While most people who blog will describe it as an art, others will say it is a science. Regardless of what you perceive blogging to be, there are some blogging mistakes and errors which can ruin your credibility with your readers and turn your blog into a desert zone in no time at all. In Your Online research, you will find lots of blog marketing tips and tricks to help you identify the best practices of bloggers and running a blog. Often it is easier to identify mistakes that bloggers make and simply avoid them. Even if you aren't doing a lot of things correctly, not making mistakes immediately puts you way ahead of your competition. Here are some 10 Common Blogging Mistakes you should Avoid.
1. Failing to proofread
Forgetting to proofread is the single biggest mistake a blogger can make for their blog. It takes a time to create a quality post as it involves research, preparation, organization and finally writing it. There is no reason to undercut a blog post's value with simple spelling and grammar mistakes when so much work has gone into it. It is unfortunate that after so much goes into the blog post creation process that proofreading often gets overlooked. You will always find mistakes or areas of improvement if you take the time to proofread thoroughly, regardless of how good a writer you are.
2. Deviating from the topic
Deviating from the topic can mean a lot of different things. Many people talk about creating content which fits within the theme of the blog. Although staying on topic in terms of overall content is important, it is a mistake to deviate from the topic within a blog post. Those who are reading your article will have seen the headline or search engine listing and have decided they wanted to read about that topic. Then if you change the direction of your post to cover a topic completely different from what your headline suggests, it is very likely that your readers will quickly leave. This can not only be damaging in terms of readership, but it also makes you a more ineffective writer over time. Making mistakes constantly eventually will lead to that mistake becoming a habit. This is a very dangerous habit, especially when you really have an important point you want to focus on and get across to your readers.
3. Failing to promote your blog content after it is published
Creating an excellent post is only half of the job. What you need to ensure is that your content gets seen. In most cases, the owners of popular blogs spend more time promoting their content than creating it. Don't think that you have to spend money on PPC ads, rather take proactive steps to promote sharing. You can do this by social media sharing or just sending an e-mail to update your subscribers and notify them that you have published new content. The key is making sure you promote your content, regardless of how you plan to do it.
4. Failing to consider SEO
Experienced Internet marketers can confirm that creating blog posts solely for SEO purposes is a surefire way to turn your readers off. However, what many of them forget is that the opposite is also true. Search engine optimization should not dictate the direction or content of your blog post, but making some simple formatting decisions can go a long way in gaining search engine visibility. Search engine optimization has become harder than ever as search engines continually alter their algorithms, but don't make the mistake of completely ignoring it. As search engines are still a significant source of online traffic for most blogs, giving them what they want is in your best interest.
5. Non-frequent and erratic postings.
The enthusiasm and passion in many bloggers do not remain the same after a few weeks, compared to their initial days of blogging. Blog requires being updated as frequently to maintain their readers.
6. Not reviewing or proofreading content before posting
Low-quality content diminishes the quality of a blog. Proofread the content before posting. It helps bloggers to avoid grammatical and spelling errors on their blog. Blogs with poor grammar or vocabulary are likely to be considered as incredible by its readers.
7. Ignoring readers comments
Blogs are an effective means of interaction. They enable bloggers to interact with their readers in the form of comments. This helps bloggers to create a potential relationship with their readers and create a loyal readership for their blog. However, the content of the blog must be interactive and provoke its readers to discuss it.
8. Desperate to monetize the blog
Many bloggers start their blog to make a significant monetization from it. However, focusing entirely on monetization may affect the readership and credibility of the blog. Remember, when a blog creates no value, no money you can make out of it.
9. Poor maintenance
The appearance of the blog is as important as effective content. The blog need not be very flashy or decorative. What matters for the reader of a blog is the easy to navigate, easy to read template and structure. Bloggers maintenance replicates the effectiveness of the blog in building its credibility.
10. Irrelevant content and titles
Many bloggers try to get visitors to their blog by posting with irrelevant and tricky titles. This may work for a short period, but in the long run, it impacts the credibility of the blogger and the blog.
A blogger cannot become successful by not committing mistakes, but learning from them and not repeating them in the future. Blogging requires a lot of time and effort to make it successful. However, many bloggers commit the mistakes in pursuit of rapid success. These mistakes have potential to destroy the credibility of a blog and make it unsuccessful
Becoming a successful blogger or running a successful blog involves not making common mistakes as well as continually improving your skills. While it can take a long time to learn how to do everything with a high level of proficiency, it takes no time at all to spot the most common blogging mistakes others are making and ensuring you avoid them yourself.
