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IT IS OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES
While it’s so fascinating to see bloggers make millions of money. It’s also true that making money through your blogs isn’t a cakewalk. It takes a lot of hard work to build a successful blog. Sometimes years of consistent work.
As they say “Every pro was once an amateur. Every expert was once a beginner”.
It’s common for bloggers to make mistakes while writing.
While it’s okay to mistakes, you can definitely brush up your skills by avoiding some common mistakes. A blog that is close to perfection has more chances of being read than a blog full of mistakes.
Are you ready to know some common mistakes every blogger makes?
Great! Let’s get you started.
TOP 10 MISTAKES TO AVOID
Here is a guide to the most common mistakes as a content writer that you need to avoid for a successful career. Buckle down!
1. NOT MAKING CONTENT SEO SAVVY
Ever wondered why you are not getting traffic even after posting a great content list? Or, not getting visitors even after posting content regularly?
The simple answer is – SEO
Yes, you heard right. SEO.
Chances are your blog content is not SEO savvy and hence is not fetching you any results. Blog pages that use on-page and off-page SEO tactics rank more than those which don’t.
According to reports, SEO leads result n a conversion rate of 14.6%. Here are some 3 easy tips for you to make your blog SEO savvy:
TIP 1: KEYWORD RESEARCH
Make sure you research top trending keywords and place them strategically in your blog posts. Targeting long tail keywords when you are just starting is easier than targeting short tail keywords with a lot of competition.
Tools like Semrush, Ubersuggest, and KWFinder can help you kick-start your keyword research.
TIP 2: USE SHORT URLs
Short URLs work better than longer ones. Short URLs convey messages not only to users but to Google more easily than long URLs.
URLs should be easy for Google and other search engines to comprehend.
Want to shorten your URL? Click to know more.
TIP 3: GIVE LINKS TO OTHER SITES
Not just your blogs, keep in mind you link other websites too in your blog. These websites you are linking should be of high authority and not broken links. If you put expired links Google will penalize you.
2-5 external links must be a good number to start with.
Stop being selfish and start linking other resources in your blog. This will show you as someone who genuinely wants to solve your reader’s problems.
Want to know more tips to enhance your blog SEO?
Let us know if you need a separate blog on this topic.
2. NOT UPDATING YOUR CONTENT WITH THE TIME
Spending time updating your blog content is as important as writing new content.
According to reports, Only 38% of bloggers are updating older articles. Moreover, 34% of bloggers say that updating content produces strong results.
Updating your old content will take up lesser effort than building fresh ones. This is a great way to bring more visitors to your website.
Post updated, trustworthy content for your readers. They will appreciate you! Nobody wants to read old content.
3. WRITING DIFFICULT CONTENT
Writing a blog that is easy to read is a must. Give your readers a blog that is easy to understand, and easier to skim.
You can do this by adding various levels of headings to your blog (H1-H6). This will help your users know the different sections of the blog more clearly.
Don’t use language that is difficult to comprehend. Use easy-to-understand sentences.
It’s also advisable to cut short your lengthy paragraphs. Ideally, you should not use more than 5-6 sentences in your paragraph.
You can also use visual representations like images or infographics to break down the monotony of black and white texts. It’s easier to understand!
4. RELYING SOLELY ON YOUR BLOGS FOR INCOME
If you want to make money from blogging. It’s time you start looking out for other resources as well. 45% of bloggers who earn over $50,000 per year sell their own products or service, while only 8% of lower-income bloggers do.
You can start this by offering physical or digital products to your readers.
The simple and safest way is to launch your book. You can either sell a hard or soft copy of your books depending on your budget. Try collaborating with e-commerce portals like Amazon or even sell it exclusively on your website.
Additionally, you can give out subscriptions to your readers monthly or annually. This will ensure a fixed side income that you can earn with blogging. Share exclusive content with your subscribers. Analyze your trending content and lock it for your subscription members only.
Follow these tips and you will be shocked to see the results!
5. NOT FOCUSING ON YOUR AUDIENCE
A successful blogger always keeps his audience before himself. Therefore., while planning your content make sure you focus on your audience’s interest. Instead, of thinking about the articles you want to write.
As the report suggests, Successful bloggers know their audiences well. 73% of bloggers who earn over $50,000 per year say they focus their content on the interests of a very specific group.
Now, you must be wondering, how?
Here are 5 tips for you to know your audience better :
TIP 1: Do market research by checking online portals like Quora or Facebook. See questions asked by your niche audience.
TIP 2: You can also learn about your visitors by checking your site analytics. See what posts are working and what are not working for you.
TIP 3: Using Google auto-suggest is also a great way to learn about trending topics. Try typing in keywords in the Google search bar and it will show you related topics which are trending
TRENDY TOPS = TOPICS PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR
Make sure, you write on topics that are trending.
TIP 4: Monitoring what your competitors are writing is also a great way to know what your niche audience wants. See trending posts of your competitors. Draw inspiration from them. Make sure you don’t copy their texts, but instead figure out a way in which you can present it uniquely to your audience.
TIP 5: Below are some Online tools that can help you get started:
Focusing on what your readers want can never go wrong! Be at it.
6. POOR CONTENT FORMATTING
Formatting your content is very important. If your content is poorly formatted either the reader will misunderstand it, or stop reading it completely.
Poorly organized content makes it difficult for readers to comprehend. Your blog article might be the best on the web, but if poorly organized, nobody is going to read it.
