Written on May 30th, 2009 at 12:05 am by Darren Rowse
Warning: Do You Recognize These 21 Blogging Mistakes?
“What’s the most common mistake made by new bloggers? How can we avoid it?“ – asked on Twitter by @alisonkerr.
Here are a few quick mistakes that I see new bloggers making (some of which mistakes I made myself). They’re listed in no particular order and I’d love for you to continue the list in comments below:
- Giving up too early – blogs take time to take off
- Putting off starting a blog – waiting until everything is just right before launching can mean you never do it
- Echoing what everyone else is talking about – say something unique and share your opinion
- Not blogging on your own domain – I know some swear by using hosted blogs but if you want ultimate control of your blog it is best to do it on your own domain and hosting.
- Irregular Posting – you don’t have to post every day but try to establish a regular rhythm of posting
- Being too apologetic – ’sorry I haven’t written for a while’ can end up being the most common type of post on a blog – yes apologize if you’ve messed up but don’t be too hard on yourself – keep investing your time into building your blog up rather than highlighting it’s problems.
- Focusing more upon Quick Traffic than Loyal Readers – there’s nothing wrong with a big rush of traffic from social media or another blog – but just as important as that is building reader loyalty. Sometimes growing one reader at a time is more fruitful than getting spikes of traffic that never returns.
- Clutter – too many buttons, widgets, navigation elements
- Great Posts but Terrible Titles – don’t short change yourself by investing hours into writing great content only to slap a mediocre headline/title onto it.
- Not Defining a Topic – the most successful blogs have a well defined topic/niche (or they target a certain demographic)
- Choosing a Topic you have no Interest in – for your blog to be successful you’ll need to blog regularly on your topic for years – if you want to sustain it choose something you have an interest in or love for or you’ll run out of steam.
- Too many Ads – I don’t have a problem with ads on a blog from Day #1 but when they overpower the content and push it down the page too far they hurt your chances of building a loyal readership.
- Being too Insular/Expecting Readers to come to You – many bloggers starting out fail to realize that the more you put yourself out there and interact with other bloggers the more chance you have of being read.
- Blogging about Making Money Blogging (as a first blog) – I’ve lost count of how many bloggers I’ve seen start blogs on the topic of blogging for money when they’ve never made money blogging. Start with something you know.
- Not Being Useful – blogs that meet needs and solve problems are blogs that people will keep coming back to and which they’ll spread news of to their network.
- Writing for Search Engines Before Humans – you can always tell when a blogger discovers Search Engine Optimization for the first time. Suddenly titles don’t make sense, keywords appear in posts for no real reason, links to other pages on the blog that are irrelevant to the post keep being used. Learn SEO – but keep your readers as your #1 priority.
- Becoming a Stats-a-holic - the lure of checking your stats is understandable and common to new (and older) bloggers – but it can become an unhealthy obsession that leads to distraction and depression.
- Link Baiting with Personal Attack – taking pot shots at other bloggers might get you some quick traffic – but hate breeds hate and the type of readers you attract and the culture it’ll breed on your blog could come back to bite you. Plus you’ll get a reputation that you might not want to live with.
- Not Knowing Why You’re Blogging – while most of us don’t really know what we’re doing at the start – the faster you can work out what the purpose of your blog is the sooner you’ll start moving toward achieving that purpose.
- Not Selling Yourself – one thing I don’t think many bloggers get is the power of blogs to sell yourself as a blogger. There’s nothing wrong with monetizing a blog with ads – but maybe a better long term strategy is to use a blog to advertise who you are and what you can offer readers.
- Thinking You Have to Know it All – one of the best things about blogs is that they’re a great medium for involving your readers in the process of learning. Leave space for others to interact, share what they know and contribute.
There’s A LOT more to be said on this topic – what mistakes do you see new (and older) bloggers making?
179 Responses to “Warning: Do You Recognize These 21 Blogging Mistakes?” - Add Yours
Salman
May 30th, 2009 12:55 am
Hi Darren,
Nice post.I understood many things from this post.
Keep it up
regards
Salman
http://www.tips4blogging.co.cc
Brent Riggs
May 30th, 2009 1:07 am
Great stuff. I really appreciate you guys posting this type of information and I often incorporate into my own blogs.
Brent Riggs
http://www.brentriggs.com/blog
BlogSEOExpert.com - SEO for Blogs
May 30th, 2009 1:10 am
These are some great points…
I come from the SEO niche, so my 2 cents on the related points:
Great Posts but Terrible Titles: This is so common! We need to understand that titles entice readers into reading a post, or they can also put them off!
