7 MAJOR Blogging Mistakes to Avoid!

 

 

1.TRYING TO BE PERFECT

A lot of times when you’re trying to be perfect in your writing instead of just being 100% you – your posts seem to either not get as much attention as you’d like for it to have or you don’t get that good of a response (feedback). People can tell when the words are more so of forced and not really flowing like they should. For some people, self-doubt of being yourself in blogging can actually be crippling. Just be you. Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, magical, creative, awesome, amazing person that you are!! Remember to write about things that actually interest YOU. Don’t stress and write about what you think people will like. Write about what stays on your mind the most and I promise you the right people will find, follow and keep up with you and your posts.

2. NOT PLANNING AHEAD

Some may not agree and that’s okay but I seriously think planning ahead for your blog plays a big role in having a successful one especially if you’re trying to monetize it! When I say plan ahead, I’m particularly talking about planning your blog posts ahead, writing them ahead of time or even getting on a blogging schedule. The best benefit of planning ahead is that it helps you stay consistent, it keeps your readers interested and your traffic consistently flowing.

3. NO EMAIL LIST OR WAY FOR PEOPLE TO SIGN UP

One of the things I have the hardest time doing when scoping out a new blog is finding the follow button or email subscription option! Make sure the “follow/subscription” option is clearly visible for your new-coming followers and readers. That’s important.

4. BAD BLOG TITLES/HEADLINES

The one mistake that so many bloggers make (including myself sometimes) is making bad or uninteresting blog titles or headlines. Try to make your titles as interesting as possible! That alone is one of the BIGGEST things that makes your posts attractive!! Titles tell people what your blog is about, they improve the traffic you have coming to your blog, they engage your readers, and get potential readers excited. People aren’t only looking for information online – they also want to be amused, entertained or interested. So going forward, try to keep that in mind when you’re making titles/headlines for your posts.

5. NO PICTURES/IMAGES

A great way to attract more attention to your blog and your posts is to include pictures !!! I don’t know why but for some reason it just makes the post more attractive. People LOVE pictures!! I personally love using different pictures and images from Pinterest but now that I’ve learned how to create my own, I’ve been doing that more! Now, if it works for you to not use pictures/images then stick to whatever is best for you but in my opinion, it just makes your blog a little more lively and fun!

6. TOO MUCH COMPARING

It’s bound to happen. You’re going to compare your blog, your design, your numbers, anything to other blogs. It’s human nature. If you never compare, good for you! You’re a rare breed! Just don’t get caught up in comparing your progress to others. Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Always keep in mind that slow progress is still better than no progress at all! As a matter of fact, instead of comparing your blog to others, see what you can learn from them instead! It’s okay to reach out for help or advice. And when you do make it to success, be sure to drop a rope down for others when you reach the top! 🙂

7. NOT ENOUGH ADVERTISING

If blogging is basically a hobby for you then I’m not talking to you about this particular point but if you’re trying to monetize your blog and grow your traffic then you need to make sure you’re doing enough advertising to get people to actually come and visit your blog. There are several different ways to advertise and get the word out about your blog. There’s always “word of mouth”, you could pass out business cards if you’d like, reach out to people personally and try to get them to support you OR take advantage of social media! I’ve been blogging for five months and advertising through social media is just what works for me! My blog definitely gets more attention through Twitter and Instagram. For some reason, when I share my posts on Facebook, people could literally care less about it but the other social media platforms have been a totally different story for me!!

I’ve actually read a few posts from other bloggers that became upset from not hardly getting any traffic, views, or responses to their site and where ready to give up blogging .. and it just made me wonder if they ever actually took the time to advertise their blog or if they just kind of expected people to read visit and magically start following. One thing I can say about blogging is that it does not always go as you expect and you have to be ready for that. There are people that I really “thought” would support me in my journey of blogging but they don’t and then there are some that I never would have expected to take interest and they have! Once I got it in my head that I was determined to help people all around this world rather than just those that I knew personally/locally, my blog began to really grow and expand !! I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people through both Twitter and Instagram! From sharing my posts with them, interacting and visiting their blogs .. I’ve made some great connections, made some great friends, learned quite a bit and we just help each other grow! Ya know? That’s what the blogging community is about! But you’ve got to be just as consistent in your advertising as you are in your interacting and vice versa or you can just forget it. You won’t go far by being unsupportive of others. That’s for sure! So if you don’t advertise or you know that’s an area you slack in … try it and watch what kind of positive difference it makes for your blog!

 

Now I don’t want anyone to get upset with me! These are just my personal opinions and what I’ve learned along the way so far! I love sharing tips and also taking the opportunity to help those who need it. I appreciate every chance I get to learn from successful bloggers who were once in mine and your places. I just wanna share the love! I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for visiting with me today!

-Jessica