So, how can you fix your formatting?
Here are 3 tips to make your content look appealing:
TIP 1: WHITESPACE
When you give your readers too much to read, they might bounce off! Make sure you are using whitespaces in your article rather than a big box of text.
Whitespace makes the article look easy to consume (light) and more professional.
TIP 2: BOLD TEXTS
Use bold texts to emphasize an important message. Mostly, readers decide if they want to read or skip a certain section of your blog only by reading bold texts.
Bold texts are a great way to assert your message to your readers. Use it wherever needed!
TIP 3: ALIGN YOUR ARTICLE
By default, the reader’s point of reference is from left to right. Don’t break the consistency by aligning the images on your right side. Align images or infographics to the left or center, this will help your readers have a smooth reading experience.
Follow one standard alignment and follow the same for all your blogs. Consistency is the key!
7. NOT PROVIDING A CLEAR CTA
When you write an article, always keep in mind the next action you want your readers to take.
Ask yourself:
- Are there other articles you want them to read?
- Do you want them to subscribe to your newsletter?
- Want them to share your blogs?
- Is there any webinar you want them to sign up for?
- Do you want to increase your on-page time by making them play some quizzes?
- Is there any form you would like them to fill?
So many things can be done by just including a clear CTA- click To Action in your blog.
Keep your readers engaged. Provide them with additional things than just reading your blog post. You can also add relevant quizzes to retain your visitors to your page.
You want to keep visitors to your website for as long as possible. So, make sure you give them a list of your blogs linked with one another. This will spurt up your engagement.s
8. FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON SELF PROMOTION
Don’t ever underestimate your readers. They know when you are self-promoting, and when you are selflessly trying to help them.
80% of your focus should be on readers and not on yourself.
While it’s okay to do a little self-promotion here and there but talking too much about yourself will bounce your readers off.
To avoid this focus on your readers’ interests. Write on topics they care about or are looking for. What they might be interested in? what problems they might have?
Give them solutions to their problems and you will do far better than talking about yourself.
9. NOT BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Successful bloggers build long-term relationships with their readers. Every time they publish a blog there are hundreds of comments on it.
Building a relationship with your readers is important in many ways:
- You can develop a loyal community
- It makes you win the trust of your audience. Which means they will easily buy from you.
- You can make your readers, your family
- When you make a good bond with your readers you will write from your heart more than your mind. And, content that comes directly from the heart can never go wrong!
- You never know you might get a business from one of your readers.
- It will spurt up the engagement of your blog. This means more comments, more shares, and even more leads.
Now, that you know some benefits of maintaining a good relationship with your readers. You might wonder- how can you build one?
Here are 5 easy steps to build a good long-term relationship with your blog audience:
- Engage with your readers in the comment section. If not all, try to reply to as many readers, as you can.
- Learn the art of storytelling. Make it conversational by using prepositions like “I” and “you.
- Consider your readers’ suggestions. Make blogs on topics that your readers suggest. This will make them feel valued.
- Solve your readers’ problems rather than self-promotion.
- Try to make videos for your readers this will help them understand the face behind the blog. Videos are anyway, a great medium to build an emotional connection.
With these tips in mind we bet, you can never go wrong!
10. NOT BUILDING AN EMAIL LIST
No matter how much traffic you are getting from social media platforms or Google. It’s of no use if you don’t manage it properly.
Email lists are the best way to stay connected with your subscribers. According to a study, you are 6 times more likely to get higher click-through rates than from social media.
You can send out personalized messages to your subscribers to make them feel valued. Or even, huge discount codes to make them feel important like they are! Sending out free guides to your subscribers after they sign up is also a great way to engage with them
Although, an email list can get lengthy and confusing. It’s always better to segment it for better understanding. To target them efficiently, you can divide your list based on demographics, or even purchase history.
Building your email list is as important as building great content. I reckon.
Building your email list is as important as building great content.
Go for it
CONCLUSION
Monetizing your blogs is not easy. A lot goes behind a successful blog that you need to take care of.
- Always make your content SEO savvy to ensure traffic to your website. Also, do not forget to update your content once n every month. People don’t like to read old content, that serves as trustworthy information.
- Do not flaunt your vocabulary. Choose an easy-to-read language for your blog. This will attract more traffic. Moreover, remember to format your texts properly. Poorly formatted text is difficult to comprehend.
- While it’s important to throw some self-promotion here and there, doing a lot of self-promotion will bounce your readers off. Your articles must be about your readers not about yourself. Your readers are clever enough to spot when you are trying to pitch yourself, and when you are trying to solve their issues. Don’t underestimate them!
- Moreover, provide clear CTAs in your blog for your readers to take their next steps without any hassle. If you want them to do something, tell them! You can add sharing options, subscribe buttons, or even some relevant quizzes.
- Focus on your readers’ needs and then launch your blogs. Give relevant content to your readers. Additionally, interact with the. You need to build a relationship with your blog audience.
- While blogs are a great source of earnings. Do not just completely rely on them. Start focusing on digital or physical product offerings that you can offer to your readers. And, maintain an email list to stay in touch with them.
Follow these tips to avoid mistakes while blogging. And, we are sure your blogging will take off within no time! Best of luck.
Are you able to monetize your blogs? If yes, then tell us your favorite tip that works for you. Let us know if you found this piece helpful and what would you like to read next. Stay tuned for exciting content. See you!