I think you’ll agree with us when we say, the world of blogging is quite alluring.
You can earn money by simply sitting in one place and writing. All you need is a good laptop and the internet, and if you do it well enough, it can provide a steady income for you. In this rush of excitement, many newbie bloggers jump right into the midst of things, only to realise it’s not as straightforward as it seems.
Blogging is a process of trial and error. It can take months before you see real traffic coming to your blog, and even longer to generate income. If you want to be one step ahead of the game, you can acquire the most relevant skills in the industry like SEO, content creation and blog writing with Kool Kanya’s PowerPass.
To save you some time, here are some common blogging mistakes that you can avoid to help you in your blogging journey.
1. Not keeping your audience in mind
We are sure you’ve heard of the saying, ‘Consumer is the Boss’. Well, in the world of blog writing, ‘Audience is the boss’. You have to remember that as much as you enjoy blog writing, you are writing for an audience and not yourself.
It’s important to understand your reader’s needs, culture, background and age in mind while writing.
For instance, think of how you would narrate the experience of your first date to your best friend versus your grandmother. Chances are the way you communicate and the stories you tell will be quite different. In the same way, you need to communicate and write the content your audience wants to hear, the way they want to hear it.
2. Writing long paragraphs
We live in a generation with short attention span, with Gen Z leading the way, of course. However, this is the same generation that can drive huge traffic to your blog. You don’t want to bore them. They like articles that can be skimmed through.
As a blog writer, you need to keep your paragraphs short and add headings and subheadings with bullet points. Write like how you talk and add some personality to your posts.
The more relatable and engaging your writing, the more likely they are to finish that article and come back to read more.
3. Neglecting SEO best practices
You can write extremely valuable content in the most engaging style, but it will be of no use if search engines like Google cannot find your blogs for people to see. Search Engine Optimisation is critical to blog writing.
You need to start by performing basic keyword research for your blog post and add these keywords to your article. Use keywords wherever possible, such as in your titles, headings, and body, but do not stuff your article with them as it will harm your site’s ranking. You should also add keywords to your Meta Description, Alt Tags, and the blog post’s URL wherever possible.
4. Not doing enough research
Have you ever noticed our tendency to believe any sentence that starts with the words, “Scientists say–”? People tend to be more convinced about information when they know it is coming from a credible source.
If your article is talking about “Why skipping is a better exercise to lose calories”, you should back that up with data and research. If your blog posts make long and fluffy claims that don’t hold true, you will lose your credibility and people will ultimately stop visiting your blog. This will bring down the overall traffic to your website and decrease conversions.
5. Writing generic content
Look at it this way; When you have a toothache, you go to a dentist, right? Not a general practitioner. In the same way, if you were looking for cake recipes, would you go to a blog about food or a blog about baking? I hope you chose the latter. When people are looking for solutions and fixes, they will look for websites that provide expert information.
As a blog writer, you need to find your niche in a particular topic and provide expert knowledge about that subject.
This will also help improve your blog’s visibility on search engines when someone types in a specific question. If your blog covers information about one specific niche, search engines will consider your blog more authoritative than the rest. In addition, if you do have enough knowledge about a particular topic, you don’t need to stick to your own blog. You can even get paid to write articles as a freelance content writer.
6. Publishing inconsistently
It works like this: the more often you blog, the more traffic you get to your website. Every blog post you publish will not only increase your SEO optimisation but also improve your overall brand awareness. A higher volume of posts on your website shows that you are a thought leader in your particular niche.
To put it simply, the more posts you have, the more value you are providing.
Take a few tips from the content writing world, and create a content calendar or a blogging schedule. Even a small dip in regular posting can decrease the amount of traffic. Plan out the topics for your posts in advance. It is recommended to start posting twice or thrice a week as a beginner. However, posting every day will get you closer to earning an income from your blog.
7. Expecting money too quickly
Blogging takes time to generate an income. You need to be in it for the long haul. Just because you don’t see positive results from your blog don’t be discouraged. Once your blog attracts a good amount of traffic, you can try affiliate marketing, sponsorship and advertisements to earn money from your blog.
However, it’s good to be open to a few side hustles. Content writing is taken up by many bloggers to give them a stable income. You can get paid to write articles as a freelance content writer.
We hope to have made your blogging journey easier now that you are aware of these common mistakes people make as a blog writer. Blogging is an exciting journey, but you’ve got to be in it for the long haul.
If you want a head start and to #RaiseYourPower in the industry, you can check out our Content Fast Track 2.0 Course at Kool Kanya, where we show you how to write great content and copy and include SEO with your writing.
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