Running a successful blog can be difficult, we agree. However, blogging is definitely something that can give your innovative ideas a kickstart in the real world and help you build a name for yourself and earn adequate revenue. As of 2020, approximately 409 million people view more than 20 billion blog pages on a monthly basis. Also, companies who blog are most likely to get about 97% more website visits compared to those who don’t. 77% of all Internet users prefer to read blogs as they have been rated as the 5th most trustworthy source of information. So if you are someone who is good with words and is willing to earn money using this talent of yours, blogging is the right path for you. And avoiding blogging mistakes can help you grow more easily.

If you wish to avoid making amateur mistakes to jeopardize your career as a blogger, read on to find out about the top 10 blogging mistakes that you must avoid if you are a newbie.

1. Avoid focusing on ideas that only interest you.

For most newbie bloggers, the thin line between ideas that interest them as a writer and ideas that interest their audience as readers disappear. While blogging is definitely about expressing yourself, you must remember that it is not a personal diary where all you do is record your thoughts. This is a golden platform that has been provided to you for the purpose of presenting your thoughts to the world in a unique way and building a brand for yourself. To avoid making this mistake, make sure that you always align your blog posts to the growth ideas of your company or brand. Make sure that you write something that will intrigue your audience and leave them on a cliffhanger so that they keep coming back to your posts. 

2. Avoid using difficult language

One of the biggest buzz killers in the content industry is language. Nobody wants to sit with a thesaurus while reading an online blog. Since blogging is a medium that you use to talk to your audience, do exactly that, talk to them. Use the same easy language in your content that you usually use to speak to people when you are trying to make a point or convince them. Make sure that you use language and words that will help your readers feel a personal connection to your writing. This is one of the best ways to retain an audience. You can also use jokes and puns to bring some humor to your writing.

3. Avoid broad topics with open interpretation

While you are writing, you have to remember you want to make an impression in the minds of your readers. You do not want to give them something to think about or interpret in their own way. In order to make the best impression on your readers, you must structure your writing in a convincing tone. Also, another important point to take note of is narrowing your writing down to certain specific topics. When readers see that you have written something big and have provided a plethora of information without any concentration, readers are bound to be left confused. You can also lose a large amount of your audience. So make sure that you focus on one or two particular points and elucidate on them based on facts and figures.

4. Avoid writing in a haphazard manner

It is extremely important to structure your writing well so that it does not end up looking like a rough draft. Compartmentalize information into blocks, heading, and subheadings so that the reader finds it easy to grasp the information and retain it in their minds. You may have a great idea but your inability to present it in an organized format is bound to drive your readers away. If you take adequate time to make an outline, organize your thoughts and create a steady flow of information throughout your writing, it will be easier for your readers to feel a connection and connect different pieces of information with each other.

5. Avoid big talk and back up your content with proper facts and data

A big mistake that amateur newbie bloggers make is writing based on assumptions and stories. You must understand that while you are amateur, your audience is not. Also, stories do not sell in the real world. Remember, that your products of imagination to back up your ideas are simply inadequate to convince an audience. You must provide facts, figures, and data to prove that your claims are not mere claims are proper truths. This also shows your audience you have worked hard to provide proper research for your content. This also makes your blog trustworthy, thereby increasing your base exponentially.

6. Avoid Plagiarised content

A big turn off for a reader is when they find something in your blog that they have already read before without proper credit to the original source. This can also lead you to legal problems as you can be sued for plagiarism and theft of information. These can tarnish your image forever. So make sure that you provide proper credit and citations to the sources where you found your information. This will only impress your audience. Use tools to check if you are not writing plagiarised content.

7. Avoid publishing immediately after you are done writing

Not revising your content will backfire at you because more often than not, writers find mistakes in grammar, spellings, etc., during their second revision. It is important to take some time, 30 minutes at least depending upon the size of your blog, to read and edit your content. If your readers find these silly mistakes in a published blog, they are bound to dismiss you as someone who is careless and doesn’t take his work seriously. This can be another big blow to the growth of your audience.

8. Avoid being inconsistent

If you do not write and publish your work at regular intervals, your readers will forget you. They will also probably find a replacement for you. One of the biggest drawbacks of the content industry is the cutthroat competition, there is always someone ready to take your place. Thereby, it is important to constantly be in touch with your readers and also create a rigid timeline for post updates as this will ensure that your readers look forward to your write-up on a regular basis.

9. Avoid Focusing on short term benefit and look at the bigger picture

Many times, newbie bloggers make the mistake of focussing their content on short term trends that may not last for a very long time. However, your blog is not a seasonal diary where you write about current affairs. Choose something that will never go out of trend, something that will always matter to people. Not only is choosing such a topic necessary, but you must also focus your content on an audience that is long-lasting. So make sure that you keep a track of the demographics of your readers and customize your content in such a way that they feel like it has been personalized for them. According to Hubspot, the return on investment of your blog is the aggregation of organic traffic over time.

10. Avoid using too many pictures from Google directly

While it is important to provide media such as images, videos, and gifs, you must also make it a point to not always copy-paste them from Google directly. Your writers must have seen these before and they do not want to see the same things again. Find specific sites like Freepik, Getty, or Pinterest for authentic pictures that not a lot of people may have access to. This shows the amount of hard work that you have put into your blog content.

While it takes time to learn the ropes of blogging, once you understand how it works, there will be no going back. If you put in the right amount of effort at the right places, your blog will take off immediately and establish you as a force to reckon with in the world of content.

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