So, it is very important to craft the titles well. It is also from SEO point of view, as search engines give a lot of importance to them. The title is also important as that is what the readers see in the search engine result pages.
Writing for Search Engines Before Humans: This can’t be stressed enough! Let’s remember that in the long run, good search engine ranking can only be a by product of good content.
So, write great content that people love, and search engine rankings would follow.
Also, my experience about “Not Selling Yourself”. I firmly believe that advertising can’t be the only source of revenue for a blog.
Of course, advertiging can give good revenues, but selling your own stuff (service or products) is a much better way of earning.
I do have advertising on my blog, but apart from that, I offer “SEO Analysis Report” and “User Experience Analysis Report” for blogs and small websites.
SYoung
May 30th, 2009 1:11 am
Thanks for this! I totally agree especially with #8 and #12. I hate this stuff!
Syoung
come see me at http://20-20faithsight.blogspot.com – my new blog.
Roseli A. Bakar
May 30th, 2009 1:13 am
The most common mistake I see is giving up too early or expecting too much too early.
Blogging takes time, need to patient before we can achieve someting.
Bill Masson
May 30th, 2009 1:18 am
Certainly done a few of these blogger mishaps, but learning all the time. I think you have to go through these growing pains in order to be a better blogger. We can’t all be perfect like you Darren (-:
Nice reminders for any blogger to catch up on!
Thanks for the read
The Bad Blogger
May 30th, 2009 1:29 am
Great points, I had bookmark it and this should be one of my blogging reference….
My Little Norway
May 30th, 2009 1:34 am
One more for the list: Getting Serious Too Early!
Some people don’t want to do anything unless they can go all the way with it. (I’m one of those people…lol.) I am constantly finding that I have so many things I want to do with my blog but so little time (and know-how). So, for people like me, you have to pace yourself. You have to be smart and strategic – it can be frustrating not going like a bat out of hell but it’s worth it to be consistent. And lastly, you can only work to the knowledge you have – if you try to race ahead beyond your understanding or capability then you’ll have a big mess in the end.
That’s my two-bob ;)
David
May 30th, 2009 1:36 am
Great post, yet a bit bitter knowing that I fit some of the descriptions there *sighs* then again like Bill said, we are not perfect, then again if we focus on just monetizing and ads on the blog then it becomes a failure.
kosmo @ The Casual Observer
May 30th, 2009 1:41 am
I’m absolutely guilty of #10 – on purpose :) I have a variety of interests and didn’t want to be constrained by a niche. However, I did this with the realization that it would be difficult to grow a reader base at first.
I refer to my site ( http://www.observingcasually.com/ ) as a web magazine rather than a blog – making the distinction that it contains stories on a variety of topics – news, sports, entertainment, short fiction stories, etc).
#1 – You definitely need to avoid giving up too early. If you write quality content, you’ll eventually find a reader base. I’ve been writing every day for the past 3 months, and the base is growing, ever so slowly. Luckily, I am very patient.
#2 – I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I stopped for about a decade before a friend told me his secret – that he was a fairly successful anonymous blogger. It was great motivation for me.
#4 – The same friend convinced me to start blogging on my own domain. There were some growing pains, but it was the right decision.
#5 – In the month of May, my team (myself and two writers who each write one article each month) managed to post new content every single day – the first time we have done this.
#12 – I have used “Who Sees Ads” to turn ads off for regular readers. The occassional readers and search engine traffic still see them.
Great tips.
Jensen
May 30th, 2009 1:52 am
Nice summary for beginners! As to No. 1, despite thousands of new blogs are coming up everyday,
” … the ‘average blog’ has the lifespan of a fruitfly….”, if you can stick to your self and keep posting, you are already a winner against 80% bloggers.
Several studies indicate that most blogs are abandoned soon after creation (with 60% to 80% abandoned within one month, depending on whose figures you choose to believe) and that few are regularly updated. — according to Calson Analytics Blogging
John
May 30th, 2009 1:54 am
This was great! I have a friend who is just starting out blogging, and I will be passing this link along and help him to start on the right track.
I appreciate your insight. Thanks for sharing!
Valerie
May 30th, 2009 1:54 am
Since recently starting my blog, I can relate to this post a lot. Thanks for sharing!
Writer Dad
May 30th, 2009 1:55 am
As always Darren, this is awesome and one. I would add – trying to reinvent the wheel. When I first started out, I thought I could make up new rules to blogging. And while of course that’s true, there are things the pioneers have established that it would do any newbie well to follow.
