In my first year of blogging, I think I made every mistake a blogger could make! Today I’m thankful for the valuable lessons I learned as a direct result of those mistakes. I once heard a saying while at a business conference that success is simply failure turned inside out.
I read many blog posts written about how we shouldn’t make certain blogging mistakes. I even wrote one here called Why Blogs Fail: How to Avoid Making These 12 Blogging Mistakes.
As a matter of fact, when I wrote that post I was thinking about all the things I learned in my first year of blogging. Most of which was a result of what I learned from the mistakes I made. My many errors were the result of a lack of knowledge and experience. To become a good blogger I needed to practice. Overtime I learned more and became a better blogger and writer.
The most affluent bloggers I know describe failure as the springboard that helped launch their blogs to success.
The message being we don’t need to fear failure. These common mistakes once recognized and corrected help us to become better bloggers!
Many bloggers unintentionally made a few or all of these mistakes that caused some to abandon their blogs. Most of them quit before their breakthrough. If you avoid making these mistakes you’ll have a blog that grows and is guaranteed to last.
1. Blog about too many different topics.
If you speak about too many vastly different subjects you won’t have a target audience and worse your blog might fail. At best you’ll get a small amount of blog traffic. Narrowing down to a niche topic area of interest will attract a specific audience. If you blog about a particular topic you’re interested in you’ll be able to write about it for a long time.
Many bloggers don’t know why they blog. Do you know why you blog? If not, I recommend reading this post;
9 Answers to “Why Do You Blog?” to help you discover the answer to your why.
2. Impatience in the process of growing a blog.
We all like to see the results of our efforts materialize quickly. Blogging with the expectation of quick success is usually met with disappointment. Blog growth takes time.
Successful bloggers all had to develop patience and persistence while learning from blogging mistakes. In their process of growing their blogs, they learned to enjoy the journey. If you stay with it and don’t quit you will make progress. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
When we let go of unrealistic expectations, we begin to blog just because we love blogging. You can then blog freely and connect consistently with our readers and other bloggers. I once had a wise teacher promise me that effort always produces the desired results in due time.
3. Failure to keep goals realistic and reachable.
There are steps to take that will launch you toward the completion of your blogging goals efficiently. Here are a few;
Avoid overloading your daily agenda of things to do. I use a six most important things to do list for daily blogging tasks. Until I complete those 6 tasks, I try not to move on to anything else.
Try to keep your blogging goals realistic and reachable by taking small steps to achieve them. I’ve heard it said that when you chase too many rabbits, you won’t catch either one. Chasing too many goals at once usually works out the same way, resulting in achieving much less.
4. No consistent blog post routine.
If your readers notice you’ve not been publishing fresh content in a long time they’ll think you abandoned your blog. Most will not come back.
Having quality content written on your blog consistent with your blogging topics and posted on a regular routine is key. Quality and regularity are more important than post quantity on an irregular publishing basis.
5. Poor blog design, difficult to navigate, and not enough buttons or links.
First impressions count! A blog that is poorly designed will drive away your audience. If the purpose/message of your blog is not defined right away, is difficult to navigate with not enough buttons or click links then visitors will leave.
Here are a few points to consider when designing and setting up your blog;
- Use a simple start blog design and layout you can build on over time. Less is more here when starting out.
- Making your blog easy to navigate and fully responsive to view on all devices, such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, is important.
- Your visitors will love buttons and links to click that take them where they want to go on your blog. Links should be added to all pages and blog post content.
6. Attempting to do it all alone.
All of us need support no matter what we are doing. From friends, family, and colleagues. There are many bloggers and writers you can connect with. Where do you find them? In communities. Facebook groups and their blogs are good places to start. You’ll be amazed at how beneficial online communities are to your life as a blogger.
Every successful blogger started just like the rest of us. They too had to learn the tools of the blogging trade to grow their blogs. What these affluent bloggers now know took time, commitment, and tons of perseverance to get there. Each one learned from other successful bloggers and most had a blog mentor to help guide them in the right direction. None of them achieved their blogging goals alone.
7. Failing to expand the reach of a larger audience.
Guest posting is a great way to expand your reach to a larger audience. Publishing on a variety of platforms is a sure way to expand your reach to a larger audience of readers. If you do this, you’ll get known for what you do and over time, people trust you and regard you as an expert in your field. You’ll also gain a higher volume of blog traffic.
8. Not building an email list of subscribers is a blogging mistake.
Not building an email list of subscribers is the best way to cause a blog to fail. If you haven’t already established an email list-building strategy, I’d encourage you to do this as soon as possible.
One option is to sign up for Mail Chimp is free up to 2,500 subscribers. This can be a great great starting place for those seeking to keep costs low or free. Constant Contact ,Aweber,and Convertkit are also great choices. All helping you to accomplish your email list building goals.
9. Trying to earn an income as a blogger too soon leads to many blogging mistakes.
I’m often asked by beginner bloggers if they can earn money blogging. The answer is yes. You can, over time, earn a lucrative income as a blogger. Your blog will not generate much of an income for you in the beginning.
Affiliate earnings are a great way to start. The problem is people try to do this too soon. Try waiting to monetize your blog in the beginning. Let your readers get to know you and trust you first. Give yourself time to gain some social proof.
10. Neglecting Comments
People who take the time to read your blog post and comment on it deserve a response from you. Over time, as your blog grows, so will your number of comments. It can become difficult to keep up with all of them. While you don’t need to answer all comments it is important to respond to many of them.
By replying to comments regularly, you show your readers that you care and appreciate them. Routine comment responding is such a big natural growth technique in blogging that not doing it can be one of those silent but huge blogging mistakes!
11. Expect more than they give.
An integral part of growing a successful blog is to give your readers more than you get from them. Show your readers it is all about them and not you. A loyal audience develops over time.
Being a giver is a magnetic quality that all successful bloggers demonstrate to their followers. Give whatever you have to offer on your blog for free when starting out. A free eBook or an email course is a wonderful place to start.
12. Weak social media integration and Networking.
Networking is an important part of successful blogging and worthwhile in helping you to promote your blog. Many bloggers don’t know how to optimize the use of social media or begin networking in a way that helps their blog growth.
This results failing to adequately promote your blog and having a weak social media online presence. Social media is all about connecting with others. Not showing up regularly on these powerful platforms disconnects you from your audience.
Integrating your blog with social media outlets helps you to achieve blogging success. Facebook and Twitter are great places to start. You’ll be able to personally connect with your existing readers. A consistent routine of social media interactions helps to establish a new audience, all pointing back to your blog.
Conclusion
When everything indicates you should give up is just when you need to step away but come back to it. You can revisit your blogging and writing goals with a clearer focus.
What blogging mistakes have you made and what did you do to correct them?
How did your blogging mistakes help you grow as a blogger?
Helping you to establish a successful online presence.
