We’re only human so it’s normal for mistakes to happen from time to time. Blogging is no exception; the trick is to learn and move on, which is why I have written this post. From making it all about you to not sharing your posts or worse, not blogging enough – read on this week for my five tips to avoid the most prevalent pitfalls.
Making it all about you
First and foremost, it’s not about you. You write posts for your readers who are your potential clients. How can you help? What do they need? Research your market and write for them. Raising the subject of life is totally fine and it’s nice when blog posts have a personal touch. No one is interested, however, how your working week went, it’s not a diary so keep it relevant.
Following instead of leading
Another common mistake when it comes to blogging, is that most people tend to try and follow the crowd. Why on earth would they do that? It’s about standing out, so write with conviction and write well. If you have a wicked sense of humour this needs to shines though, especially for mundane topics. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to write about something brand new, ESPECIALLY if nobody else is.
Not making time for blogging
The secret to a successful blog is regular posts, ideally on a weekly basis. Publishing five in a row, however, and then none for a month just screams ‘I have no time’. Try setting aside an afternoon each week to plan your content and commit to writing a post. You’ll soon find ideas flow quicker as your blog fills up, just remember to get them shared.
Not promoting your blog posts
A big one here is forgetting to share any blog content on your social platforms. Just because a new post is up doesn’t mean it is ranked, it’s a long process so get promoting. You’ll also notice most blog posts have social icons which make it easy for readers to share them online. If they can do this, then so can you, plus it gives you ready-made content for Facebook.
Writing purely for SEO
When your only aim is to write for search engines, you’ll likely bore people to death. These days, solving a readers query is what matters the most and Google looks to the page that does the best job. So if you’re thinking of keyword stuffing, then think again – naturally written copy wins every time. By all means, identify and use keywords but don’t overdo it, trust me it doesn’t end well.
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So there we have it, now you know the blogging mistakes to try and avoid. It’s not easy to start but it does get better and it can be incredibly fun. If you’re struggling to find the time for your blog, I can certainly help with my writing service. Whether that’s a one-off piece or a series of posts – why not drop me a line to discuss?
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