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The blogging community is a vast community of some awesome content creators and who are using their platforms to better their lives as well as others. Blogging is an individual journey, people who have different reasons to blog and where they want to take their blog.
For most bloggers they want to make their blog successful in the community and it to lead to making their brand their career. There are no right or wrong topics to blog about as long as they are damaging or hateful to others. However there are some dangerous mistakes that can negatively affect your DA score and your SEO.
If like me you are write a draft of your blog posts before you share them online, Draftable will be a useful tool for you. Draftable helps you to compare any two documents online. It highlights (redlines) all differences between the two files so that you can find changes quickly. This can make researching and writing your blog posts simple and making sure you have included all the information you want to.
Here are 10 mistakes that you will want to avoid when running your blog:
1. Not focusing on SEO from the start
Optimising your SEO is the strategy of increasing your website traffic through search engine results. This can help your blog become more discoverable. When potential readers search terms related to your blog, they will have more of a chance of discovering your blog and engaging with your content. One page SEO are factors such as; headings, sub headings, meta tags and URL slugs. Use alt text and include as much detail as you can so Google accurately understands what you are talking about. Off page SEO means ways you can optimise your blog externally. For example you guest post for another blogger with a higher DA than you, which will help Google to see that your website is credible. Focusing on your SEO when you first start blogging will save you a lot of time in the future.
2. Not proof reading your content before you hit publish
If you have taken the time to research, format your content in a way that is attractive to your audience and you then share the content on your social media channels, you should be invested in the outcome. However just one small typo can cause readers to feel a sense of carelessness about your post you have written, this is something you do not want to happen. You want you and your brand to remain credible. When you are working with brands you want to make sure you are showing professionalism and confidence. You want to build those lasting relationships with brands you work with so putting out content that is spelt and worded correctly is vital.
3. Not posting on your blog consistently
In order to build a loyal blog following who engages with your content, it is important that you post consistently. Setting up a blog schedule is the best way for you to do this, it hold you accountable and you can plan your blog content ahead of time. Consistently posting on the same time and day each week means your blog following can follow along with each post you share. Posting regularly is also a great way to increase your DA score.
4. Not disclosing your content
Disclosure is so vital and is a legal requirement that you must follow to keep your credibility. Disclosing your content means making it known to your readers when your content is an AD, pre written or contains affiliate links. It shows transparency on your behalf, so when you work with brands make sure you disclose, you do not want to loose followers or engagement because of this.
5. Not using interlinking
Good interlinks is an effective way to help boost your DA score and is a great way to keep your bounce rate up. As you post more blog posts you will find you can provide interlinks to older content that is related to the post. It can help keep readers on tour site to engage with other content you have shared.
Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
6. Burn out
This is a real thing and happens quite regularly in the blogging community. Blogging is hard work and there is a lot of moving parts to make your blog successful, so it can be overwhelming for some creators which can end in a burn out. What is the reason you started a blogging? As I am sure you enjoy yourself when writing and you want to keep enjoying yourself and not to feel like your blog is becoming a chore. Having steps in place to help you stay organised with your blog can help you avoid that burn out. Just remember quality over quantity. You do not need to post on your blog every other day.
7. Not repurposing older content
When you create content and promote the content then you share a new post. However repurposing your content on social media can help bring a new audience to your blog. Repurposing your older content can give you a SEO boost as you can generate extra opportunities to target a desired keyword. You could look back at what posts were successful and see if there is more information you could share in a new blog post.
8. Do not sell yourself short with brands
When working with brands it is important you do not under sell yourself for the work you create. There are some brands who like to request work for a gifted item, if you feel happy with that there is nothing wrong with that choice. However if you are wanting to take your blog to the next level do not be fooled, many brands now have influencer budgets for social media marketing, so ensure you price your services accordingly. Many bloggers put in hard work and are truly invested in the outcome, make sure you are paid for all the services that you have provided.
9. Not updating content
As you grow with your blog you will notice a development in your writing style and how you format your blog posts. It is vital that you research your older content and update the posts. It could be you have more information on the topic to share, you may want to update the images or remove broken links that can be harmful to your sites DA. Once you have updated older content you can share the content on your social media channels.
10. Promoting your content the wrong way
Promoting your content is a way you can drive traffic to increase your engagement. It is not just about posting a link to social media, you are there to sell yourself and your content. There is however a big issue especially on Twitter with creators linking their content on others’ promotional content tweets or other unrelated tweets. This can be very frustrating for the creators and will often if not always lead to them blocking the person that has spammed their tweets and this would only harm your following if you are guilty of this. Promote your content professionally.
Hi. Happy Friday. Sound and very wise advice indeed. Have a great weekend. Goff
Thank you!
Cheers, Happy Day. Goff
Agree with all the mistakes! I have gotten people who only put their blog link in my comment section and I was like ????
