Friday 16 August 2013

5 Blogging mistakes & How to correct them

If there is anything as fundamental blogging mistakes, these are. I have visited many blogs and seen many common mistakes. I've also made some of these mistakes until I learnt to avoid them. So I'm going to provide you 5 blogging mistakes and I would leave you to apply the inverse to correct them. For instance, if i say, don't sit, this means stand instead. 

So let's begin...

5 blogging mistakes and how to correct them

—Understand that your blog is not a dumping site
Always keep it in mind that you must not discuss everything that is dropped on your blog table except it is related or would serve a purpose for your blog. Many people tend to tell their readers how they sulk, or spend time blaming the world, having pity parties that turn readers off essential. Who cares? So get it right that your blog is not an online journal to tell the world how badly you snore except you are referring them to an anti-snore product or advice. Who cares if you slept on a red carpet or bought a Gucci shoes across the street, except you are assuming a celebrity status. So my point is: create a niche and stick to it until you change. 
Try to find out and tell your audience what you are writing on: fashion, technology, business, women, marketing, personal development, food etc by choosing a blog title and a tag line. Read my article on '7 Must-Have for your blog'. 

—Don't just dump it

Many bloggers write without a full stop—just a boring piece or epistle. Don't just copy and paste your post from a word document and paste on a blog. Play around with fonts, pictures, commas, inverted commas, quotes. Don’t just hang your articles anywhere on your blog like a cobweb. Make it traceable. Add a label, links and share links. Add stories, make it fun and easy to read. Read my article on, 'Help! I want to write a blog but I don't know what to write'.

—Don't put your readers to flight

"You can take me to the river, but you can't make me have a drink". Have you ever visited an airport and while sitting in the waiting area looking out for your guest, you realize the flight that was scheduled to bring your guest did not actually make the runway; it left for the next nearest airport. I often visit blogs and it is a usual habit to decide within three minutes or so, if I am staying or returning to the blog or not. So the question is, 'how presentable is your blog?' Don’t make a mistake, you can send a link out and pull a reader to your site, but when they land, do they pick their heels or settle in. You can easily make that choice for them. So start by not making your blog boring, cumbersome, confusing or an utter mistake. Carefully take out time to arrange a beautiful lay out and font. Make good use of catchy titles, lovely content and ask for comments and suggestions.Your blog might have it all but if the content is boring or poorly phrased, you will loose out many readers. So, don’t just focus on getting people to click on your blog but actually stay long enough to know what is on your blog. Write passionately. Be consistent.  Be your improved self. Don’t write a blog as if it is an essay. Make use of heading, colors, pictures, and bullet points. Remember to keep it simple.

Don’t mess and miss the point

Often times, bloggers entice people to their blog with catchy, beautifully phrased titles and then end up talking about something entirely different. Let the content of your blog match the title of your post.  You might get away with that for the first time but sure, you can’t mislead your readers a second time. So don’t miss the point. Popularly, new bloggers use words that turn-off. Yes! You've got opinions but it should not be so loud that it drowns others. Don’t get off track talking about something entirely different from what you proposed. Remember to tell your readers what you are blogging about, about you and what they will benefit from your blog. Also remember that there is no such thing as a perfect blog. Even the near perfect blogs still needs improvement and frequent updates. Accept that you are learning, so don’t over work yourself or beat yourself up, if your blog isn't looking like someone else. Your blog is simply, 'work in progress'. Period!

Don’t forget your friends

There is a tendency to make a blog your world that you forget that others live in it. If you have a blog but forgot to share the content, you've guaranteed yourself no readers. Start out by publishing but don’t forget to send out links to your friends, families and colleagues. Post it on Facebook, Tweet it. Remember that you cannot afford to forget a social site because that is where one of your friends are hanging out. Maximize your social space and don't forget to back up your blog, it might get hacked at any time. Sign up to other blogs, get tips from them, share tips, comment on other bloggers, post genuinely, and make it an unending sphere.

I hope you found these tips useful. Please share and don't forget to comment. 

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Photo credit: thesitsgirls


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