10 Blogging Mistakes To Avoid

I’ve been blogging in some capacity for over a decade now, and while it’s an exciting journey it’s not without it’s challenges. When I first started I made quite a few blogging mistakes, some of which may have impacted my earning potential. But I try not to think about those!

If you’re a new blogger here’s a five step guide to starting your own blog. But then make sure you come back to check out some of the mistakes to avoid.

Neglecting to define your audience

When I first started writing I had no niche, and just wrote anything and everything. I didn’t even think about my audience and who might be reading my blog. But to create a successful blog you need to understand who you want to read your work. Without a clear understanding of your audiences interests, preferences and needs you’ll struggle to create content to connect with the right people.

Failing to plan your content

Consistency is so important in blogging and without a plan for your content you may struggle to build an audience. Work out how often you want to commit to creating content and try to be consistent with it. I’ve always been consistent but that consistency has changed over the years. There were a few years that I published a piece of content every single weekday. And creating 20+ posts a month was spreading myself too thin. Now I commit to publishing twice a week on the same days each week.

Focusing on quantity over quality

When you first start out a blogging mistake you can make is focusing too much on quantity over quality. While consistency is essential you need to prioritise quality content.

Publishing low-value content just to meet a publishing schedule can damage your reputation. This is one of the reasons I lower my posting schedule as I couldn’t write five high quality posts a week alongside a full time job.

Don’t make the blogging mistake of overlooking SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) plays a crucial role in driving organic traffic to your blog. If you’ve written a post about a specific topic you’ll want it to show up when someone searches on Google. A few of my most popular posts are pieces of content that get a lot of traffic from Google.

Ignoring SEO best practice such as keyword research, link building etc. can limit your blog’s visibility. Over time this can limit your growth potential. SEMRush have a great complete guide to SEO if you don’t know where to start.

But don’t write your content for search engines

While SEO is essential, it’s important to prioritise writing high-quality, engaging content for the people reading it.

Years ago it was common place for content to be overly optimised for SEO and for search engines to crawl it, but the content was very hard for an actual human to read it. Avoid keyword stuffing or content that sacrifices readability.

Not getting a vanity URL

Before you buy a domain (or vanity URL) your website will end with something like .wordpress or .blogspot. When it’s like this you won’t be able to build up your domain authority which means you may struggle getting some partnerships or paid work. In most cases it will only cost about £10-20 a year for a domain and this way you can build up your authority from the start.

I didn’t get my own domain for about two years, and it did hinder me at the start.

But when you’re choosing a name think wisely about how it may look or sound in a few years time. That’s why I stuck with just my name.

Don’t ignore imagery

In the modern technological word imagery is so important. Most social media relies on visual content and it can be a great way of attracting readers.

Incorporate images, infographics, videos etc into your posts to make it more appealing and engaging to readers. This is also really important when promoting your content on social media. You get such a short amount of time to draw a reader in so make sure your visuals are impactful.

Don’t make the blogging mistake of failing to promote

When you first start creating content you’ll need to build an audience of people to consume your content. That may be reading your posts or watching your videos.

You might have created the most amazingly written insightful content but if no one see’s it it will fall flat. Utilise social media, email newsletters and guest posting or promotion through other websites to increase the reach and visibility of your content.

Neglecting to engage with your audience

Building a following and community is key to long-term success. But don’t make the mistake of neglecting to engage with the people who follow or engage with you and your content.

Respond to comments, start conversations and answer questions to create a loyal and active community. The time it will take to do will show your audience that you care and appreciate them.

Don’t accept every collaboration you’re offered

I remember the excitement I had the first time a brand reached out to me. I think it was for something really small like a shower gel, but I thought I’d made it.

Don’t feel like you have to accept every item or payment you’re offered (especially when you’re starting out). Consider if the product or service is something you’d use, and whether your audience would care about it. If you start to accept everything your audience may not trust you and your blog could become diluted.

Blogging mistakes conclusions

There’s no cheat sheet on how you can  become a successful blogger. But avoiding these common blogging mistakes can help set you up for success and maximise the impact of your content.

Don’t think that your blog will be an instant success, for most people it takes a lot of dedicated time to build a following.