Blogging Best Practices – 15 Mistakes That Keep You From Winning
The blogging niche is a lucrative field. Every other guy wants to start a blog, but does not understand the critical requirements of this field. While the internet has ample space for every new blogger, most of these beginners leave blogging after a few months, because they have no idea of the blogging best practices. Also, they realize that it is not as easy as they think it is, to earn money from blogging.
This article is going to focus on the reasons behind this. I am going to list a few common mistakes that new bloggers make, which restrict them from becoming a successful blogger. These blogging best practices have helped even the most expert bloggers reach their goals.
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Blogging best practices -15 mistakes new bloggers make and expert bloggers don’t:
1. Not choosing the right niche and target audience
The first and foremost decision any novice blogger needs to make is choosing a niche to work on. With so many niche blog topics available, it is not easy. Most people either choose a niche which they think performs, but have no interest in or a niche which they are passionate about, but holds no value in the cyberspace.
You have to find a balance between both these things when choosing a niche. If you choose a niche which you do not have even the slightest interest in, it will become a chore after one point of time and will no longer interest you. Search for what people are looking for on the internet and choose a niche which you can add value too.
2. Opting for a free blogging platform like wordpress.com or blogger
Decide whether you want to start a personal blog just for family and friends or a powerful website which can be monetized at the right time.
Free blogging platforms might be easier for beginners, but they have so many limitations. These platforms cannot ever be monetized properly or taken seriously by the readers. You might find one or two big websites hosted on these platforms but unless your content explodes the internet, you are not going to be one of those websites.
Create a self-hosted domain on wordpress.org or other CMS platforms to get the right kind of attention.
Still can’t decide if you should go for a self-hosted domain? Read my blog post on Free vs Paid Blog Hosting.
Having trouble finding the right hosting provider? Read my blog post on how to choose a domain hosting service.
3. Using poor or copyright images in their blog posts
A blogger should know the importance of adding the right kind of images to support their content.
An article without any images or with poor-quality images cannot keep the audience engaged. It is also considered to be a sub-par article in the eyes of the search engines.
Another common mistake is the usage of copyrighted images. If you cannot click your own images, use free image platforms which provide images that can be used without any attribution.
4. Publishing common or copied content that is available on 100s of other websites
Do not add to the existing noise in the cyberspace.
Publish content on your blog only if it is original and adds some value to the existing online content. There are simple ways to write common content also in an interesting way so that your readers learn something new from your blog.
Avoid copying at all costs as it harms your site’s credibility in the long run. Not only that, it can also land you in legal troubles.
5. Not publishing content regularly and consistently
The most common mistake that new bloggers commit is that they update their website erratically. Publishing regular content consistently is the key to keep the readers as well as the search engines interested in your website.
Plan ahead and schedule posts if you do not find the time to write new posts every other day. Most websites see a huge drop in traffic if they do not update their websites for a long period of time.
6. Relying on content to rank a post without on-page and off-page SEO & vice-versa
Just publishing content on your website and then waiting for readers will never give you results. Similarly, a complete website optimized for the search engines but with little or no content will also not see good results.
Search engine ranking is a combination of good content and good SEO so focus on both the factors.
7. Not paying attention to building an email list
If you ask any successful blogger about his or her biggest traffic source, it will be his email list. This being said, almost all expert bloggers will also admit to the mistake that they did not put any effort in developing their email list early in their blogging career.
Email newsletters are very beneficial for online businesses and a good email list can work wonders for your blog traffic and conversions. There are many good tools and plugins you can use to capture emails and send newsletters to your subscribers.
Even though I didn’t mention it earlier in this list, creating an email list is No.1 in the list of blogging best practices.
8. Building a blog for earning rather than for the users
If you build a blog keeping the search engines and earning in mind, you will never provide true value to your readers. If you design your content keeping your readers and their queries in mind, the search engines and monetization opportunities will follow you eventually.
Build your blog to cater to your readers and not the search engines.
9. Expecting quick results after posting a piece of content
Most new bloggers expect free goodies or sponsored posts right after they publish their first post. Expert bloggers emphasize on the fact that brands reach out to you to promote their products and services only after you have gained a substantial audience for your blog.
Do not run after money. In stead, focus on creating great content for your website. This will, in turn, help you earn a significant amount of money through ad networks, sponsored posts, and affiliate earnings.
10. Not engaging with their audience
When people make efforts to like your post or comment on your blog, it is common courtesy to acknowledge them. Let your readers know that they are important to you and you value their engagement. Schedule a specific time of the day to respond to all emails, comments, and interactions from your readers to build a llong-lasting bond with them.
11. Not using copywriting techniques to catch the reader’s attention
Use catchy headlines, proper grammar, and structured blogging techniques to make your posts look interesting and attractive. It is very difficult to keep the readers engaged on the websites these days because of shortened attention spans.
Separate the content into smaller sections with appropriate sub-headings to help the reader go through the post more easily.
12. Writing random content that holds no value
Follow a proper set of rules while adding content to your blog. Cater to a specific set of audience and do not publish unrelated content on random topics, just because you saw some other blogger doing it.
Make your own identity and work on designing specific helpful posts which will benefit the reader and add to your site’s authority.
13. Not working on making the site mobile-friendly
In the age where Google is slowly updating to mobile-first indexing policy, a mobile-friendly website is a must. Not having a responsive mobile-friendly website is where most new bloggers lag behind. Understanding this policy and then optimizing your website for mobile-friendliness can help you rank higher in the search engines easily.
14. Uploading multiple plugins and themes on the website
This process makes your website speed slow and it also loads slowly. Keep only the basic and important plugins on the website. Delete the inactive ones to speed up the site.
Choose a light yet responsive theme which goes well with your website layout. Optimize the posts and images to reduce website size.
15. Treating their blog or website as a hobby
This is the last but most important tip that any expert blogger will vouch for. Treat your blog like a job or a business. Invest time and money in it, to see it grow like a job or a business. If you treat your blog like a hobby, it would pay like a hobby.
Set a specific schedule and work sincerely on your blog to take it to new heights. Do not treat it as a way to pass time. Otherwise, it will never be as successful or as popular as you want it to be.
So these were the 15 most common mistakes new bloggers commit and expert bloggers stay away from. These blogging best practices may seem small and harmless but they can harm your blog significantly in the long run.
Almost all the successful bloggers know that working on the above techniques can not only bring more traffic to your website but also make it user-friendly.
If you want to learn some more blogging best practices, read this amazing blog post that I once read: Blogging advice and lessons from 22 bloggers
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