What? That’s so rude! Xx
Yep. Not even ‘visit my blog’ just their link. Of course I deleted the comments 😂
Oh gosh, that is so rude!! Xx
I used to be pretty lazy about proofreading my posts, but then I got Grammarly and that still falls within acceptable bounds of laziness 😉
I agree with the ones about comments. If I have nothing to say or add to what the post was about, I will just leave a like. Sometimes I have to. I argue with any comment left on my blog. I always in a way that says I can see what they are trying to say and how it works. I know that arguing in a way that makes only me right will push readers away. I am also a very kind person in general and prefer never to argue.
That’s fair enough you only leave a like if not, it’s what you feel is best. Xx
Leaving comments was the first piece of advice I remember getting when I started. I’ve been blogging since March (so I’m still a newbie). When I started to become engaged with other bloggers it seem to help draw traffic to my blog. I also get inspired to write on certain topics when I engage in conversation, I find this to be a great way to help me sharpen my skill-set and to get my brain engaged on the topics I want to write about.
Leaving genuine and constructive criticism has opened opportunities, I’ve been asked to guest blog and I was invited on a community blog to write about being a mother and the faithfulness of God. I look at Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, she first made herself known through a blog.
That’s great the opportunities you have received from blogging! Engaging with other bloggers is the best way to make friends and increase traffic!! Thank you for reading and commenting x
Not proofing is one of the biggest ones I see though I must admit i have proofed something 5 times over and still missed the same thing. I find proofing it once more in published format somehow helps catch any missed ones. Maybe it’s the slightly changed format.
Yeah we are all human at the end of the day but not proofreading even once is a big mistake! Thank you for reading and commenting. Please can you link your blog below again x
Beautiful! I hate reading a post that has good points only to find it riddled with mistakes and errors. Quality is something I will always stand by, and I am more appreciative of it, even if it does take more time to write.
Comments are something I put a lot of thought in to. I never like leaving shallow comments. What am I really saying with a few wasted words? I would much rather identify with something in the post and tell the author why I connected with it. 🙂
Yeah or if you didn’t like it, don’t comment for the sake of commenting! Thank you, I always appreciate your kind words and always supporting my blog! I can’t thank you enough xx
Precisely!
It is an absolute pleasure to share my thoughts when I read your excellent writing. 🙂
Aww thank you so much x
100% declaring if your content is sponsored/gifted is so important, there have been times when it’s been clear that a blogger has been gifted a product and didn’t declare it – it’s really important because as a reader I’m not so sure I could trust the review of a product if that makes sense because they’re not being honest.
Proofreading yes!!! I always proofread my posts and then the next day after it’s been posted, I’m always checking it over just in case.
Copying content?! That’s a thing?! WOW each blogger’s content is down to their individualism and how they approach certain topics – down to a person’s blogging voice, I’d think those who copy would realize that readers would recognize the voice of a post.
Quality > Quantity everyday! I post once a week and more recently twice a week, it’s all down to the content itself and if you truly like what you’re writing (it can show in your writing if you’re just writing for the sake of writing!). I used to think I needed to post more, but I’m more of the mind of I’d rather put my all in that one post a week rather than giving 20% and uploading something I’m not 1000% on.
YES COMMENTING – I tend to leave essays because I genuinely love reading and commenting and supporting bloggers 🙂
Sahara
https://www.saharasdreams.com/
Copying content is a thing although haven’t heard of any recently but it does happen unfortunately! I post twice a week, as I want to have tome to write methodical and quality writing pieces and not just posting for the sake of posting. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts! Thank you for the support x
These are definitely important tips to note. OMG!!! It is so bad when people copy content. People work hard to word their posts and everything. It is so important to leave genuine comments as well. I get so put off when someone just say “cool post” T__T. Thanks for sharing all of these tips. Totally agree with them!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
You want feedback too as to whether it was good, okay what was good? Haha! Thank you! I am hoping they help especially new bloggers xx
These are great tips (as your blogging posts always end up being filled with!). I haaaate reading clearly blogs that pump out a post a day but every post ends up being crap, so definitely agree with quality over quantity!x
Aww thank you lovely! Quality over quantity definitely builds you a loyal audience xx
Audience*
I 100% agree with all of the points you make here! Nothing worse than putting posts up just for the hell of it, I always think you can tell when someone’s really tried with a post. I also can’t stand when people comment and you can tell they haven’t actually read what you’ve written haha. X
https://thestevensonlife.co.uk
Thank you for reading and commenting x
Or I have a rant about a story on my comments or something that makes no sense haha! Thank you for reading and commenting Ashleigh xx
I can leave v. genuine three-word comments 😉 (they’re also exceptionally random! Lol.)
Cee @ http://www.dorareads.co.uk/
(I remembered to leave my blog address dammit!!!!!)
Thanks!
