What are the Most Common Mistakes Bloggers Make

6 Mistakes People Make When Starting a Blog

What are the Most Common Mistakes Bloggers Make

Starting a Blog can be quite the daunting task if you’ve never done it before. There are numerous mistakes people make when starting a blog that can cause them to fail before they even get off the ground (or virtual server, in this case). In order to avoid these mistakes, you need to first understand what they are and then how to avoid them in the future. This article will go over some of the most common mistakes people make when starting their own blogs so that you don’t have to worry about making them yourself.

1. Starting with a platform you don’t like

Starting with a blogging platform you don’t like is common among new bloggers. It can be confusing to pick one, but it shouldn’t be. Start by checking out WordPress, Squarespace and Ghost (to name just three of many platforms). Each has its own flavor and look that makes starting your site easy to do. Take some time to figure out which platform will work best for you and get started on your journey!

2. Starting without a plan

Most people don’t set out to fail, but far too many new bloggers do exactly that. In fact, statistics show that approximately one-third of all new blogs never get off the ground. Without a business plan or real understanding of what it takes to succeed in blogging, many people simply start blogging without thinking through what their objectives are or how they intend to achieve them. This is as true for small businesses hoping to attract customers as it is for individuals who just want an outlet to share their thoughts with family and friends. Identifying your goals up front will help you develop tactics and strategies that lead to success on both a small and large scale. For example, some bloggers want financial independence while others hope simply increase brand recognition.

3. Focusing on Traffic and Monetization too early

Traffic and monetization are important, but they shouldn’t be your first focus. Here’s what should come first: (1) Decide on your niche. Find a good fit between your interests, passions, and experiences and a topic you can write about that is important to other people. If you have trouble finding that sweet spot where personal passion meets professional relevance, talk to some friends and family about what they think you should write about they may have some great ideas for topics for you! (2) Write content at least three times per week (about 1,000 words per post). More is better, but consistently putting out content will help build trust with visitors.

4. Not Investing in Tools

It is hard to start blogging on your own. You may not have many connections, have no idea what you are doing, and are just not sure how to get started. To save yourself time, money, and headaches, it is recommended that you purchase some tools to help out with your site building and writing needs. It can be hard to know where to start in order to find these tools so use sites like Kickstarter for investing in bloggers who need financial backing in exchange for products. At least here you’ll have a chance of getting some great products that will help get your site off the ground quicker than you could otherwise afford them on your own.

5. Putting the Blog before your brand

Starting a brand is more than just starting a business. Start with your company’s mission and values. Then, think about what you want to say and how you can best share it with potential customers. Use that as your guide for creating your visual identity and branding, which will help provide direction for content creation (which we’ll get to next). Set up your website—it doesn’t have to be elaborate at first and then start blogging! The reason being that blogging has been proven time and again to increase search engine ranking and drive traffic to new websites – even when people don't buy anything initially, they're still visiting your site; they're still learning about you, thinking about you. Over time, those visitors may become customers.

6. Not sharing your work

If you don’t show up, people won’t care. If you don’t put something out there, nobody will pay attention to it. And if nobody is paying attention to your work, no one will find value in it and no one will read it. So don’t make these 6 mistakes when starting a blog; share your work with others by building an audience and engaging them in discussions about what you’re writing about! Founder of The Storyteller Marketing Agency