5 Things to Avoid When Running a Blog
While there are many different types of websites on the internet, one of the most popular are blogs. There are hundreds of millions of blogs, on all different kinds of topics. Some focus on sports, some on fashion or beauty and on just about any other topic you could imagine.
Unfortunately, running a blog isn’t always easy. Growing a steady readership base can be tough, and there are plenty of mistakes you can make during your blogging journey. Without any further ado, this article is going to look at a couple of things to make sure you avoid when running a blog.
Trying to Monetize Too Early
While some people simply start a blog to have fun or educate the world, many do it to make money. Unfortunately, if that is the sole reason you want to make a blog, it could be tough to find success. Blogging starts with passion first, and not simply chasing the almighty dollar.
If you try to monetize without an audience, you won’t get very far. First, you need to build up your reader base, and that starts with creating quality content with SEO in mind. Once you have visitors, then you might be able to find some advertisers or companies willing to work with you.
You should also consider checking online resources for tips when it comes to monetization. For example, checking out a step-by-step guide by Today with Jay can help you go about monetization correctly, and even how to launch your blog altogether. There will eventually be a time to monetize your content, but don’t put the cart before the horse.
Posting Sporadically and Inconsistently
One of the most important parts of becoming a successful blogger boils down to consistency. If you post consistently on a semi-regular schedule, your readers will begin to expect a certain amount of posts in a given month. They will know how often to check your blog and not be confused by what they find.
If you go from posting twice a week, to once a month with no explanation at all, you will surely lose readers and the ones that you do still have will be yearning for more content. Simply put, the more often you put out quality content, the better. It’s not always easy, but scheduling blogs ahead of time and using an editorial calendar can certainly help.
Not Making Your Site and Content Look Good
The content is king, but there is no reason your site can’t look good as well. If your website simply has the same old design and color scheme as everyone else, differentiating yourself can be difficult. Of course, simplicity is key here, so be careful with adding too much to make sure it doesn’t take away from your content.
In addition to your site looking good, the blog posts themselves should be structured correctly. There should be photos, a title, and headers for each section. If your blog posts are giant walls of small text with no breaks or photos, the chances are lower that people will read them all the way through. Make sure to choose a font size and style that is easy to read, as well.
Not Being Active on Social Media
If you aren’t on social media as a blogger, you should be. Billions of people use social media and it is a great way to advertise your blog and market yourself and your content to many potential readers. It is also great for research. Social media is a great way to get inspiration for blog posts, learn people’s thoughts and feelings about things, and so much more.
Of course, try to avoid your page from being too salesy. If all you do is post links to blog posts or your website, you will have a hard time growing a quality following. Of course, post a link to every blog post, but ensure you make other posts as well.
Be sure to engage with your readers and followers, as this can help form a stronger relationship. Most of your posts should be conversational, educational or entertaining in nature, with only a few being aimed generating leads.
Forgetting to Take the Time to Edit
A lot of bloggers think that their work is done once a blog post has been written. However, that is not the case. Editing is just as important as the actual writing of your latest blog entry. Having glaring errors or mistakes in published blogs can hurt your credibility and will make you seem less professional. Even the most experienced writers will make mistakes, so proofreading and editing is incredibly important.
After completing your article, it is a good idea to take 15 to 30 minutes to go through it and make sure everything is accurate and worded correctly. In addition to checking for spelling and grammar errors, make sure that the article or post reads well. It should be conversational in nature and provide value to your readers.
In conclusion, we hope that this article has been able to help you learn some things to avoid when you’re running a blog.