Darshan Chande
May 30th, 2009 1:56 am
That’s a very thoughtful list of mistakes. Some of them I too have done, but most of them I am aware of and feel the same way as you do about it.
Colleen
May 30th, 2009 1:57 am
As a pretty new blogger, I appreciate the advice! Especially when it comes to finding a “niche” – which I’m still working on. But I’m finding that the more I write, the more comments from readers I get – which then helps me discover what folks are truly interested in, and what keeps them coming back!
Baker @ ManVsDebt
May 30th, 2009 2:00 am
“Putting off starting a blog – waiting until everything is just right before launching can mean you never do it”
Oh man, am I kicking myself for this one. I try my best to avoid all the others (reading this blog goes a long way), but I really regret not jumping in early. I had major analysis paralysis.
To any bloggers whom are thinking about getting started…
JUST DO IT!
Social Networking Lifestyle
May 30th, 2009 2:01 am
Man you nailed #1 for being number 1…never, never, NEVER give up too early. If you’ve chosen to blog, commit at the minimum 6 months I’d say a year personally to what you are blogging about…and be consistent with your new blog posts, whether that be weekly or 3 times a week.
Timothy Carter
Gloson
May 30th, 2009 2:02 am
Yes, I agree with all your points.
1. (Giving up too early)
I have seen a lot of people do this. If they have noticed, most successful blogs are over a year old (Of course, you must be dedicated in order to achieve this).
4. (Not blogging on your own domain)
Yes, this is another common mistake bloggers make. .blogspot domains seem so unprofessional. It means to me that the blogger is not serious into blogger.
8. (Clutter)
They slow down load time and drive impatient visitors away. Please cut down unnecessary items in the sidebar.
16. (Writing for search engines before humans)
Search engines are just robots. They do nothing but rank your blog. Your blog will be ‘lifeless’ if there are no real people.
By the way, back two months ago, I wrote a guest post on the “5 most common mistakes” that not only beginner bloggers make, which I thought might be a good read for you.
http://thoushallblog.com/5-most-common-mistakes-by-bloggers/
;)
Adam Tudor
May 30th, 2009 2:02 am
Excellent tips, thanks. My first blog that I’m sticking with (been a month or so so far) and luckily most of the mistakes you’ve mentioned I’ve (hopefully) managed to avoid so far :)
Keep up the good work!
Robert Avila
May 30th, 2009 2:05 am
Thanks Darren,
This is an awesome list and an excellent post I will continue to reference to make sure I am on track!
One thing I have found is that people are getting stuck on “how do I make money” and “I don’t know what to write about.”
Being stuck in this mindset leaves people at your top 2 points -quitting too soon and starting too late.
Wish you the best,
Robert Avila
1WineDude
May 30th, 2009 2:06 am
Persistence is *so* key. It sound simple but if it was easy, then 60%+ of all blogs that fold within a month would still be around…
NoTimeForRecess.com
May 30th, 2009 2:08 am
Everytime I see a short comment, I think about the bog you posted about leaving the right comment.
Being roughly 2 1/2 weeks into my latest adventure/blog, I’ve been lucky enough I guess to not fall into any of these traps. The one most likely me? 7. Focusing more upon Quick Traffic than Loyal Readers .
I was excited that on the FIRST day we opened, we had nearly 80 unique visits. How many comments were left? None. Other links clicked? None.
Great list and it’s something that I’m going to put up next to me before I write every blog. Thank you for this.
L-train
May 30th, 2009 2:10 am
One thing that I’ve seen recently is bloggers way overusing the “end your blog post with a question to encourage reader comments” tactic. Some blog posts and topics seem naturally written in a way that lend themselves to such an invitation to readers. Some are not. Bloggers shouldn’t just drop a stock question at the end of nearly every post effectively saying “That’s what I think, what do you think?” As a reader of many blogs, it is starting to feel disingenuous when such a question is just thrown in at the end.
This post itself might be an example of that. I don’t mean that to be rude, because overall this is a fantastic blog, and this particular post is an example of the great content here. But my two cents is to just beware of overusing “The Question” tactic.
Paritosh
May 30th, 2009 2:12 am
Hell ! I almost made majority of these mistakes.
@ Jensen Most of the times the blogs are created for the sake of trying. Those who are serious about blogging would fall in the 40% category.
