Have you ever sought out advice on how to get better results from your blog? If you have, you’ve probably had someone tell you (either indirectly or through a blog post) that it’s all about creating better content. If you create truly epic content, people say, you’ll get results. It’s an easy thing for people to say, but it’s not the full truth. Yes, you need to write awesome posts if you want to attract readers. But if you’re struggling to get the results you want with your blog, the quality of your content probably isn’t your only issue. Instead, you may be making one of these 7 blogging mistakes:
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1. You think you need to publish every day
Unless you’ve got a team of dedicated content writers, this is one blogging mistake you definitely don’t want to make. When you start blogging, it can be super easy to think that you need to blog every single day (or something like it.) After all, all of the big brands do it.
But remember, there’s a big difference between you and a big brand. Big brands have teams of people who are dedicated content creators. They’re paid to create blog posts and other types of content all day long. They don’t have to worry about marketing activities, administrative tasks, and client work like you do. That’s why it makes sense for them to blog every day but not for you to do the same.
What happens when you push yourself to publish more frequently than you can? You start pumping out mediocre posts that make fans annoyed rather than excited to see your content. Why stress yourself out only to create content people don’t even want?
Solution: Beat this blogging mistake by focusing on consistency, not frequency. Need a step-by-step guide on how to do this? Check out Tip #2.
2. You post inconsistently
What’s one of the biggest reasons why blogs fail? The bloggers behind them don’t publish consistently. Maybe you started off strong with a consistent blogging schedule but fell off track when life got crazy (and doesn’t it always?). Or maybe you lost the motivation to keep up with it when you didn’t see instant results.
When you don’t blog consistently, your blog becomes less useful to your readers. Why? Because they can’t count on you to regularly publish useful content, which means that they can’t rely on you as a resource. They also can’t predict when your next blog post will come out. (And I know you don’t want to be THAT person. You know – the kind who leaves people hanging).
Solution: Beat this blogging mistake by developing a blog writing schedule that matches the amount of time you can devote to blogging. Want to know how? Check out our post on developing a blog writing schedule you can stick to.
3. You expect instant wins
Blogging is hard work. I’m probably not the first person to tell you this. And I can guarantee that I won’t be the last. If you want to build a successful blog, you’ve got to put in the work. There just isn’t a way around this.
But building a successful blog isn’t just about working super hard over a single week or month. It’s about putting in a consistent effort over time. Why? Because most successful blogs don’t experience instant success. Sure, you’ll read stories about blogs that got 50,000 views in their first month. But these blogs are rare exceptions, not the norm. And just because your blog doesn’t experience instant stardom doesn’t mean it’s destined to fail. So please, please don’t give up in frustration after a few weeks or even a few months if you’re not getting the results you were hoping for.
As I mentioned in my post on 10 blogging tips from the experts, it took 2.5 years before the blog belonging to Moz CEO Rand Fishkin’s wife took off. 2.5 years! That’s a long time. But it makes sense. After all, building a blog is all about building a tribe. And you don’t build a loyal tribe overnight.
Solution: Fix this blogging mistake by giving your blog the time it needs to develop a solid base of committed fans.
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4. You’re writing for yourself
If you’re still trying to build a solid tribe with your blog, this blogging mistake isn’t going to help you get there. Sure, it’s great to inject your personality into your posts and incorporate stories and anecdotes into them. (After all, people want to connect with a human, not with a robot.) But unless the point of your blog is to tell your personal story, focusing on you and your needs isn’t going to cut it. Why? People are selfish.
I’ve worked with bloggers who used to spend a lot of time crafting posts that suited their needs but not necessarily their readers’ needs. It can be a bit of a mental shift to let go of what you think your blog should be like and start thinking about what actually makes a difference for your readers. But it’s a critical shift to make if you aren’t there already.
Remember, your readers don’t care about what you think is important or the preferences you have. They want information that’s going to educate, entertain, or energize them. And it’s up to you to make this happen.
Solution: Identify your ideal reader, figure out what kind of content would be most useful to this person, and craft your posts accordingly.
5. You’re not creating compelling headlines
If you’re guilty of this blogging mistake, you’re not the only one making it. Many bloggers spend lots of time writing their posts only to slap a mediocre headline onto it at the end. And to some of you, this may make sense: The headline is just a few words. The body of the post is where the good stuff is really at. So why bother wasting time on crafting a clever headline?
All I need to do is give you one good reason: if your headline doesn’t catch people’s attention, they won’t bother clicking on your post to read it. Most people have lots of other places they can go and things they can do. So if your headline doesn’t give them a good reason to give your post a chance, you’ll lose them to your competition.
Solution: Avoid this blogging mistake by using free blog headline generator tools and blog headline analyzer tools to craft magnetic headlines readers can’t resist.
Related: 5 blog post headline mistakes you need to stop making
6. You’re not promoting your blog posts
If you’re making this blogging mistake, you’re losing out on lots of traffic to your blog. I wish I could say that if you just write solid posts, people will read them. But that whole “if you build it, they will come” thinking is nothing more than a bunch of baloney. Don’t fall for it!
Some rock star bloggers have such massive tribes that they can get thousands of eyeballs on their posts just by publishing them. But because you’re like the rest of us blogging mortals, you’ve got to actually tell people that your blog and latest blog posts exist.
Solution: Fix this blogging mistake by promoting your latest blog post to your email list, on social media, and (if you’ve got the funds for it) with online ads.
Related
- How to get more traffic to your blog without relying on Google and SEO
- How to drive traffic to a brand new blog
7. You’re trying to go it alone
If you’re a small business owner, a solopreneur, or even just the sole blogger for a larger brand, it can be easy to feel like you’ve got to make all of the magic happen on your own. But we’ll let you in on a little secret: you don’t! In fact, one blogging mistake lots of bloggers make is failing to leverage the people they’ve got around them to help them build their blog.
Solution: Fix this blogging mistake by leaning on others. Need some help creating content for your blog? Invite guest bloggers to publish on your site. Want to expose your brand to a new audience? Write a guest post for someone else. And if you need some help getting the word out about your new blog, enlist friends and family to share it on social media.
Avoid these blogging mistakes
If you’ve got the blogging blues, don’t accept defeat just yet. It probably isn’t the case that people think you or your blog are downright boring. Instead, you might be leaving lots of opportunities on the table by making one, two, or even all 7 of these blogging mistakes.
Use the tips I’ve outlined in the post to fix these mistakes and take your blogging game up a notch. Sometimes a few small tweaks are all you need to put yourself on the path to success.
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