10 Mistakes You Should not Make When Starting A Blog
There are many people out there who would love to start their own blogs, but never get around to it because they don’t know where to begin or what to do next. If you have an interest in starting your own blog, take these few simple steps in the right order, and you should be well on your way to successful blogging! These tips will help you avoid common mistakes new bloggers make so that you can focus on your content and building an audience from the start.
1) Not having a niche
Having a niche is important if you want to establish an audience. Without one, it’s easy for readers to get lost in your content and have trouble remembering what they were reading. In addition, other bloggers will often find it difficult to cover your topic with you because they’re already focusing on different areas. So make sure that you go into blogging with a defined area of expertise so people know where you stand and can more easily follow along with your content.
2) Not having good content
So, you have created your business, but have no content to present. That’s like having an empty website without any pages. It might look good now, but what will happen once potential customers visit? Unless they can find something of interest within seconds they’ll get frustrated and leave your site. And that would be bad for business! Instead of wasting time trying to become an overnight success in blogging, come up with great content ideas from day one.
3) No images
Avoid using images when first starting out. Most web users will ignore your post if there are no images present. Making it easier to read can make it more engaging. In fact, according to research conducted by Hubspot, posts with images receive 94% more views on average than those without any images. Include one image in your first post and try adding an image every few posts thereafter. If that works for you, great!
4) No Social Media Presence
Whether you’re using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, building up your online presence is key for promoting your content. Not only will these social media sites help drive traffic to your website and give you more visibility in search engines, but they also offer an opportunity to build relationships with potential clients and customers. If you don’t already have one of these accounts set up, consider starting them now so you can start engaging with others on social media as soon as possible.
5) Being too Desperate
Running a successful blogging business takes time, effort and persistence. In other words, it won’t happen overnight. The moment you want to quit is when your business begins . Be patient with yourself and create quality content. If you are truly passionate about your topic or hobby, then others will see that in your writing—and that passion will be contagious.
6) Having Unrealistic Expectations
It’s okay to dream, but don’t be surprised if things take longer than you’d like. Unless you already have a following, it may take some time to find your audience. Always start with realistic expectations and enjoy each small success as it comes. That way, when you find success (and you will), you won’t be disappointed. Think of each of your goals as a stepping stone along your path and always keep an eye on what’s ahead so that you’ll know when to step up another level.
7) Focusing on SEO Instead of Quality Content
One of my biggest regrets from when I first started my own business was that I focused so much on SEO and keyword selection. This meant that I didn’t create meaningful content for those keywords, and in doing so, never really established myself as an authority. Don’t make that mistake; focus on creating great content. That being said, search engine optimization will definitely help you increase traffic to your site…and get you ranked higher on search results pages.
8) Not Promoting Your New Site
It’s not enough to just start blogging. Your content won’t matter if no one sees it—and your site won’t generate much of an audience if you don’t make it easy for people to find and read your posts. Getting your new website off on the right foot begins with some solid promotion strategies. Here are a few tips on how to go about it, from search engine optimization (SEO) to social media marketing.
9) Not Being Patient
It takes time to grow your audience. It’s tempting to think of it as a faucet that you can turn on and off, but that isn’t always how it works. A lot of factors go into growth: consistency, quality content, search engine optimization—the list goes on. Patience is critical when building an audience around your niche or brand. If you aren’t willing to be patient, expect things to take longer than they need to.
10) Relying on Ads
Unless you have millions of pageviews or thousands of subscribers, you’re unlikely to make significant money off ads. Keep in mind that Facebook CPM can be as low as $0.06, and these aren’t high-paying ads either. If you plan on making money off your site through ad revenue or Google AdSense, don’t give up when it takes time to get going.
Finally Tips
Don’t overwhelm yourself by worrying about every little detail before you launch. Remember, getting started is half of your battle, so take some pressure off yourself by doing these 10 things. These tips will help you start blogging like a pro without any issues. Don’t overlook them! Instead use them as an early guide to get your first few posts online and start growing an audience that will actually want to hear from you.
