What should you not do when blogging?
What makes a good blogger?
How do I get started blogging?
How do some bloggers have become so famous?
We have these questions in our mind all the time. Right?
About three years ago, many marketing bloggers (ironically) were ringing the death knell for blogging.
In 2018, I think it’s safe to say that the end of blogging is in no way imminent. To be in the competition always follow the latest blogging trends.
An estimated 76 percent of B2B marketers blog. Moreover, according to HubSpot, 53 percent of marketers say that creating blog content is their first inbound marketing priority.
Blogging remains alive and well as a critical part of a sound marketing strategy.
However, it has evolved. What worked five (or even two) years ago won’t yield the same results today. It’s critical that businesses pay attention to the changing needs of their target audience and the dynamics of online search.
While an effective blogging strategy for your company won’t look the same as another company’s, some universal best practices apply — and with them, common blogging mistakes to avoid.
There are so many myths in the blogging industry.
Table of Contents
8 Biggest Pitfalls of Blogging That Can Undermine Your Marketing Success
Below, I’ve shared a list of business blogging gaffes to include on your “NOT to do” list.
Blunder #1: Writing for You rather than for Your Audience
Self-serving blogs are fine for people who want to get their feelings out and reduce angst. However, if you want your blogging efforts to build your brand, you must write the impactful blog post about topics that will serve your readers.
How can you discover what matters to your audience?
- Put feelers out on social media.
- Ask for input during client meetings and phone calls.
- Create a survey and distribute it to your email marketing list.
- Tap your company’s FAQs for ideas.
- Ask your employees.
- Investigate what your competitors are writing about.
Blunder #2: Leaving Your Meta Descriptions to Chance
While your blog posts’ meta descriptions may not significantly affect where your content ranks in online searches, they can influence whether readers will visit your website.
Don’t downplay the importance of writing enticing meta descriptions that pique readers’ interest and give them a sense of what they can expect from your posts.
Blunder #3: Focusing SEO Efforts on Highly Competitive Keywords
Your chances of ranking well in searches for short, popular keywords are likely slim to none unless you’re a massive brand with lots of online clouts. Instead, focus on long-tail keywords tailored to your customers’ needs.
Long-tail keywords don’t generate as much search traffic, but because they’re specific to what your audience wants to find, they can help improve your conversion rates.
Blunder #4: Making Your Readers Work too Hard
Online readers are busy people. In the interest of assessing whether a blog post is worth their time, they will skim and scan. If they can’t quickly pick up on the gist of the article at a glance, they may likely pass on reading it in its entirety.
Here are a few tips to make it easier for your audience:
- Before writing, make an outline of the main points and sub-points you want to cover in your posts. This will help you create a logical flow that won’t confuse readers.
- Use subheads (h2, h3, etc.) to call out the key talking points in your posts and show readers a visual hierarchy of what they will find in your content.
- Avoid using long blocks of text that make content appear labor-intensive to read. Instead, use shorter paragraphs with white space in between to give readers eye rests. Also, break down content into bullets and numbered lists when appropriate.
The ultimate goal is to make your website more responsive. There are many advantages of responsive design.
Blunder # 5: Not Including some Eye Candy
Blog posts with images attract more readers — 94 percent more than articles that don’t have visuals!
You can generate traffic with simple visual content on your website.
Consider creating or sourcing images to bolster your blog posts’ curb appeal. Before you use photos or graphics that you find online, make sure you have legal permission to use them and fulfill any applicable attribution requirements.
Blunder #6: Not Taking the Time to Edit and Proofread Your Posts
Editing and proofreading are not optional steps in the content writing process. Spelling and grammar mistakes (especially if made frequently), will turn off readers even if you’re sharing valuable information, so take the time and effort to make your blog posts error-free.
Consider these tips to help detect missteps before your posts go live.
- Ask someone not involved in crafting your posts to review drafts.
- Read your content aloud.
- Use a tool such as Grammarly.
Blunder #7: Having a ‘Build it and They Will Come’ Mindset
Don’t bank on readers finding your stellar blog posts on their own. It’s up to you to expand your content’s reach by sharing it on your social media channels and through email marketing.
If you need ideas for how to do that effectively, this article by CoSchedule offers a vast list of savvy suggestions for promoting your content.
Blunder #8: Trying to Do It All Yourself — and Giving Up too soon
Blogging requires time and effort. Fortunately, there are professional resources (such as marketing strategists, SEO specialists, writers, editors, and proofreaders) out there to help you.
Whether you decide to outsource the entire kit and caboodle or have others do a select few tasks, options exist to make blogging manageable from an execution and cost perspective.
The Bottom Line
This is all about most common Pitfalls of Blogging I see.
If you are a new or experienced blogger, Avoid doing these biggest blogging mistakes. Always follow the best practices for blogging.
There are no magical spells or divine intervention that will make your blog posts perform well. To get results from blogging, you’ll need to put forth the consistent effort — and have persistence and patience.