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As a blogger, have you made blogging mistakes you wished you hadn’t? If you don’t want to continue making mistakes any more, then you must read this post!
We bloggers are human, and we often tend to make mistakes. That is but natural.
However, the secret to be a successful blogger lies in not letting your mistakes get you down because they actually are your stepping stones to success.
You should be able to identify your blogging blunders and make efforts to rectify them. Once you are aware of your mistakes, you’ll also find ways to overcome them.
Easier said than done! I think knowing your blogging mistakes and its rectification is difficult because blogging in itself isn’t easy!
The truth is that blogging is hard work – a real tough job. Or should I say a full-time, never ending job!
You need to start by creating your own blog, write well, share your knowledge with passion by adding your personality and voice to your blog.
Besides that – you need to be creative, know how to promote your blog, interact with other bloggers, and visit their blogs too. Not to mention that it’s essential to have a strong social media presence too!
Where does all of this leave you time for anything else, if you are seriously into blogging or wanting to become a professional blogger?
If you don’t work smart, you are surely going to tire yourself or burnout, and it affects your blog adversely. However, things are easier is you define and understand your path and ways of doing work.
“Your blog is your unedited version of yourself.” ~ Lorelle
I was no exception, and I’ve had my own share of blogging mistakes, which I experienced and want to share with you so that you learn from them and hopefully, don’t repeat them.
You might find them very different from the ones you find online, and I feel you might relate yourself to some of them.
5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Today’s post is written with an aim to change and redefine my own blogging strategy. Besides, it’s with the hope that others learn from these mistakes and make a successful blogging career for themselves.
I know most of you are wise and mightn’t have made these blogging blunders. But for those of you who are in the same boat as me, I hope these can help you.
1. Spending too much time on social media
Don’t get me wrong – spending time on social media is a MUST for every blogger.
Let me ask you a question – do you promote your blog and yourself as much as required?
Perhaps not, but if you don’t have a strong social media presence and aren’t spending enough time on the main social media networks, you are missing out on a lot.
The right kind of social media exposure is essential so that your posts reach the masses or the maximum number of people.
Most bloggers put up their posts once on Facebook and Twitter and forget about it. But those posts, and sometimes those bloggers are forgotten in no time.
You need to know that your posts don’t stay for a long time on these networks. You need to constantly keep working on them and updating your status.
If your post is good and you have received lots of quality comments on it, why shouldn’t you promote it constantly, or tweet it oftener?
Blogging should be a passion for you, just as it’s for me. I know it can be very frustrating at times because blogging isn’t for everyone.
Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus are the main three social networking sites that require your attention. You need to ensure that you update them at least once a day, if not more.
However, if you are going to spend too much of time on them, you aren’t really able to work. This is exactly my first mistake I would say.
If you’ve heard of the Pareto Principle and the 80-20 ratio, I’d say I tend to make it 90-10, which is bad!
Some of you must be sharing your posts on many Facebook groups and Google Plus communities once your post is published, don’t you?
Yes, there are many who don’t share them at all, but I do as I get a lot of referral traffic through these networks.
The main reason of doing that is because many bloggers who are on these social networks aren’t subscribers of my blog. Yet they like to read my posts and interact through their comments.
I get lots of comments, likes, and shares from those readers, which I appreciate and value a great deal. So, doing that is essential because it increases interaction, builds new contacts, and gets you traffic too!
However, what people don’t realize is the amount of time spent in thanking each person for their single like, comment, or share, which again is essential.
With nearly 150-200 notifications showing up as soon as I start sharing my posts and opening each one to answer takes me lots of additional time again. Does that happen with you too?
You cannot just ignore them because they mean a lot, don’t they?
But now I plan to share my posts and thank each one, as and when I get time, instead of doing it immediately.
I needed to clarify this because people have expectations if you’ve been continuing the practice for long, which sometimes become tough to fulfill.
Tip: Yes, thank each person who shares, likes, or comments on your posts, but do that when you have time. You can thank them altogether the next day, instead of doing it individually – this saves time, yet you are able to thank each person. Also, limit your social media time to what you can afford to spare, after you finish all your work, instead of the other way round!
2. Not replying to comments immediately
While you might choose to delay your response in the social media for a while, don’t implement that suggestion for the comments on your blog.
