For both newbies or experienced bloggers there are some common blogging mistakes that would be better to avoid, no matter whether you manage a blog just to share your opinion with your friends, or use it to earn money.
The majority of bloggers combine both approaches here – they like to share knowledge and make money in the process. What mistakes should we avoid for our blogs to be pleasant and useful to read?
You are welcome to read top 5 most common mistakes in blogging. Yes, they may seem obvious, but why do any of us forget about them so often? Remember: all brilliant is easy!
Do not update the blog too often.
Beginners tend to lose their heads from the new opportunities offered by a blog and start writing daily or even several times a day. In a few weeks the question arises – what is next to write about? A stasis blog does not attract new readers, so, it doesn’t bring you traffic and money as a result.
Do you have established communication with other bloggers?
This is a great way to become popular in the blogging community and promote your own blog. Insert links to other people’s blogs or their interesting posts of your niche, or create a page with links to your favorite blogs.
Comments!
Comments are the most important tool for building a dialogue and a way to become a recognizable person in your field. When you read a really standing post, make sure to leave your opinion or idea on it. But no spam! Most blogs let you leave a link to your own blog together with your comment, and it will definitely raise your search engine rankings.
Do not write for search engines, write for people.
Today many people are concerned about SEO, and they forget about their clients’ needs. Keywords are important, but keep in mind the interests of your readers as well. Remember, that only your blog’s visitors ensure its success or collapse. When you give valuable advice and provide useful information, readers will come to your blog again and again.
Don’t forget about niche
When you choose a niche for your blog, try to follow it. As far as you understand, your readers will visit your blog to find interesting and useful information on the exact topic, so, it will be quite strange to find a post about how to cook a cake instead of new gadgets’ reviews that were always present at your blog.
Don’t copy other works
This rule doesn’t even need to be discussed. Forget about copy-paste, and write unique and informative articles. Search engines will not like this for sure, and your blog will be banned as a result.
Don’t ignore optimization
A good content of your blog is not enough for it to become popular at once. Very often blogs owners spend more time on their optimization than content writing, because the main task here is to make people know about your blog’s existence. There is no need to spend much money for blog optimization at once, because you can try all free methods first: guest posting, links sharing, RSS, re-linking, social networks etc.
Don’t make grammar and spelling mistakes
Respect your readers, try to write without mistakes, as they can easily undermine your visitors’ trust. Even if you use a spell checker, don’t forget to re-read your blog’s published articles from time to time, as it often happens that you can notice their weak points and correct them.
Don’t use much ads
We don’t want to say that you shouldn’t use advertisements at your blog at all. The main point here is to use them wisely. Users come to your blog to find interesting and informative posts first of all, and they won’t be happy to see dozens of different ads there which don’t let them find blog’s content at all. People don’t like numerous pop-ups and pop-unders, too bright banners, dozens of advertising links in articles that lead to nowhere. All this stuff can easily make readers leave your blog forever.
Don’t write about anything you don’t actually know
At best, they will frankly laugh at you, taking your articles as a real bullshit. At worst, you can put a human life at risk. Why so strict? For example, if your blog is devoted to medicine, the slightest mistake in the components dosage may cause unpredictable consequences. And this is you who will be guilty, not the one who was wrong. So, our advice to bloggers who write on serious subjects devoted to medicine, health, etc.: write only what you are 100% sure, no gags allowed.
Don’t lie to your readers
Try to be honest with your readers, write the truth and don’t be afraid to confess anything or admit your weak points. We all understand that it’s impossible to know everything. Anyway, your readers will appreciate your honesty for sure.
Don’t criticize other bloggers
The Internet is the world full of individuality, and everyone expresses himself here. So, even if you disagree with other bloggers, try not to criticize them too much. Your strict critics can negatively influence your own blog’s popularity and reputation, as you never know whether your readers support you or not. Yes, it can be a quite effective method of self-promotion, but, unfortunately, you won’t get a good reputation in such a way.
Don’t call yourself a newbie
Let’s try to think logically: does anyone want to trust newbies if there are many other more popular and reputable blogs? Certainly, you shouldn’t lie to your readers, but you can make an exception here. Try to represent yourself as a pro of your niche, who perfectly knows and understands what he is writing about. Or just don’t call yourself a newbie at least.
Don’t ignore “About the author” page
A blog’s visitors want to know whose articles they read when come to your blog. Tell a bit about yourself, describe who you are and why you manage this blog. Try to give general information and tell about your interests, hobbies, aims in life. People like sincere and open-minded people, and it will be pleasant for them to know you better. Anyway, there is no need to tell your whole biography and describe every year of your life in details.
Don’t think about money only
Your readers won’t be happy to see how you blog turns into one more advertising project. Be yourself, write about what you like, think of your blog content and share your thoughts instead of just trying to make money. Money will come after your blog’s popularity and loyal audience.
Avoid these mistakes, establish connections, and communicate with your readers and other bloggers! Happy blogging!
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