William Luxing
May 30th, 2009 2:17 am
Giving up too soon. That seems to be the hardest hurdle, and its the first…
http://www.smartwallet.org
Denise Zaldivar
May 30th, 2009 2:18 am
I enjoyed learning about the most common mistakes! Thank you! In my opinion, another common mistake is the usage of wrong grammar or continuous spelling mistakes…Not too hot for a good blog! I know it happens to many of us, but it’s worth being more careful, don’t you think? I have a question, though: How can we learn about hosting our own blog? Thanks again, Denise Zaldivar
Asswass
May 30th, 2009 2:22 am
I have one: Spamming for traffic on other blogs on your first day. This can truly hurt the future of your blog.
Nicole/MadlabPost
May 30th, 2009 2:36 am
One common mistake is starting too many blogs at once. Working on one at a time until it builds up a nice groups of loyal readers is better than shortchanging the focus ton spread it over many blogs at one time. This can also benefit bloggers later on when they start a new blog because it can be easier to grow a second one if you already have loyal supporters on the first one who can help promote the new one.
I do “recognize” your title of this post as one of the Headlines examples listed on Copyblogger. Either he pulled from other blogs such as this one to create the list of headlines OR you read the blog as a resource for ideas OR this is mere coincidence in which case, you know that popular phrase “great minds think alike” ? well, that may apply to you and Brian.
Frank Gantz
May 30th, 2009 2:38 am
A trap I fell into but then pulled out of was spending too much time on design/theme rather than focusing on content.
lucy
May 30th, 2009 2:39 am
This was very helpful to me as a newbie blogger. I am enjoying your book too.
Lucy
postpartumillness.com
katten
May 30th, 2009 2:40 am
Thanks for the advise !
I would like to have my own domain but i do not know how to move all my blogs there :(
I do not even know how to get a domain :D
Poor me :P
PraShawn
May 30th, 2009 2:43 am
Great post, now I know what I have being wrong all the time. I think this post shows all what I have being doing wrong. I think own hosting and domain is certainly a good one. Thanks for sharing.
AlainP
May 30th, 2009 2:53 am
I am curious, how much of the quick traffic converts into loyal visitors?
I have recently published a big rumor (I happen to learn about it by accident) which was caught up by a LOT of other photography and Mac sites.
Basically, from one day to the next my traffic was x15-x20. I realized that a big chunk of these people are never going to come back to my site but I am wondering how many will?
Anyone has experience with this and what I should expect? My site has a lot of relevant content for its niche and I update frequently. These are the two basic ingredients for attracting readers and they have been increasing steadily by about 5-10 unique per day for a while but now that I see this massive influx of visitor I have to admit that it gives me a very warm feeling and I hope that at least 20% of them will stay.
slnc
May 30th, 2009 3:01 am
Reading a recommendation about not putting too many ads in a blog while at the same time trying to ignore 10 blinking ads some pixels away with 4 more ads below and one more at the top.
Brian
May 30th, 2009 3:16 am
Darren, such a great list, excellent post. So true, it really is all about these little things that stack up. In terms of lists, you’re my in my top five favorites, man. Always inspirational, always to the point.
Debo Hobo
May 30th, 2009 3:18 am
#7 is something I have focused on, almost too much. I spent time reading and commenting on all the blogs of those that read and comment on my blog that I wasn’t taking time to go out and find new readers. So, if some of my current readers left I don’t have replacements.
So, I am working on getting back out in the blogosphere and making new reader friends. :)
gautam hans
May 30th, 2009 3:19 am
I made many of these mistakes and i stopped blogging but after some time i regained confidence and started a new blog and continuing to write on it.
Great post though
regards gautam
http://www.bloggodown.com
Alessandro Cosimetti - Corporate Blog in Italy
May 30th, 2009 3:26 am
I would also say: “Not to copy the post of the other blogger!”.
Alessandro
Kayla
May 30th, 2009 3:39 am
Great list of tips. I’m gradually learning the benefits of some of these first hand, although I need to work on them.
Ginkgo100
May 30th, 2009 3:41 am
I would add the following to the list:
Being useless or boring — a.k.a. thinking you’re Ashton Kutcher. I have no use for a blog that details the minutiae of the life of a stranger. If you want your blog to be a journal, that’s fine, but don’t expect others to read it. The reverse is also true: If you want others to read your blog, don’t use it as a journal of your everyday life.