Most bloggers as I’ve noticed, reply to their blog comments almost as soon as they start receiving them. Adrienne is one such blog commenting superstar and I marvel at the way she does it all so quickly!
This perhaps is the right way. I also try to do that, though I take up the comments as and when they come on the first day.
Why do I do this? Well, just as my first point stated, I share my posts on various groups and communities, and for doing that manually you need time, especially if you are working alone.
So, when I should be ideally replying to comments on my own blog, I’m busy promoting my post on the social media sites, and replying to the responses of people there!
Also, the next day, I prefer to first visit and comment on the blog of those who have visited my blog and left me a comment. I’ve always felt it’s being courteous, and I prefer putting others before myself.
However, I’ve noticed that this method leaves me with less time to comment on my blog because of the number of comments I receive. Of course, this isn’t good, while others say it’s bad for SEO too.
Also, when some commenters see that you aren’t replying to the comments immediately, either they visit later or leave without commenting, which is not good for the image of your blog.
As a result, I have a few unanswered comments still lying and feel very guilty about not having replied to those as yet. But I will, very soon now – better late than never 🙂
How do you take up your blog comments?
Tip: Take up your own blog comments first, IF you get them in huge numbers, and then visit other blogs or reply to the social media notifications and responses. This ensures you have no unanswered comments left. It also shows people that you are active on your blog, which brings in more people to comment as they see the live interaction and communication going on.e
3. Limiting your work time
Aha…this perhaps is the most essential tip I can share with all of you, being a blogging mom!
Working from home is never easy for anyone.
Whether you are a blogger, writer, or carrying on any kind of business working from home – unless you don’t strike a right work-life balance, something or the other suffers.
Most of you know that I’m a full time mom, along with being a blogger-cum-writer. Things aren’t easy for any mom if she’s juggling between her home and work, are they?
You have the kid’s with their share of problems on one end, and deadlines to meet on the other!
Yes, when you are a professional blogger and writer, all these things are kept behind and you just concentrate on work! Had I not learned the art of time management, I don’t think I could have come so far.
But who decides what’s right or wrong? Who chooses when you need to work and how much you need to work?
There is no one else but you who have to make the choice because it’s your life, your people, and your work that matters. After all, life is all about the choices you make – isn’t it?
Coming to the blogging mistake amidst all this – blog less and care more. 🙂
With growing up kids, I ask myself shouldn’t I be spending more quality family time with them now that they need me more. What would you’ve done?
If I was living alone or was single, it was a totally different matter because it was only me I had to take care of and I’d have had no other responsibility.
I could have posted 3-4 times a week, been more social, and just not have to worry about other things. But having a family, there’s a lot you need to take into account because each person matters.
Why am I sharing all this with you? That’s because I know most of you also work from home, and if you are in a similar situation, what would you do? How would you manage your work-life?
Tip: Chalk out your priorities and devote your work time according to that – doing what you can do within the time you have in hand. Remember, if you have a family, they should always come first, because they matter, don’t they? But you also need to work, so strike a work-life balance that works best for you.
4. Being too committed and consistent
The main two components of a successful blog are commitment and consistency. Some of you are able to accomplish both aspects easily, while others struggle with it due to various reasons.
Perhaps you have kids who need your attention, or you got sick, or went on vacation. Or perhaps you developed writer’s block, and needed a break from writing.
Sometimes you just don’t sit and write for weeks and months altogether due to some other issues at your end. While some others just give up blogging because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
The reasons could be many.
If you are not consistent, your readers wonder, “Uh, what’s happening on the blog?”, or “What happened to him/her?” Sounds familiar?
Ideally, you need to have a blogging schedule to be consistent.
You could choose a blogging schedule that best suits YOU, without having to worry about what it should be, without trying to copy anyone else’s because each person and his or her life is different.
Whether you are comfortable posting once a week, twice a week, thrice a week, or even once a fortnight – just stick to it and be consistent. That shows your commitment towards your readers.
Personally, I feel two quality posts per week are better than four poorly written ones. Or you could even write one elaborate, well researched post. It all depends on you.
If you want to be a successful blogger, you need to be consistent and committed to your readers – period! There is nothing else that really works!