I definitely need to get better at proof reading my posts! These tips are fab and I’ll definitely be taking them on board from now on. 🙂
Soph – https://girlvsworldblog.com x
I hope they help, thank you for reading xx
HAHA! I’m laughing because I never proof-read my posts and I always think ‘Damn how do I suck so bad at spelling and grammar’? Seeing it on your list is like… Vee, go do that for a change.
Good list. Thanks for sharing!
I sometimes forget so I have made a check list to make sure I proof read them haha x
It really annoys me when people don’t declare their gifted/PR samples!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
Definitely! It’s about being authentic x
This is such a useful post, not only for beginners but also for those of us who have been blogging for a while. It’s always great to be reminded of the basics, like proofreading – my pet hate! It took me a while to get into that instead of skipping it because I hated it! xxx
Yeah, to save time (or it feels like it) after each paragraph or section typed I will proof read it so by the end I don’t have to go back through and read it again xxx
My biggest pet peeve is HAVING NO FOLLOW BUTTON. How do you plan to get your amazing writing out if you have no way of notifying viewers?! Also it annoys me when people promo posts, but haven’t had a new one in 6+ months, maybe focus your energy on coming up with new content rather.
Rachel || http://anotherstationanothermile.com
Yeah no follow button, or no comment button, that really annoys me!! Thank you for reading and commenting!
I agree with all the mistakes, luckily the only one I have ever been guilty off is the not proofreading my blog post sometimes!!
Thank you! Can you link your blog so I can read it x
I am new to blogging and your tips really seem helpful, but I guess the one thing that trumps everything is patience. Audiences are not built overnight and it takes a great deal of networking. Another issue new bloggers like myself face is the lack of content ideas, because no matter what you want to write about, someone else has already covered it and it just seems repetitive. Maybe if there was a way to understand which topics are the least written on, it would help bloggers to choose a niche.
It’s great to be able to cover an idea and put your perspective as although it has already been covered, you will have a different perspective. Everyone has a story to tell! It definitely takes years of hard work to build a loyal audience x
You are so right, not proofreading is indeed one of my biggest mistakes.
Definitely! Can you link your blog please
Yeah definitely!! It is a rule and just shows your authenticity. Thank you for reading and commenting Lisa xxx
Great list! I’ve committed to posting twice a week since the summer and sometimes it does feel like quantity over quality. So great to have a reminder to get that back on track and always value quality content first.
Thank you for reading and commenting! Some time posting several times a day can put off readers as it can be overwhelming xx
Great article! Being a bit OCD about my writing, I always write my posts in a Word doc and use Grammarly in advance to posting. It’s just easier for me to do it like this. I save the article in a folder, then copy and paste. Also, I try to write several articles in advance so that I’m not rushing. And I agree about the two to three world comments. Thank you for posting this!
Thank you for sharing. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Yeah, my comments are usually short. It’s not that I am not being genuine, sometimes I just don’t have a lot to say except “That was a great post!” Hahhaha
That’s fair enough!
I have lots to learn on my blog too. I am trying to write content will help my audience and grow my blog to where I want it to be.
I hope it helps!!
Really good advice! I feel that as bloggers we should keep them in mind.
If someone posts great post. I either ignore and do the same on their post 😂
This is such useful information! I’ll be taking it all into account a lot more
Great post! Agree with all mistakes. These are some crucial mistakes, and a blogger shouldn’t make these. Thanks for sharing this.
Great post and very helpful, mostly for new bloggers! I didn’t use to proofread until long ago and the number of things you can mistype is incredible! Thanks for sharing x
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Updating old blog posts is something that I really need to crack on with! I’ve managed to update a few older posts but still have plenty to go. Great post x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
It really makes a difference. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great information for all bloggers, but particularly those that wish to monetize! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog?
I totally agree with the SEO one! It’s a pain going back and editing them!
-Kyra xx
Yes, that is what I am having to do! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Really great points, I definitely agree with all. We all learn as we grow but knowing these from the start will definitely be helpful to new bloggers 🙂
xoxo Olivia | http://www.oliviaandbeauty.com
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips! I am in the process of going through and updating/revamping my old blog and MAN do I wish that I was aware of SEO back when I started writing there… SO much work to try to apply that afterward. With this blog, I was careful to do my keyword research and apply SEO from the start and it has already been paying off much more than I thought that it would at this stage.
Yeah it is frustrating having to go back. But so worth doing. Thank you for reading and commenting.
A well thought out list of tips. I’m glad to you noted that brands have influencer budgets. It seems like some bloggers think brands are new to these arrangements. And while some may be, for many, working with influencers is a normal course of business.
It definitely is. Like anyone they will haggle to get something for nothing. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Earlier I did not know or care about SEO because blogging was just a hobby but I regret it because I put out great content which would have led to better DA etc. if I worked on it. Now that I’ve started over with a new domain, I’m working on following everything in this post. Thanks for sharing and reminding me about what I have to do!
A great post! Very helpful tips especially when just starting out !
Glad it was helpful