This article is about the 8 biggest blogging mistakes you need to avoid making and how to fix them.
Let me take you down memory lane and look at my blogging history:
- Chrissain.com started out on Blogger. That’s terrible right off the bat.
- I was initially all over the place and didn’t have a real focus.
- Can you believe I had the nerve to put google ads on my page with no traffic (I made a $1.54 and immediately took ads off my free website)
- I finally got focused, found my niche and got serious about my blog as a potential business. (1k+ per month) – Started about a year ago
You can see the proof in my income reports. I’ve wrestled with this thing to figure it out and make it profitable.
Want to know the difference between a successful blog and an unsuccessful blog?
Pull your seat up real close if you are reading this on your desktop… pull your phone real close to your face if you are on your mobile device.
It’s really simple…
Accumulate Your Losses QUICKLY.
That’s the key.
You need to get going so you can know what works and what doesn’t. Thoughts as well as questions such as “Does anyone know that my blog or business exist?” or just as important, the “Why is no one buying my stuff??
This is a phase we all go through.
What’s the key to starting fast?
It’s a combination of failing fast and learning quickly.
Ever heard of Hard Head Fred? Just know mistakes and failures are part of the process, but if you’re smart, you can expedite your learning curve and limit your mistakes with these tips below.
Let’s jump right into the 8 biggest blogging mistakes you need to avoid and how to fix them!
Here is a breakdown of what I will cover:
- Free Blogging Platforms
- Email Marketing
- Blog Post Titles
- Your Pins on Pinterest
- Belief in Yourself
- Hiding While Blogging
- Wasting Time
- Slow Website
- Using a Free Blogging Platform
Mistake number one is for those of you still using a free blogging platform to create your blog (i.e. Blogger, Wix, BlogSpot, etc.).
You only get one chance to make a first impression – this is as true in the blogging world as it is anywhere else.
Check it out. If my first impression of you is that you’re unwilling to spend $3/month hosting and domain package…boy do we have problems. Not only are you signifying you’re unwillingness to invest in yourself but, you are also saying to everyone else; “Hey, don’t take my business serious because I don’t.”
Free does not inspire trust or confidence, and those things are EVERYTHING.
It’s also super easy to create an online business or to set up a blog these days. No coding experience or expertise with WordPress and Bluehost needed. Stop looking for excuses not to succeed and start out the right way. If you want people to take you seriously, you must first take yourself serious.
You get one chance to make a first impression! Remember that.
- Avoiding Building an Email List
Mistake number two bloggers make is not building an email list as soon as possible.
I remember when I first started, not only did I not see a use for email I was reluctant to acquire people’s emails. That all changed quickly as I began to educate myself more and one day discovered that the “money is in the list…the email list.”
I quickly started collecting emails then…
Believe it or not, email marketing is a real thing. I understand the fear that many have with emailing from not knowing what to say to feeling like you are spamming people, but the numbers don’t lie.
Without question, email is the #1 way to turn a prospect into a buyer. It’s not going anywhere and its been that way for the past decade.
The beauty is this; I have a list of hundreds of people to contact when I publish new articles or sell new products. It provides a sense of security.
Even if Facebook became Myspace tomorrow, I’d be okay. Why? – Because of my email list!
Check out ConvertKit. It’s what I use and what I recommend new bloggers use to.
- Writing Poor Headlines and Blog Post Titles
Mistake number three is writing poor headlines and blog post titles.
There are copywriters and full-time headline writers out there. It’s a legitimate profession. Real talk, there are people paid to sit in a room and think up the most compelling headlines all day… Welcome to Digital, Tech and Information era.
Major companies are literally relying on the clicks provided by their team and the creative headlines they muster up.
A good headline is everything! Without one, you won’t get any clicks to your site. And without clicks, there is no ad revenue.
80% of your time should be spent researching your topic idea and coming up with a compelling and creative headline. Seriously, how much does what you write matter if nobody clicks and reads it?
You can have the best content in the world, but if you don’t pair it with a good headline, no one will read your blog.