Speaking of myself, I’ve been writing consistently as most of know and I think I am a very committed blogger – my husband would vouch for me being over-committed to my blog. 😉
However, when you go overboard and do more than you should, your loved ones suffer. I have been guilty of that a lot of times.
There are times when I sit late nights after ending all my chores at home and work, (I can see you smiling, Susan and Mayura!)
That’s because I am committed to my readers and feel that I must set up my post to be published on the due date. If it’s not that, it’s the other writing projects.
However, over commitment only harms you if you are not able to take care of your other duties and liabilities. Then you try to find any time and convert that to your work time to catch up with things.
You tend to use your sleep time and sit to work overtime for tasks undone. Or you use your other valuable time to catch up – like the weekends, which should be days of NO WORK!
Tip: Work hard but smart, not only hard – based on the time you CAN work. Even if you aren’t too committed and consistent once in a while, it doesn’t matter. But if you neglect your other important aspects of life, it’s not good. I’m sure your readers will understand your situation if you share it with them. If you can, you should. But if you cannot, take it easy!
5. Having health issues
As I mentioned above, because some of you become too committed and always think of being consistent, you tend to overwork endlessly till you fall flat. Happens with me SO many times!
This meant not getting adequate sleep, which should ideally be 7-8 hours, whereas you just sleep for about 4-5 hours at night and an hour in the afternoon, if at all.
Yes, for some people even 4-5 hours is good enough, but that is not what’s ideally recommended, and it affects a lot of other things.
I know most of my blogging friend’s sail in the same boat, but let me tell you that lack of sleep can cause a lot of other health problems for you, which show up gradually.
You might want to read a post where I mentioned some shocking sleep deprivation effects that would surprise you.
When you don’t sleep well, you don’t get that good and fresh feeling in the morning.
You feel lethargic, don’t feel like doing anything, and tend to get all stressed up because you are rushing against time for completing your incomplete work.
You don’t feel like walking, nor taking up some other form of exercise that’s essential for all of you, especially bloggers and writers because all of you lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Additionally, be careful of your sitting posture that caught the better of me sometime back.
So, gather your threads once again, and get back into shape to feel good about yourself. Do you have health issues due to leading a poor lifestyle?
Tip: Look after your health first – everything else comes secondary. If you are not well enough, how will you take care of your family and work? A healthy mind is more efficient and productive too.
Blogging Mistakes To Take Care Of
Now that you all know the mistakes bloggers tend to make and that includes me too, here are some ways that I plan to change myself and become better. Perhaps they might help and work for you too.
Lessen my posting schedule to once a week for a few months at least. Yes, I plan to do this from the coming month for the following reasons –
• Spend time in re-doing my older posts, which need to be optimized.
• Take the time to reply to all the pending comments on my blog.
• Spend more time to bond with my kids and family. Ah…and try out their favorite dishes 🙂
• Look after my dad and in-laws and be there for them. After all they aren’t with me forever.
• Create accounts on many bookmarking sites that I still haven’t had time to do.
• Visit a few blogs that I have yet to visit due to lack of time.
• Write more guest posts and interviews that many bloggers have been asking.
• Perhaps if I have time after all of this, start writing an Ebook, which again is in the pipeline for long but because of lack of time, I’ve just not got started with it as yet.
• And just be in the moment, relax and ease out a little, feel the fresh air and the passing wind, and experience the joys of not doing anything for a change!!
Just re-learn to stop rushing through life 🙂
I don’t know how I will do all this after being used to such a busy schedule, but I want to bring a positive change within me, which will also help me evolve into a better person and help my blog get better.
I think with time and change of situation you should reassess yourself and change your strategy or way of working, if it’s required.
After all even Google changes almost every other day, doesn’t it? 😉
“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” ~ Steve Shearer
I think there’s always a time for everything, as my better half always tells me. Perhaps it’s time for making a few more changes on Aha!NOW – for the better.
You know that without you, this blog wouldn’t have been anywhere. I value each one of you for sharing yourself with me and my readers, which helps understand each other better.
So, stay by me…
Over to you –
Have you also made some blogging mistakes? If so, how did you deal with them? Do you think these are mistakes or choices we have to make for the better? Share your experiences below.
Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos, bitesizeinspiration, Brett Jordan