Let’s look at the common mistakes newbies often make at the start of their blogging journey. We’ve all made them! By understanding these common pitfalls, you can learn from my mistakes (not yours!) It’s time to set yourself up for success so let’s dive in and discover What are the Don’ts of Blogging?
1. You Don’t Do Proper Keyword Research
Mistake: You ignore the importance of keyword research in driving targeted traffic. So, you’re not getting the right traffic.
Solution: At a deeper level, keywords are your audience’s fears, desires, and dreams. What are their pain points? What do they need help with? What are they searching for?
So do your research using Google’s ‘People Also Ask’, the keyword research tool Jaaxy, and The Hoth Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords that help your audience.
See Also: ‘How Do I Find Popular Keywords that are Easy to Rank for?’ and ‘What are Seed Keywords?’
2. You Don’t have a Photo of Yourself in the Side Bar
Mistake: Who are you? Why should I trust you? What’s your story?
Solution: You want to build credibility with your audience so pop a photo of yourself in the sidebar along with a few introductory words about yourself. This connects you to your audience and builds trust with them.
3. You Don’t Link Within Your Blog
Mistake: A visitor arrives at one of your blog posts, reads the post, and leaves. Why not help them with links to more related content on your blog?
Solution: Promote your own content within your blog posts. Recommend other blog posts within the content and at the end of the content.
I also use the Internal Link Juicer Plugin that automatically links keywords within the content to your other posts.
4. You Don’t Write For Your Audience
Mistake: Not knowing your target audience. I gave a travel blogger feedback a while ago. He created this fascinating blog about his travels in Europe.
Between each paragraph, he had a tiny little banner for Booking.com. It was confusing. There was no connection between his content, this advertisement, and his audience.
Solution: He described amazing train trips. So I recommended he give his audience information about how they can book these trips.
I recommended he work out who his target audience is, and what they need. He needed to write his stories for them. It’s a switch from I to you.
5. You Don’t Publish Consistently
Mistake: You publish occasionally when you feel like it or have the time. Google, Bing, and your audience are not happy about this! You lose audience engagement and trust.
Solution: Set a consistent publishing schedule and stick to it. Plan and create content in advance to avoid last-minute deadlines.
6. You Don’t Promote Your Blog
Mistake: Is your blog a magnificent castle hidden away in the forest? It’s easy to focus on creating content but you need to promote your masterpiece too.
Solution: Tell the world about your blog. Choose one or two places where you’ll focus your promotions and build a loyal audience. For example, I answer questions on Quora and post pins on Pinterest.
7. You Don’t Create Social-Media Friendly Featured Images
Mistake: You’re focused more on the content rather than the images. Why are YouTube and TikTok popular? We are visual creatures!
Solution: Join Canva for free. Search for Facebook Post templates. It’s easy to create striking Featured images with your keywords, captivating title, and image. These are easy to share and look great on social media.
8. You Don’t Write Easy to Read Blog Posts
Mistake: You’ve got a lot to say and so you write big blocks of text that are hard to read on a phone, laptop, or computer. Your audience scans text, so make it easy for them!
Solution: Create short 1-2 sentence paragraphs and use headings, sub-headings, and lists. This is much easier to read and scan, with your main points in headings.
Also, the white space between paragraphs is easier on the eye.
9. You Don’t Create Captivating Titles
Mistake: Newbie bloggers underestimate the power of the catchy blog post title. Ignore these at your peril!
Solution: Your title is your first impression and entices readers to click on your post, not the competition.
- Use numbers, ‘9 Best Fitness Apps for iPhone’.
- Use negative, fear-based words, ‘How Safe are Your Finances from Scammers?’
- Use positive, inspiring words, ‘The Power of Positivity: How to Transform Your Life One Smile at a Time’.
10. You Give Up Too Soon
Mistake: You expect instant success and give up too soon.
Solution: This is a marathon, not a sprint. Understand that blogging takes time and effort. Stay consistent, keep learning, and persist even when results are slow. Success comes with perseverance.
Do You Make These Blogging Mistakes?
The key takeaway from this post ‘What are the Don’ts of Blogging’ is that every mistake is an opportunity to learn and grow. So, follow these solutions, make changes, and set yourself up for success in the fun and competitive world of niche blogging.
P.S. Hi Friends – I hope this blog has benefited you and you’ve gained some insights. Check out my latest value-packed posts about niche blogging and affiliate marketing to help your business progress. Please share if you think this will help your friends and networks. Also, see my Number 1 recommendation for the top blog training online where I learned the craft. To your success, Alisa