Asking bloggers you don’t know to trade links without giving them a reason — Every so often I get a message saying, “Nice blog, want to swap links?” From that message, I have no way of knowing if you are a legitimate blogger in my niche, a boring journal writer (see above), or a spambot programmed to tell everyone they have a “nice blog.” At least tell me what you like about my blog, and/or tell me what I would like about yours.
Getting swept up into memes that don’t fit your blog — I made this mistake early on. Not sure what my niche would be and desperate for ways to get my URL out there, I participated in a meme about household hints, which has nothing whatsoever to do with what I ended up focusing on. I am embarrassed to even have those posts in my archives, yet I hesitate to delete posts other people have linked to.
Spyros
May 30th, 2009 3:43 am
To be sincere i’ve found that i was legible for about 5-6 points there :) However, i really think that the most important is number 1. Finding the motivation NOT to give up when few people read your posts.
Cindi
May 30th, 2009 3:44 am
Thanks for the ideas. I just launched my blog a couple of weeks ago and am deep into learning how to do it right and develop something of value. I’ve subscribed to you and will continue to learn from you I am sure!
Julius
May 30th, 2009 3:47 am
Once again, your articles never fails to enlighten me. I am fairly new at blogging and topics like these are quite helpful for guys like me.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post. More power to your site always!
Debbie Hemley
May 30th, 2009 3:48 am
Great post.
One of the oversights which I think happens, is not shaking it up enough; bloggers not don’t branching out and writing different types of pieces e.g. interviews, book reviews, a personal insights, etc.
It’s fun to write all kinds of different pieces, and keeps the creative juices flowing.
Debbie Hemley
http://www.impressionsthroughmedia.com
Kristin T. (@kt_writes)
May 30th, 2009 3:48 am
This is a great list. I love numbers 2, 7, 11 and 17, and can’t give them a loud enough AMEN (at least not over the interwebs).
I really believe that writing captivates people only when the writer is captivated by story or subject. Trying to figure out what people want to hear, or what’s currently hot, is a hopeless endeavor.
Along those lines, I do have issues with point number 15, “Not being useful.” I’ve even blogged about it before. Who defines what’s useful? Just helpful tips about getting organized, better parenting and how to leverage social media in your line of work? I think a really good story can be useful, or something that makes me laugh, or makes me think about things in a new way.
iGoMogul
May 30th, 2009 4:00 am
Sloppy content. By sloppy, I mean the post / blog has great, engaging content, great design, ad placement good, etc–but then the post gets published like this: “Hey guyz, I wents to hte market and then I made joke; lolctz my blog looks like!” Unless that format is the point of the blog, remember to edit, edit, edit!
I just wrote a post on that subject here: http://www.igomogul.com/blog/2009/05/18/your-eyes-4-eyes-more-eyesedit-edit-edit.html”
Sara @ iGoMogul
Jeff Bayer
May 30th, 2009 4:20 am
Thanks for another great post Darren. I’m learning… I’ll try not to make these mistakes, anyway.
Alok
May 30th, 2009 4:20 am
Its amazing, how all the points resonated with me. May be every one goes through the same phase, I am glad to have started the blogging process and graduated to my own domain. Will try to follow some of the other tips that you have mentioned for my site http://truvoipbuzz.com
Jon
May 30th, 2009 4:24 am
Thanks for the info, I’ve often struggled with being assertive about driving people to my site.
Jon
Hardballcoach.com
Shauna Skye
May 30th, 2009 4:51 am
All very good. I particularly agree with “Great Posts but Terrible Titles” because when I search a blog, the title is what I skim to see if it is something I want to read about. Some writers put vague titles on which do not reflect the content of their post. Another irritating thing is bloggers who do not pay attention to grammar or punctuation. I am not talking about an error now and then, but those who abbreviate words like sum1 instead of someone, or the letter u for you. At first I thought it was kids or teenagers doing this, but found out older people were as well.
ListenToLeon
May 30th, 2009 5:54 am
This was great. I think I’m going to save the article and forward it to anyone who asks me for general advice about starting a blog. These tips should help folks avoid some of the pitfalls of other less-fortunate bloggers
Justin
May 30th, 2009 6:53 am
I know I fall into these mistakes very often. It’s easy to fall into the trap of following others and essentially saying the same thing as every other blog on the subject.
Sami - Life, Laughs & Lemmings
May 30th, 2009 6:57 am
Poor spelling and grammar are big ones for me. Nothing reduces credibility more. I’m also a fan of clutter-free.
se7en
May 30th, 2009 6:59 am
I love this post, a list post no-less and I guess we have all made mistakes but it was quite a relief to see some I hadn’t even though of!
