Blogging is a fine art- what are the 3 big mistakes bloggers old and new make time and time again? Let’s build your blogging empire the right way!
Blogging is, for so many people, a way to earn a living by creating something they feel a major passion for. Many people start blogging by flexing their creative muscles and soon begin to see the possibilities of what their blog can achieve. The art of blogging is part creativity, but also part commerce, which we see with many websites that sell a service as supplementary to their content.
When it comes to the art of blogging itself, there are a number of common mistakes many amateurs, and even many seasoned bloggers, make. Here are three of the big mistakes bloggers make and how to remedy them.
Mistake #1: Not Creating Consistently
Getting a blog up and running is, firstly, about identifying a clear purpose. When you don’t start out without a clear goal, it takes time to find your feet. People start blogs because they want a platform for their views and opinions, and while it’s not necessary to have everything figured out from day one, if you have a general direction, you can use your time and creativity better.
For example, are you looking to promote products further down the line or is it about making sure that you have a mouthpiece for your thoughts? When you start to think about what you can achieve, you then need to fine-tune what it is you are blogging about.
In business, people blog within a specific niche, and finding something that aligns with your interests is critical because it will help keep you motivated, ensures you reach the right people, and it means you are creating the right type of content for the website. But when it comes to the art of blogging, being creative is only half the battle- to do it right, you have to drain the well of your creative resources.
Creating a blog involves a lot of time and effort, but in order to have a successful blog, it is about playing the numbers game. When you are not creating content on a regular basis to a strict schedule, you will not achieve leads, which do not turn into traffic, and if you end up selling products on your website you are not getting the customers.
Your goal is to deliver more value to the people who look at your website, and the more value you provide, this turns into better leads and more customers. As a rule of thumb, you should be blogging on a daily basis, but this might be difficult to achieve, if not unsustainable. Here are a few things you need to consider to make your blog posting consistent:
Determine a Posting Schedule
Depending on the type of blog you are promoting, you will need to post your content based on a specific schedule, which all depends on the type of customer you have in mind. There are specific times of day to post blogs to maximise your blog reach.
According to MonsterInsights, the best time to post can hinge on what your goals are. For example, publishing a blog post will gain peak viewership between 9 am and 10 am, and when looking for the best day, Monday is considered optimum.
While it can seem like an exact science, there are a number of other variables to consider, for example, if you want to get more shares on social media, whether you’re looking for more links and comments, and so forth. When posting, it’s essential to have a schedule so you can automatically post your content, and there are numerous WordPress plugins to help you here.
Have Simple Ways to Generate More Ideas
Of course, it’s easy to say that you should come up with more ideas which will make for better content, but there is only so much one person can do. This is why it’s important to conduct keyword research because this will help you take your content in different directions.
When it comes to creating content, sometimes the title alone can inform the content. But when you are blogging about a specific subject matter, you may find yourself running out of ideas, and this is where you can utilize a number of resources to come up with titles for blogs.
It is tough to generate more ideas, but when you start to see what is out there, you can come up with a new and interesting angle on it. The hardest thing when it comes to blogging is about being “original,” but every subject matter has been covered, it’s more about what your writing voice will communicate.
The best thing to do when it comes to generating ideas is, very simply, to not let anything go to waste. Making sure you have a notepad or a voice note app on your phone means that any little idea that comes to mind can be jotted down, and something that’s a morsel of a title now can be expanded further.
Repurpose Old Content
If you feel overwhelmed by having to create consistent content and post it every day at specific times, you are going to feel the burden, but this is where you can start to play the game better.
When we are trying to drive traffic, it’s vital to remember that it’s not just about generating new content. Approximately 38% of bloggers update old content, and this is a great way to make sure that you are staying consistent in your posting without draining your creative well, for example, by updating an old list like “The Best Blogging Websites of 2023,” which you can add to year on year.
Make no mistake, consistent content is what will drive traffic to your websites, and if you want to get more leads and more customers, sticking to a schedule will not just guarantee more traffic over time but it will inform your writing too!
Mistake #2: Ignoring SEO
When bloggers start out, they feel like they’ve got a platform for their views, but what happens is that over time bloggers decide to either “play the game” or not, especially when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). SEO is, in essence, a way for Google to understand your website.