- Learn how to create nice looking pins for Pinterest
Mistake number four is creating poor graphics and pins. Learn how to create transparent backgrounds for instance or what color schemes work best and captures the attention of people online.
The image you choose means EVERYTHING. Probably right up there with your headline, your image is why people click. Choose wisely.
It’s not likely to have just a nice image and weak headline driving clicks.
I creates all of my images on Pinterest using a free software called Canva.
- Lack of belief in yourself
Mistake number 5 is lack of belief in who you are. No confidence or low confidence is often at play.
This is not a problem I personally have, but I coach a lot of people and it is something that is present in many.
I will admit, blogging can be intimidating. Just the human part of all of this makes you go back and forth about whether to publish something or not. Wrestling with the thought of how other may perceive what you share is also a real fear.
Believe in yourself. Trust yourself.
You have a story that is meant to set some others free. You have a story that only you can tell that is intended to transform a life.
This post is as much of a reminder for myself as it is a lesson to you, by the way. Not everyone is going to resonate or agree with everything you say…So what. Focus on the ones that do. Keep writing.
The point I’m trying to make is, focus on who you are called to reach. You will lose yourself trying to reach and appease the masses.
Trust your voice. Believe in yourself. You story MATTERS.
- Hiding behind your keyboard
Mistake number six is hiding behind your keyboard. Wait a minute! Chris what do you mean? A lot of people hide behind their blog and this is a big mistake. If you continue to hide, no one will ever know who you are. If no one knows who you are, you will never be able to connect with your readers.
What happens when you stop hiding?
- You grow and so does your blog
- More business. More sales
- Real customers. Organic followers
- An overall positive sense of self-worth
Which leads me to my next statement… Stop hiding?
Be more than your blog. People want to connect. People need to your face in order to connect and in order buy products you are selling on your blog.
There must be a real person behind the keyboard.
- Wasting Time
Time is the most valuable asset we have. It is the one thing you can’t get back. Mistake number seven is procrastinating and wasting time.
When I started Chrissain.com, I decided to have 10 different email auto responders as part of my email list… Eager to make some money online, I went about it the wrong way.
Coincidentally, it was only when I simplified everything that I started making some REAL money in my business online.
Focus is key.
Do your best to stay focused on the #1 most important task that you can do right now to help your blog succeed. Let everything else go, temporarily, until you complete that one task.
- Slow Website and Page Load Time
Mistake number eight is having a slow website. This often happens because you failed to optimize images, add too many plugins which in turns slows down your site.
Often times there are a few reasons for your blog is slow. The number one reason is often image size.
Most bloggers don’t realize this problem and just upload an image into WordPress at whatever size it comes in. The problem is that the more post you have the more it will slow down your site.
Here is the step-by-step process I take to make sure my images are optimized:
- Resize, crop, touch up, add borders, etc. using Canva.
- When it looks how you want it, save it to your desktop or whatever, and then upload it to WordPress. Add the plugin WP Smush which is another free platform that compresses your images for you!
- NEXT upload it to your blog post!
- Finally, BOOM…your photos are compressed and will no longer cause your site to work slow.
Bonus Blogging Mistake #9. Not FOCUSING on Pinterest!
Blogging and Pinterest are a powerful combination.
If you get it right, there’s a lot of money to be made that will cost you ZERO dollars in ad revenue!
In fact, I drive over 100,000 views a month from Pinterest alone and a long side Facebook and google, it is my preferred source of traffic.
The biggest problem I seen with Pinterest and bloggers, is that they don’t take it serious. Perfecting Pinterest is not simple nor is it a get-rich-quick thing. Most people end up giving up because they can’t “figure out” how to use it.
Facts: There is no shortcut to immediate traffic. Cultivating an audience takes time. But there are platforms that will help you get there a little faster.
If you don’t want to put in the work, just forget about blogging, because there is lots of work involved!
Making money online takes a lot of time and effort.
If you want to make a lot of money, spending a good chunk of time and effort mastering Pinterest can be worth it to figure out.
If you enjoyed this article on the biggest blogging mistakes or have any questions for me, please leave a comment below!
Get started. Dare to be GREAT!
