- Edited on:July 4, 2022
10 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid Like the Plague!
Starting a blog is an exciting journey that we all are so excited about when we get started. However, many bloggers get started the wrong way, unfortunately. That can be either because they have had the wrong instructions or they just are too lazy to actually do the work.
Table of Contents
Blogging Mistakes
So today I’m going to talk to you about 10 blogging mistakes that beginning bloggers make. These mistakes usually cause them to fail or get discouraged because they don’t see any results down the line. So let’s get started…
Blogging Mistake 1: Using Free Platforms
The first blogging mistake that I see everywhere is people starting blogs on free platforms like Blogger.com and WordPress.com. I think that there is no problem with that if you want to just want to blog for fun. But if you really are serious about blogging and serious about making a business out of it, you have to invest some money.
You have to invest some money in some tools that are absolutely necessary for your there’s no way around it, unfortunately.
These two things are a domain name and hosting. You definitely want these two vital components because the content will belong to you. Imagine if WordPress or Blogger decide to shut you down? What would happen then? All your months or even years of work will be lost.
If you own your domain name and hosting, it’s your own online real estate. Nobody can take it away from you. Hosting packages can start at very low prices; sometimes for less than $5 a month. I use Beyond Hosting because I have a lot of domains and I get quite a lot of traffic. I’ve used a few in the past. I’ve used Hostgator and I was not happy with it. And then I switched to Bluehost which was pretty good and I actually recommend it. The reason I use Beyond Hosting now is because I wanted to have a VPS. But don’t worry, you do not need that when you get started. For domains, I use Namecheap and I have been with them for over 10 years. They always have offers and good packaged. You can check them out below:
Mistake 2: Not Building a List From Day One
The second one of the blogging mistakes that new bloggers make is not building a list. Building a list of subscribers is your number one priority and should always be the first thing that you are planning to do when you start a new blog.
When you don’t build your list, all the traffic that comes to your blog is wasted. You’re wasting traffic. You have to have opt-in boxes all around your blog if you want to actually succeed because your subscribers list is your traffic on demand. You have to build a relationship with them, you have to nurture them and you have to send them content and teach them the things that you promised to teach them. And then they will be your fans. And when they become your fans, they will follow whatever you tell them. They will ask you for suggestions and recommendations. If you have a product to sell, those are the first people who are going to buy from you because they know you, like you and trust you.
Post you might be interested in:
Mistake 3: Poor Content
Mistake number three is not creating great content. If you think that creating really short 300 to 400-word articles is going to cut it, I think you are mistaken. I know that a lot of people think long posts are not necessary, but I do. Long, detailed posts full of value are a great way to build trust with your visitors. As a guideline, I would aim for at least 800 to 1,000 words in every article.
I would rather post one article per month that is full of value and promote it than post poor content every couple of days that is not helping anyone. So take your time create something great!
Posts you might be interested in:
7-Day FREE Blogging Course!
Get blogging lessons delivered to your inbox every day!
Simply enter your email below to get instant access!
Mistake 4: Choosing a Niche You Know Nothing About
Okay, let’s move onto mistake number four. I see a lot of new bloggers choose to go with a niche that they have no idea about. I mean, okay, there are niches out there that are very, very profitable, right? Mainly online marketing, relationships, health, weight loss, sports, pets, cooking, travel etc. But if you have no interest in any of this stuff, you will lose interest soon. Even if you are excited in the beginning, you will soon get bored and give up.
I am not saying that you should be an expert; but you should at least know something about it, or be interested enough to do some research to write about it.
If you would like to know more about how to choose a niche, watch the video below:
Mistake 5: No Content ProMotion
Most bloggers think that if they just write great content, the traffic fairy will just come at night and sprinkle some traffic dust on their blog posts… Or they think that Google will just automatically pick up their content and rank it. That couldn’t be further from the truth. If you don’t constantly promote your content, nobody will ever know about it; even if it’s the greatest article in the world!