If you wait until later in your blogging journey to understand that Search Engine Optimisation can help you rank higher, you are missing out on valuable traffic, so you will be playing catch up and missing out on potentially making more money. SEO is a system that can help you to create content that ranks well in Google.
When you go on Google, how many times have you gone past Page 1? Roughly 70% of people will never go past the first page on Google, and only around 9% of people click on any results on Page 2.
In order for your website to rank, you’ve got to get into the mindset of what Search Engine Optimisation can do. SEO covers a number of fundamental practices that can help your website rank better. These include:
- Getting backlinks from authority websites.
- Making your website mobile-friendly.
- Speeding up your website by increasing the load times.
- Using internal linking.
- Optimising images.
- Optimising existing content.
- Creating content based on the right keywords.
The latter point is critical for ranking on Google. Keyword research is the phrases and questions people type into the search bar on Google. When people search for topics your blog provides, your web content should appear. Conducting keyword research doesn’t just mean you are more likely to rank and monetise your blog quicker, but keyword research and Search Engine Optimisation become great ways to inform your blog content so you are creating more relevant information.
Search Engine Optimisation may seem like more work, but it is an essential source of traffic for your blog. Think about it like trying to shout at someone just out of earshot; getting a megaphone would make it easier and more direct, which is basically what SEO can do for you.
SEO is the key way for you to tailor your content according to Google’s algorithm, which is the system that allows Google to find, rank, and return relevant pages for a search engine query. You need to make sure your website speaks Google’s language; Search Engine Optimisation is the best way for you to do it quickly, guaranteeing increased results in a matter of months.
Mistake #3: Avoiding Promotion
Another big mistake bloggers make when they start out is thinking they just need to create the content, share it on social media a couple of times, and the traffic will automatically flow to them. The problem with this is that they’re not getting into the right mindset for promoting their blogs.
Publishing a blog post is a lot of work. If you’ve already conducted a lot of research to create a well-informed post that covers your niche, appeals to your audience, and follows SEO best practices, your work is still not done. Promotion is the final piece of the puzzle to make sure you are bringing those people to your website. Bloggers who are well-versed in the art of creating content know that after they hit “publish,” they’ve got to hit social media and actively promote their new post.
Promotion is something that many amateur bloggers tend to shy away from, so here are some methods to make sure you are promoting your blog effectively:
Share Your Blog on Social Media
Social media promotion is not just about sharing something once, but about making sure that you create a content calendar that showcases a variety of posts that will engage in different ways. As we’ve already discussed, scheduling your content is critical, and this is where finding the right times of day to post on social media based on your niche will make a significant difference.
Building Links to Your Website
Link building is another key part of Search Engine Optimisation. When you start to feature on other people’s websites that link back to you, this sends a signal to Google that your site is a reliable, more authoritative one, and is ranked accordingly.
You can build backlinks by guest posting on other websites (which should be a key tactic for you). Purely from a networking perspective, ensuring you make your presence felt on other people’s blogs and allowing guest bloggers on your website works towards creating a website that will rank higher on Google. Link building is such a simple SEO strategy that can make a big difference here.
Using Quora
Quora is a forum website where people ask questions to get detailed answers. For example, if you are a blogger with a niche in mental health, you can search for questions about specific mental ailments and provide a deep, meaningful, and engaging answer.
If someone finds your answer useful, they will possibly check your profile, which will have your URL, and they have the option to look for more information on your website. Be careful to not put your blog URL into every answer as this can come up as spammy- it’s about being helpful first and foremost!
Work With Influencers
If you can find a way to work with influencers, this is a great way to get a much bigger audience share for your blog.
Don’t Forget Email!
Finally, one of the best ways for you to build relationships with your followers is through email marketing. While many businesses use email marketing, if you are starting a blog with the aim of selling a product, email marketing can help you grow your leadership, while also connecting with others, like guest bloggers or industry experts. When you create a blog newsletter that tells your readership that you have a new post for them to read, this can slowly but surely build the right audience.
To Summarise…
Every blogger is going to make mistakes in some fashion. These three components cover so many of the mistakes bloggers make in terms of creativity, rankings, and even just getting into the habit of promoting themselves. You’ve got something to say, so you need to shout about it! If you’re just starting out, look at these three mistakes and avoid them as best as you can.
