I spent some time on some crafting forums this morning and I repeatedly saw threads popping up asking questions about blogging, how to get started, what to do, etc etc. I often see many of the same mistakes being made over and over again by new and even old bloggers, so I have compiled this list of common mistakes made by bloggers.
1. Displaying too many ads
When many people start blogging they think, “Cool, I can make some money off my blog with ads!”, and they load up their blog’s side bars with advertising space. There are a few problems with this thinking though:
- Realistically, you need to build up your views before ads will benefit you.
- Too many ad spaces actually lessens the value of each spot. If supply meets or exceeds demand, then everyone gets a spot and there is no incentive to pay a little more for a spot an advertiser really wants.
- A lot of clutter ads can subtract for quality content and leave a bad taste in reader’s mouths. If a blog looks like the writer’s main reason for running a blog is to make money from ads it makes me question their content.
2. Displaying your RRS
readers or “Blog Followers” too earlyPeople like to do what other people are doing. It’s in our nature to be curious about something other people are lined up to see. If you post your subscriber number when it is too low, it can actually work against you by giving people the sense that your blog is boring and not worth following.
Focus on writing good quality content, and readers will come, and over time your subscriber list will grow. There is no set number for an impressive amount of subscribers, I think it all depends on your market and niche, I personally will be waiting at least until I have over 50 subscribers, many people would choose to wait until they have at least 100.
3. Promoting or Advertising your blog too soonSpending time promoting your blog before you even have ten posts is not an effective use of your time. At the beginning spend your time focusing on quality content and refining your blog. This doesn’t mean you don’t want anyone seeing your blog, it just means don’t waste your time on advertising and promotion for a brand new blog, use it to grow and improve the blog.
4. Not updating frequently enoughEspecially at the beginning, blogging nearly every day is very important. You need to keep your blog top of mind and the only way to do that is to give them new, fresh, exciting content almost every day, (if not a couple of times a day). Ramping your readers up with a few good posts, and then leaving them to forget about you for a few days or a week is only going to work against you. Keep your posts frequent and consistent.
5. Writing about more than one topic per postTry to keep each post focused on one topic. It will help your readers find the content they want to read, it will make you look more organized, and it will make each topic seem more valuable than if they were all jumbled into one post.
If you do need to talk about a couple of different topics in the occasional post, make sure you gave it a title that is relevant to all of the topics, or that indicates you are rambling about a few things so readers know there is more topics as the get further into the post.
6. Ignoring your commentsI will be the first to admit I am very guilty of this one, however am working towards changing that. It first it didn’t even occur to me, but behind every comment is a real living commenter! If someone takes the time to write a comment on your blog, the least you could to is acknowledge and respond to it. I suppose it depends on the number of comments you get on a post, but if you can at least weigh in every once and a while and thank readers, reply to any questions they may have, or comment back regarding their comment, it will open up communication and encourage people to come back and keep commenting!
7. Getting too personalThis one depends on your audience really. If you are writing for your family and close friends, then I am sure they are thrilled to hear about your trip to the grocery store and experiences cleaning the toilet. However, if you are writing a blog in hopes of growing your readership, do not get too personal. While it’s important to put a personal spin on things, and voice your opinions, try to keep the content about interesting subjects that readers will want to read about.
There is a difference between writing about your personal daily life, and writing your personal thoughts and opinions on subjects that will appeal to a variety of people.
Also remember, I know this sounds so obvious but - what you write is out there on the web and anyone can read it! Five years down the road your forgotten blog could be searched by a possible employer.
8. Trying to Design and Style your blog yourself when you are not a Web DesignerThere are so many easy to use, easy to read, easy to navigate, and beautiful templates available out there, it’s really not necessary to try to build your own. Many of the free templates available are designed by professionals who are expert in design and usability, so why not use that to your advantage! Getting into the dos and don’ts of blog design is a whole other post, for a whole other day, but please just trust me when I say, leave it to the professionals.
9. Just repeating other people’s contentSure, occasionally I see something on another blog and it really catches my eye and I want to share it with my readers so I will post a short entry directing people to check it out over on the other blogger’s blog, but if you aren’t writing unique content, that people can’t find just anywhere, then there is no incentive for readers to stay at your blog. If you are just writing what everyone else is writing about, you won’t stand out!
As well, people want to here your opinion or view on something, not someone else’s. And don’t be scared to go against the grain. If you feel strongly about something, don’t feel like you have to follow along with everyone else’s point of view.
Outright stealing Blog Content is be an absolute No-No!
10. Posting huge blocks of textWriting huge long paragraphs with no sub-headlines, or images to break it up overwhelms your readers and deters them from actually reading your blog post. People come to your blog wanting to read it much like you would read a magazine, skimming headlines and images and reading the paragraphs that correspond to the headlines and images that most catch their eye. If you blog resembles a novel, people aren’t going to stick around.
11. Giving up too soonSo it’s been a couple months. You still aren’t sure if many people are really reading your blog. It feels like you are putting in so much effort and time, and seeing little return. Don’t Give Up!!!
From all of the research I have done on blogs, it seems it can take 6 months to a year of consistent, quality blogging for things to take off. Depending on your niche and your goals, it could take even longer.
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Mine are a bit sloppy since I was rushing so much, but these are the simplest Hallowe'en treats you could possibly make. I just baked up the cupcakes from a box, iced them with white icing from a tub, and bought one little squeeze bottle of red gel icing. I squeezed 2 drops of red icing on each cupcake and used a pointy knife to run through the red to create the dripping blood effect.
