Blogging can be very lucrative provided you do it right. Many beginner bloggers are keen to jump right into it. They do so without learning what it takes to be a successful blogger. Newbie bloggers often make mistakes that can cost them both time and money. To help you avoid this, we’ve compiled 8 blogging mistakes that could cost you big money.
You are working hard, but not getting any traffic to your blog? You need to learn how to stand out from the rest of your competition. Keep in mind that creating a successful blog takes time. You are bound to make some mistakes at the beginning of your blogging career.
Even if you’ve been blogging for a while, there is always room for improvement. You can learn more about how to monetize your website or blog here.
Blogging mistakes that could cost you big money
Without further ado, we’ll present you with some of the most common blogging mistakes. Both newbies and seasoned bloggers struggle with these mistakes. You should watch out for them.
#1 Not growing your email list
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of building an email list. You should start collecting email subscribers as soon as you start your blog. You can’t count on people who enjoy your writing to simply bookmark your blog along with a hundred others. They are not likely to come back to check your new posts unless you remind them.
Your readers need to hear from you often. That way you will build your online presence and get the message across that you are an expert in your field. Most importantly, you will land clients and make sales through email.
Your blogging income will directly depend on the number of your email subscribers. Avoid using free email marketing platforms. Keep in mind that they are free for only a limited number of subscribers.
#2 Not knowing your audience
You need to know who your target audience is and understand what they want from you. Aim to build a long-lasting relationship with your readers. Check forums and Facebook groups. They will help you better understand what your readers want to know more about. Get to know your readers better by sending out surveys.
Do you yourself enjoy completing surveys? Have you considered taking part in online surveys? It’s easy to register for the surveys and you can earn extra money in a matter of a few minutes. Once you pass the threshold, you can simply withdraw your money to your PayPal account.
#3 Using sneaky SEO tactics
Your content helps Google identify the main topic of your blog. Google will try to present your content to the audience that is most likely to be interested in it. However, Google can also penalize you for using some of the following sneaky SEO tactics:
- Keyword stuffing strategy – It’s one of the most common beginner blogging mistakes. Unnatural keyword stuffing of the phrases you are likely to rank for is never a good strategy. Use keyword density checkers to prevent this from happening.
- Cloaking – In an attempt to rank on the first page of Google, many bloggers use this technique. Cloaking means that you present users with content that is different from the content you present to so-called search engine crawlers. This technique is a black hat SEO technique that violates Google guidelines.
- Link farming – There are no shortcuts to backlink success. Link farming is a group of websites that all hyperlink to other domains in the same group. This technique is another no-no in Google’s eyes. When Google discovers such websites it’ll deindex them.
#4 Not promoting your blog
As a blogger, you need to create both paid and unpaid promotional strategies. Your quality content will get you nowhere if no one is reading it. If you want to get the traffic and the income that follows, blog promotion is the key. Learn more about how you can make money running a website or blog. You can start by using these unpaid promotional tactics to boost traffic to your website:
- Share your content on social media – Use your social media channels to share your blog content. Feel free to invite people to check out what you’ve created. You can also try to develop a community on Facebook or start a forum.
- Reach out to fellow bloggers in your blog niche – Post a friendly comment or share something you’ve created with successful bloggers. If you are struggling to choose your blogging niche, take a look at this article.
- Try guest blogging – This is a strategy where you produce free content for other sites. In exchange, you get a backlink to your site. Remember that the more backlinks you have, the better your blog will rank.
There are also numerous paid promotional tactics. Paid promotions on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest mean you have to invest some money. Investing in paid promotions will definitely pay off in the long run.
You can also collaborate with various social media influencers. Launching Google Ads campaigns is another great idea. Whichever promotional tactic you choose, keep in mind that it should help spread the word about your brand.
#5 Not adding value
Your blog will not add any value to your readers’ life if you put quantity over quality. Having plenty of poor-quality posts on your blog will get you nowhere. Steer clear of clickbait titles and make sure the title covers the actual content of your post. Otherwise, the bounce rate will go through the roof. Your readers will start leaving in frustration.
Your blog should teach your readers something new. It can also make your readers become more aware of something. Your blog can be entertaining so that your readers have a whale of a time reading it. That being said, don’t try too hard to be funny. Aim to inspire people, encourage them, and change their lives for the better with your blog posts.
#6 Not having a monetization strategy
Just keep writing on your blog and the audience will magically appear. Right? Wrong. One of the most common beginner blogging mistakes is not having a monetization strategy. You should come up with a sales funnel before you launch your blog.
Offer your own services
One of the ways how you can monetize your blog is by offering your services. Some of the services you can offer are these:
- freelance content writing
- web design
- SEO related services
- WordPress related services
Create a separate page on your website that is dedicated to the services you offer. Then, simply link back to this page when you are writing your blog posts. Check out other cool ideas on how you can make money as an online writer.
Use affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is all about referring your readers to different products and services. To do this, you use a custom link. If a reader decides to make a purchase, you get a small commission for the referral. Affiliate marketing is a great way how you can earn money with your blog, but don’t overdo it.
Always prioritize quality content over affiliate links. Don’t just include any affiliate link unless you personally recommend it. However tempting it might be, don’t link to everything. Too many affiliate links will negatively impact the user experience.
#7 Not paying attention to visual clutter
Too much information and too many widgets on your website can be overwhelming for your readers. If your readers can’t find quickly what they want, they will just leave. Keep your blog design minimal and easy on the eyes. Choose a nice, clear font as well.
Keep in mind that your blog design should maximize readership and conversions. Simple things, such as creating a beautiful blog logo and picking a color palette for your blog are vitally important. Don’t distract your readers from your content with too many unnecessary details.
#8 Not trying your best
Don’t reserve your best content for your eBooks and courses. This is especially true if you are a beginner blogger. You need to win people over and make them fall in love with your writing. That’s not easy when you are starting from scratch.
You need to be informative and write posts that make people go wow. Roll up your sleeves and deliver helpful and detailed content. That’s how you get readers to open up another post on your blog or leave a comment below. Your content will convert to subscribers and sales only if you write your heart out.
Final thoughts
We hope that the 8 blogging mistakes we’ve mentioned in this article won’t discourage you from blogging. If anything, they should motivate you to step up your blogging game. The key to your success as a blogger is to learn from your mistakes and avoid them when you can.
Blogging is a lot of hard work and it takes time to build a successful blog. There are other easy online money-making opportunities that you should know about. Still, don’t give up on blogging too soon. Remember that you can reap countless rewards of successful blogging.