How to Avoid Mistakes on Blogging
10 Mistakes to AVOID when Starting a Blog or Website:
Mistake #1: Do not start a niche you are not passionate – readers can tell if you believe in what you are writing. False motivation will turn people off quickly. Remember, your goal is to help your reader with a problem.
Mistake #2: Do not spend days perfecting your name and mission statement – do not waste time coming up with the perfect business name and/or ingenious mission statement.
Mistake #3: Do not get started on a free blogging site – think long term when if a free blogging site is in your future. Most people blog in order to make money. They hope to monetize any idea or product that they develop.
An important thing to remember about free sites has the right to remove you from the site, and they own anything you publish on it. Make sure you read the fine print if you decide on a free site.
Some of the best free sites on the web are:
- WordPress (www.wordpress.org) – for people that want 100 percent ownership of their blog and the ability to customize it. The perfect platform for setting up a serious website for the long term.
- Wix (www.wix.com) – for non-technical people that want a “regular” website feel along with a blog.
- Medium (www.medium.com) – for people that just want to write and not concerned about having their own site.
- Ghost (www.ghost.org) – for people that need something simple but with a modern twist.
- Blogger (www.blogger.com) – for people that want to write and not too concern about owning a site. They want to make a little pocket change also.
- Tumblr (www.tumblr.com) – for people who are into more image-focused content and do not need any regular website functionality.
- Weebly (www.weebbly.com) – similar to Wix.
Mistake #4: Do not buy a bad host – as a blogger, you want to present a professional appearance in everything that you do. You want to conduct risk analysis for every product to ensure that the reader gets what they need to resolve their problem(s). When you chose a website host, you need to make sure the host is reliable.
How many times have you tried to access a site, and it says that it is either too busy or down? The only thing the reader knows is that your site is having problems. They do not know or care that the problem actually resides with the host. You just lost a potential reader and/or customer.
Mistake #5: Do not buy expensive all-inclusive software – stay away from all-you-can-eat software. You are just starting out in business and need to optimize every dollar spent. These types of software tend to confuse beginners. Once you and your business matures, you can explore if the software gives you a competitive edge.
Most blogging platforms will provide you the items needed to get started for free. Utilize these offerings to make your product as attractive as possible.
Mistake #6: Do not forget to collect emails – how can you effectively communicate with your readers without a means to contact them? You collect emails so that you can inform the readers of new blog posts, send out special announcements and converse with a specific reader about a specialized problem.
You can get the readers to provide you with their email address by giving away free content. You are offering valuable information to the reader in exchange for their address. These addresses can later be used as a prospect list for whatever products you wish to sell or recommend.
Mistake #7: Do not ignore power of Pinterest for blogging – Pinterest was designed to help people find information on the internet mainly through images. These images allow the pinner (person who pin the images) to show what is important to them visually. The images are linked to content that the pinner values. They can give you ideas of what to blog about in later posts and how to choose a profitable blog niche.
Bloggers should try Pinterest for these reasons:
- The most popular content has value – people use Pinterest for information, to find something to buy, for inspiration and to connect with others with similar interests. Great chance for a blogger to find readers for his/her content.
- Pinterest-focused images can help you communicate your message – remember the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? A quality picture can help clarify content presented in your blog and provides you with the look of a professional. This look will enhance your reputation within your niche.
- Inspiration for future content – you have the opportunity to check out the pin board of anyone that has pinned your content. You get the chance to see their other interests and maybe other problems that you can help resolve.
- Bloggers are seeing an increase in traffic to their site from Pinterest – people use Pinterest to collect images that interest them. These images are normally linked back to some content that the user consumes.
Mistake #8: Do not be selfish – remember, you are write your blog to provide a solution to your reader’s problems Sometime we get so involve in the topic that we forget why we are discussing it. Start another blog if you want to use the platform as a personal record of your life.
You should develop content based on what your readers want. Constantly read feedback received through the comment section to determine if you are hitting the mark with your content.
Mistake #9:Do not try to monetize site without traffic – in order to make money, you need readers who trust that you and your blog will help them resolve their problems. This trust takes time to cultivate and nourish. Readers are sensitive to sites that only try to sell to them and not offer any tangible solutions.
Mistake #10: Do not forget to collect emails – how can you effectively communicate with your readers without a means to contact them? You collect emails so that you can inform the readers of new blog posts, send out special announcements and converse with a specific reader about a specialized problem.
You can get the readers to provide you with their email address by giving away free content. You are offering valuable information to the reader in exchange for their address. These addresses can later be used as a prospect list for whatever products you wish to sell or recommend. The reader may point you in the right direction on how to creat an amazing content for future posts.