Quick question: Do you hate when you’re overloaded with all that unwanted information?
There is way too much content circulating the Internet to consume.
Yes, people like you and me are creating unique content, which is engaging and in a storytelling format still, the results are not coming as expected.
Isn’t it?
I know that influencers and successful bloggers have sworn over some fancy strategies but still, somehow things aren’t performing well.
Maybe its time we introspect! Shall we?
Top 10 Blogging Mistakes That Are Likely To Upset Your Readers
Here are the top 10 mistakes that you must avoid at all costs:
Blogging Mistake #1 : Do you target to post 20-30 blog posts a month?
20-30 blog posts a month?
If this is the number you are going with then let me tell you there is everything wrong about it.
Firstly, nobody can tell so many unique stories every month. Basically, you have collected content in bits and pieces from different sources and recycled it into a new blog.
Secondly, you are flooding your readers with the news of a new post everyday.
Imagine the excitement you feel when you go on an outing with your friends once a week. Can you keep up with the same excitement if you have hang out with them every single day? The value of the outing will be far too less.
Lastly, posts without value end up in the trash of your reader’s email or will go unnoticed.
Takeaway: Go for 5-6 posts a month, which are long and detailed and have solid references.
Blogging Mistake #2 : Obsession With SEO
I understand that SEO is critical to grab Google’s attention. But will you do SEO at the cost of losing your readers?
The best way to perform SEO on your blog post is to follow good practices but if you write a mechanical post for machines and crawlers to read, how do you expect humans to respond to it?
Remember how our grandmothers and mothers use to explain things or reason with us by telling us about their past experiences and stories?
Well, that formula still works. So don’t be afraid to maintain a smooth flow and avoid obsessions over the following:
- Inserting keywords in every third line
- Inserting internal/external links in every paragraph
- Breaking the flow by inserting irrelevant images and quotes
Takeaway: Don’t be a keyword-machine instead try creating a fine balance between reaching your audience and be found by Google.
Blogging Mistake #3 : Telling Readers Only About You
The whole concept of blogging is telling about a trend or information in your own words.
You are presenting your perspective and how you feel about a certain thing.
For instance, if you have grown a Facebook group up to 10,000 followers, you would love to write a blog on it telling people how you did it.
Now, what you forget in the process is when you serving your reader you have to check what’s in it for them and how can they benefit from your information.
Adding a personal touch in your blog should not become a self-obsession. Your blog should solve the problems of your readers. It should inspire them or guide them on how to start a blog or grow it eventually.
Let me put it this way, you need to let your readers participate in the process and they should not feel left out.
Takeaway: If your blog reflects self-obsession then readers will see right through you.
Blogging Mistake #4 : Don’t Write In Alien English
Writing words that are not used in regular communication and attempting complicated sentences is only going to waste your reader’s time. I call it alien English because complicated words act alien for most of your readers.
Words like Brobdingnagian and gargantuan is only going to slow down your readers.
Let’s take the instance of a complicated sentence: “Here’s the modus operandi of finding massive traffic for your blog.”
Now we should try making this sentence for a 15-year-old “Here’s how you can get more traffic on your blog?”
If you can spot the difference between the two sentences above then I believe I have made my point clear.
Takeaway: Why complicate your blog and waste your reader’s time by using alien English when you can write things in simple English.
Blogging Mistake #5 : Did You Set Your Mood Before Writing?
Don’t attempt a blog if you are not feeling enthusiastic. If you are feeling low and surrounded by negative thoughts it will reflect in your writing.
Also, a stale mood will affect your productivity too. Either you will have a lousy introduction or an outdated resource for information or an aimless conclusion.
It’s ok to have a bad day but it’s not ok to affect your work and upset your readers when they are expecting something better and valuable from you.
Find a good day or time to write your blog. For some it’s weekends and for some, it’s the start or mid of the week. There is no science or proven theory behind which day works best. So it’s a thing you need to figure out for yourself.
Again it’s always good to read other articles and make a habit of reading a book every day for a few minutes just to set your mood for writing.
Takeaway: Be in a good mood and make a conscious effort to add value to your readers.
Blogging Mistake #6 : Not Taking Editing Seriously
After all the keyword research and writing an engaging and unique blog post you are surely drained of your energy. There is no denying it. Also, it gets a bit exhausting just to write the first draft. But if you edit your first draft in few minutes in a hurry just to upload then it’s a huge mistake.
If I had the power, I would simply declare it as a crime. After all those hours of dedication, this shouldn’t be your breaking point.
This is why I emphasize don’t write your blog and publish it on the same day. Take time and give it a fresh read the next day.
You will improvise and can certainly strike out anything that you have written extra which is not necessary.
Take time in writing but take more time in editing your article. You can spot grammar errors and the links you have missed out on etc.
