The Top 5 Blog Mistakes You Should Avoid
Whether you’re starting a blog as a side gig or going all in and wanting to blog full time, chances are you’re going to go through some growing pains. This tends to be the case no matter the type of blog you’re planning to run, whether it’s an interior design blog, travel, or something else. Your first major concern may be how to attract more traffic. However, if you’re like many other blog novices, you might be overlooking five key factors that affect the way users interact with your site. Read on to find out more about how to avoid these common blog mistakes.
1. Blogging without a calendar
If you’re posting inconsistently, you’re going to end up confusing your readers and they might abandon ship. It’s not just about posting lots of content, but also about doing so regularly. Decide on how frequently you want to post – monthly, weekly, daily – and stick with it. Plan topics ahead of time so you’re not caught off-guard. Sticking to an editorial calendar will help make blogging routine and will build users’ trust in your site.
2. Cutting corners when it comes to security
Bloggers that are just starting out may be tempted to turn to free hosting platforms and may ignore options like adding an SSL certificate, which verifies to users that the information being transferred is encrypted and therefore unreachable to third parties. However, an insecure blog site will mean that readers are much less likely trust the site, let alone pay it a visit again.
3. Posting too soon or too late
While some new bloggers are too trigger-happy, others are way too cautious. Though you should spend time re-reading your blog post, checking for errors, you shouldn’t be trying to attain perfection. It’s always better to return to a post and update it than to not post it at all.
4. Confusing or cluttered page layout
No one likes opening a web page to find a huge block of text or a million pictures, all competing with one another for attention. Keep the look of your blog clean and streamlined or your run the risk of scaring potential subscribers away.
5. No CTA or subscription option
Even if you think your blog might need to grow a bit before people will start subscribing to it, there’s no reason not to have the option available from the get-go. Subscriptions will help ensure that new readers become loyal followers of your blog. Likewise, adding a call-to-action (CTA) on the bottom of the post and linking to social media pages will allow your readers to promote your blog for you, generating organic traffic.
Remember, one of the most important parts of running a blog is connecting with your readers, meaning they have to trust you. Make sure to avoid the above mistakes so that your blog growing pains are over and done with as soon as possible!
