Some say blogging is an art. Others claim it’s a science with a well-defined formula for success. I believe it’s a matter of individual perception. I’ve come across several bloggers who’ve started off on the right note but lost their way due to some colossal mistake or the other. While starting off strong is half the battle won, the other half – maintaining that growth is equally vital.
In this post, I point out 7 blogging mistakes that most bloggers make that stall their growth.
1. Overdo it
It’s easy to get fascinated by the early success of your blog and overdo it hoping to cash in on the opportunity. Whether it’s posting too often or killing a user’s feed with excessive repurposing of your earlier content, you should realize that most readers don’t appreciate an overload of information. Stick to a well-defined posting schedule, make sure your posts are of moderate length and do not spam your readers with excessive content.
2. Overconfidence
In my opinion, this has to be the most common reason why most bloggers mess up before they become successful. The attitude of I-know-everything is suicidal in the blogging world. As a blogger, you should respect your peers, competitors as well as your audience. Do not impose your opinion or knowledge on others – it just doesn’t work, especially if you are not an established blogger.
3. Quality
When you need to scale, it’s a common mistake to overlook the quality in favor of the quantity. I’ve come across several blogs which started off with stellar content but their quality dipped as they began to introduce more writers or increase the posting volume. If you compromise with your blog quality, it’s bound to hit you big time.
4. User Experience
Several blogs strive to improve the user experience based on user feedback. Those that don’t – lose out in the long term. If you’ve just started a blog, there’s always scope for improvement as far as the user experience is concerned. Use vibrant colors, attractive fonts and easy to read styles and structure that support your model. All in all, the appearance and structure of your blog should be visually appealing to one’s eyes and yet meet your blogging goal.
5. Focus
Blogs often lose focus and deviate from their original vision. This can often be suicidal as you’re targeting a specific audience. If the audience doesn’t find your content meaningful and relevant, they’re more likely to give your blog a skip.
6. Audience
As a blogger, the golden rule is to be focused on your audience. Know what you audience wants and avoid being focused on yourself. Don’t use complex jargon, rather make it a habit to use simplistic language that can be well understood by your audience.
7. Underdo it
Several bloggers are never able to find out how much content is enough. They’re not able to work out an optimal posting schedule. If the audience doesn’t get quality content on a regular basis, your blog is likely to be treated as dormant. Strike a balance and know what posting frequency works best for you and your audience.
What’s your thought on the mistakes most bloggers make that stalls their growth? Please share your views by leaving a comment.
Hi, Douglas, I actually wrote an in-depth post that might supplement some of what you’re saying here: Top 10 Reasons I Never Visit Your Blog Anymore. You might want to give it a look an see if you find some validity there for other bloggers (I love helping the blogging community, because I know of their importance in my success, so I decided to give something back):
http://www.amberrisme.com/2012/02/02/top-10-reasons-i-never-visit-your-blog-anymore/
Great post Amberr, sure does supplement this post. Check her post out guys: URL above.
I think another reason some fail (and I stop following a blog) is pure rambling, lack of credible sources, and boring material. Good post, thanks!
That’s another very valid point Carol. Time is a precious commodity to most people. They just want to get to the gist, the easier you make it for that to happen, the better.
The absolute worst (from a business perspective) is to see a company that started a blog but forgot about it over time. I’d rather not see anything than the fact that they either gave up, got distracted, or got bored…with themselves!
That’s true Jason. Many bloggers start with huge expectations and are mostly disappointed by lack or slow result. A blog that’s founded on shallow foundation is bound for failure. If a blog must succeed, it must have a plan in place. A blog without a plan for success is planning to fail and ultimately abandoned.
I this the biggest is inconsistency. I feel like a lot of people don’t keep going at it, but instead give up on blogging.
Nadia, that’s a huge one, and usually a result of bloggers starting off without a blogging plan in the first place. As mentioned above to Jason, inconsistency becomes a common place when bloggers fail to see results from their work. The cure to inconsistency is to sit back and ask, “what do I really want with my blog?” work out a plan and just go at it, without waiting for perfection, and improve along the way.
Good article, Douglas. I agree with you and especially when you talk about overlook the quality in favor of the quantity as a common mistake.
If someone is focus in quality, must offer it. Rolex shouldn’t offer low quality watches.
Best regards!
Here is a blog entry I wrote earlier today on this subject. http://www.facebook.com/robin.peacock
Great post! How often do you feel like new posts should be posted on a blog that will strike the balance of being a regular blogger vs. posting too often?
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