You can also see if the post is giving a smooth read to your readers if not then work it out.
Takeaway: A well-edited blog is surely going to serve an audience well.
Blogging Mistake #7 : You Missed Out On Finding Who Your Reader Is?
It is very difficult to write something if you don’t know who is it for? Imagine how will you address them? How will you know what challenges they are facing and how exactly do you plan on sharing a solution to it?
I write blogs and share information for beginners who are looking to start a blog. I know where they all will get stuck.
Since I have carried out every single task myself I’m aware of every challenge a beginner is likely to face.
Now whether I talk about tools or platforms or resources I know who is going read and therefore I can totally have a one-on-one conversation with them.
- I know the newbie will look for domain and hosting provider
- I know they will choose a blogging platform & a theme
- I know they will look for writing & efficiency tools
- I know they will look for title generator software
So now I can cover these topics and talk in my blog as if I’m dealing with an absolute beginner. It will keep away any different audiences and will attract only those who are interested in learning how to start a blog.
Takeaway: If you know your audience, the writing process becomes easy.
Blogging Mistake #8 : Don’t Choose Topics At Random
Be aware of what your audience wants to read.
Be mindful and find ways of knowing it. For instance, you can post a story on your Instagram and Facebook or conduct a live session and prompt your users into telling what they want to know about next?
Covering topics that people are looking for will give you an added advantage. People will search for it and they will find you with an answer right there.
If you don’t care what you’re going to cover your audience won't do it too.
Another way of finding out what people want to read is to find pins on Pinterest that are getting high viewership and engagement. You can also see the Quora questions that have a high following.
This will indicate that people are interested to know about a certain thing and you can cover the same to reach your audience.
Takeaway: Randomness doesn’t bring good results.
Blogging Mistake #9 : Don’t Teach If You Haven’t Achieved
Writing a blog on how to earn from Adsense if your account is not achieved is the easiest way to put off your audience.
They will see right through that are simply preaching with no solid grounds.
Also, what can you possibly teach when you haven’t experienced it yourself? After all, that’s the whole point of blogging. Isn’t it?
Telling it in your own words.
Authority and command in your niche are very important if you expect your readers to believe and follow you and your blog posts.
Imagine I’m writing a blog on how to grow your Pinterest followers or unique visitors when my account has hardly any visitors.
Be creative but do not write on topics for the sake of writing or meeting your blogging calendar deadline.
Follow first what you want your readers to follow. Because if they don’t get the results as you claimed they would, they will spread bad word of mouth and your image will be affected by it.
Takeaway: There is no point in preaching something when you haven’t tried out yourself.
Blogging Mistake #10 : Don’t Write A Long Post Because HubSpot Said So
I know Google prefers long and detailed articles. HubSpot has made fair calculations and worked on its traffic to find out a minimum length of a blog post. It’s not a constant number and changes probably every year or so.
I agree with them because it comes under SEO practices i.e. the length of a blog post does matter to Google.
But consider the objective of writing a blog post when deciding what word length to cover.
You may have a smaller agenda that can be covered within 500 words then what is the use of stretching it to 1200 words and fill it with unnecessary information?
If you are particular about writing long articles then plan them pre-hand. Choose topics that can be subdivided into many segments.
In case you have a smaller topic to cover. Keep it small. Keep it precise. Regular and loyal readers would still read it whether Google finds it or not.
Filling up the post with generic information will only question your authority. Readers land on your blog with an assurance that whatever they are going to read is already tried and tested.
Takeaway: If you can’t add value to your post don’t add generic information.
Conclusion
These mistakes are common and you will commit it even without realizing it. What you must understand here is that competition out there is massive. If you want your readers to hold on to you and not switch their loyalty to your competitor then you need to be careful.
Try to minimize them as far as possible and continue to write about your experience, learning and present it to your audience in different forms.
A reader count is a valuable asset for any blogger and therefore you must work to grow your count and not upset them and turn them against you because you were not mindful enough.
With only a few seconds that you get to spend with your readers, use it wisely and never take it for granted.
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hey Sristhi, You nailed it very well.
Yes we have to do the proper keyword research before writing articles.
We have to keep in the mind about audience. i.e we have to write for the readers and not for the bots.
Thank you for this post.
Keep come up with this awesome stuff.
Hey, Sristhi!
This is an amazing piece of content.
All are the mistakes really ruin the blogging journey of beginners which lead to quitting blogging.
Thanks,
Ravi Dixit
Sristhi!
It was awesome and these are the exact mistakes every newbie is doing and instead of growing their blogs, they are quitting blogging.
One should learn from mistakes. I too made these mistakes when I started out but gradually learned and rectified it.
This is an amazing blog post, Sristhi Agarwal Madame. It will help new bloggers to grow their skills in blogging. Thank you for this amazing post.