once they notice that you are not consistent.
To avoid this, consider starting slow. Prepare content ahead of time in the event you have an emergency that hinders you from doing so.
Have a consistent schedule. When it comes to content, quality is more valuable than quantity. If you plan on putting up posts once a week or once a month, then commit to that.
Personally, I like to be a few weeks ahead when it comes to posting content so everything is well planned out just in case I cannot publish anything for a few days.
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Not Having an Email List
This is one huge mistake most bloggers make. Newbie bloggers who don’t know about this may not see the importance of establishing an email list.
I personally know bloggers who have waited years before building a list and who ended up regretting it.
If you are trying to sell a product, or to run a monetized blog, or to promote your company, then having an email list is vital; and the sooner you have one, the better.
It doesn’t matter that you do not have few readers, just choose a good marketing program and place opt-ins on your blog site so readers can start signing up, albeit slowly.
Consider offering them incentives or freebies for signing up. If you are not ready to share a newsletter regularly, you do not have to.
Simply offer your email list some freebies then send them emails when you are ready.
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Your Content is Not That Engaging
A first impression is everything. When you start posting content on your blog, chances are your content won’t be that great.
However, over time, it will improve. Nevertheless, it is vital that you put your best work out and ensure that it is stuff that engages your audience.
You do not want to just dump random thoughts on your blog readers. So, ensure that your blog posts are well structured and that the tone is conversational.
Break up your posts by using small paragraphs and divide them using subheadings.
Write like you are talking to someone so that your posts have a casual, easy-to-understand feel.
Also, contemplate offering personal tips, actionable advice, and anecdotes that your readers can follow and do not forget to cite resources that back up your thoughts and ideas.
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You Only Write
Content is a vital part of any blog. However, a lot of bloggers make the mistake of only creating content, and that is it.
Content is not everything. There are so many aspects of blogging that need to be worked on if you want your blog to become successful.
If you are just publishing content, chances are your blog won’t generate the results you’d like to see, however amazing your content is.
The first thing you need to do is to edit your content. Ensure that it is grammatically correct and amazing.
Then, work on doing SEO, adding some visuals, maintaining your website, and promoting your content.
You could outsource some of these responsibilities by hiring a professional editor to work on your content, someone to make sure your site remains up to date, and someone to manage your social media pages.
The important thing is to ensure that you set aside ample time for each of these tasks so that your blog runs smoothly.
Here is a tip for you to remember: never spend more than half of the time you have allotted to working on your blog just on creating content.
Set apart time to polish and promote your content and to build up the blog.
Summary: Take It Slow; One Step At a Time Will Get You There