Mistake 6: Not Monetizing Your Blog
Another one of the very common blogging mistakes that I see is not monetizing your blog. After creating your blog, creating great content and starting to build your list, what are you monetizing with? How are you going to make money?
We love talking about our topics/niches and helping people. But at the end of the day, we’re all here to make money, right? So you need to make sure that you monetize your blog the right way. Have your funnel in place, place whatever ads you need to place on your blog and make sure you have a product already selected before you even start driving traffic.
Mistake 7: Wanting Results Overnight
Blogging is a long journey and every step of the way should be enjoyed and celebrated. If you are looking for something that will make you a millionaire in 5 minutes, then blogging is not for you. You need to put in time, effort, trial and error, and a whole lot of work if you want to become a successful blogger.
So take it one step at a time and enjoy the process!
Mistake 8: Spending Too Much Money On Unnecessary Tools
We all like pretty and sleek looking blogs, right? One of the blogging mistakes that new bloggers make is to buy way too much software that is not needed. Keep it simple and start small. Then you can upgrade and pimp up your blog as you grow.
Mistake 9: Perfectionism
This used to be one of my biggest problems. In fact, I still suffer from perfectionism every now and then, even after so many years of blogging. I am still working on it, though. Don’t look for a perfect looking blog or graphics. Just get quality content out there and promote it as much as you can. Follow the steps in this guide to start/grow a successful blog.
Mistake 10: Comparing Yourself to Other Bloggers
The final one and probably the biggest blogging mistake is comparing yourself to other bloggers; mainly the successful ones. I made this mistake myself when I got started, and I think everybody does because you really can’t help it. Unfortunately, this one is a killer.
When you get started and you’re a tiny little blogger who has a few pieces of content on their blog, then you see other bloggers making tens of thousands of dollars a month, you feel frustrated and maybe even discouraged. Don’t do that!
These guys did NOT start making $10,000 a month overnight. They haven’t. They started just like you and me when I got started. So don’t get discouraged when you see people around you or on YouTube making those big amounts of money because it took them months or years to get there.
With that said, if you work at it, it you show up every day and are consistent, you are eventually going to get there. So don’t compare yourself to other bloggers. Instead, compare yourself to what you were yesterday. Did you do something better today? That’s what you should compare yourself to.
7-Day FREE Blogging Course!
Get blogging lessons delivered to your inbox every day!
Simply enter your email below to get instant access!
Conclusion
So these are the blogging mistakes that I wanted to share with you today. I really hope you found them useful. And if you are making any of these mistakes, I hope this has helped you put in come way.
If you feel like this post, please share it and leave me a comment. Also, if there are any blogging mistakes that you have made when you got started, I would love to hear about them.
Great tips for new bloggers! There is so much to learn starting out and the resources can be overwhelming at times. The one mistake I’ve definitely made is not building a subscriber list from day one.
I so loved your post and all the others. I’ve written about blogging and have done podcast too. You gave so many amazing ideas and tips. You’ve actually opened my mind to be more creative in sharing my content. I really enjoyed this.
It’s so hard not to compare when you start out. I made the mistake of not monetizing properly when I started. I also didn’t have a defined niche so wrote about anything.
It’s so hard to not play the comparison game! I think if you are going to blog, you have to love it and focus on that.
Blogging can be rough when you start. These are amazing tips. Thank you for taking time to write them all out.
Great tips for all the bloggers out there!
Honeslty, I’ve made many of those mistakes, especially the comparison one!
Blogging seems like just writing but there is so much too it! I have made these mistakes when I started out and learnt from my own mistakes. I think I still get disappointed when I compare myself with other bloggers.
How many times can I say “yes” to this?!? My one real Achilles heel in my blogging is my list-building, which is way behind everything else you mention here. But like everything else in blogging, there is always room for improvement and plenty of opportunities to keep growing and getting better!
I definitely think that building a subsciber list is the most important. But often it can be the most difficult thing to do as it can really be a slow build. But it is where you get a great deal of interactions in the long run from people who keep getting to see your great posts, and who want to interact with them.