Robby G
May 30th, 2009 7:36 am
Over the past 9 months of blogging I’ve probably done most if not all of those mistakes, but happy to say I have learnt from them and haven’t done any of those in the past 3 months or so. The biggest mistake of them all though is giving up too early, however it’s better to give up blogging on a topic you’re not interested in early than wasting your time on it and feeling like it’s a drag. Get out of it if you hate it and start blogging on a topic you enjoy. OR try to somehow gradually change the topic of your blog, hoping that your readers will stay on board with you.
Roy Hayward
May 30th, 2009 7:55 am
The fastest way I get turned off from a blog is when the author attacks his readers that post comments. I don’t know if this is just something that I am seeing, but the Blogger says something provocative and controversial to get people to comment, and then they beat them up when they state their disagreement.
Take a breath, get up and walk around, and see is other readers will go to bat for you. But if it is just you arguing with everyone, I won’t be back.
Maura
May 30th, 2009 8:18 am
I think the biggest mistake people make is letting “experts” tell them what is right and what is wrong for their blog. A blog is what you want to make of it, not what someone tells you it should be.
Clara Mathews
May 30th, 2009 8:19 am
I could see myself in quite a few of these blogging mistakes:
Irregular Posting – I will have a period when I write several posts, but then go a week or 2 without posting anything at all. I must adhere to my editorial calendar.
Great Posts but Terrible Titles: I need to work harder on coming up with better titles and meta tags.
Not Selling Yourself: The more I blog, meet other bloggers and interact with my reader, the I am gaining confidence in my abilities and thinking of ways to make that pay off.
One other that I am guilty of: Doubting myself, and therefore not marketing myself and my blogs enough. I had 2 blogs for more than 4 months before I even told any of my friends to take a look at them. I guess its like the Nike ad says– JUST DO IT!
Thanks Darren for the reminders!
Denise@howmommakesmoneyonline
May 30th, 2009 8:27 am
LOL, love #14, since I started a blog about making money online… but then I have done that since 1997. I think it is most important to establish a niche audience. Once you have that, you have income.
Pam Archer
May 30th, 2009 8:29 am
Thank you for the advice. I have learned most of these over time, and by reading other blogs, but it never hurts to be reminded.
Ed Coffin
May 30th, 2009 8:47 am
I think another one could be not having a good “about me” page!
DTs Flash Drive Blog
May 30th, 2009 8:49 am
While 16 is true it’s also a mistake commonly made by bloggers NOT to use any SEO, especially keywords. So they wonder how they get no traffic. It’s a fine balance to walk though.
Another mistake may be giving into fear. I’m sure we all know that at times it can be quite scary to open up to the whole word. Whether you write about gadgets, politics or romance. Usually keeping up to date with other blogs should alleviate that.
Mr Puffy
May 30th, 2009 9:03 am
Great list! I got a chuckle about the stat-a-holic ~ it’s easy to fall pray to that trap!
kiedis
May 30th, 2009 9:04 am
Nice article! :)
i usually publish daily but for the past month i’ve been having a hard time keeping a post per day, so i wrote something in my blog to say that ‘ill be back next week…i don’t know if its right or wrong but i have a jury at the end of the year and i won’t have time for the blog everyday…is it right or wrong to tell the people that you’ll be back next week?
once i’m in vacation i’ll be free so i’ll be able to post maybe more than once a day…i don’t give up, even if i don’t have as many visitors than other blogs, i don’t care, i write for them even if they are 5, 10..or 50 a day i try to keep a good quality content also.
kiedis
May 30th, 2009 9:06 am
i just realize it may not make sense what i wrote earlier. The end of the year is actually the end of the year in college, wich is next week. Sorry if i was confusing ;)
Billy Boyd
May 30th, 2009 9:30 am
yes some good pointers for someone new, like myself, to the world of blogging. I think the common mistake as you correctly point out is that most people try it for a while, maybe as a part-time hobby to get a bit of extra revenue through adsense et al. realize it won’t make them a millionaire and give up. Although, ive just started, I can see the potential if you’re prepared to stick at it. So my advice keep blogging, all the best folks.
http://seomarketingandmakingmoneyblog.com/
Gerry Faehrmann - YourLawnAndGarden
May 30th, 2009 9:37 am
Thanks Darren, I am going to pin this List of 21 Blogging Evils up on the wall (figuratively speaking) and this should help in maintaining a good blog.
mike
May 30th, 2009 9:59 am
Thanks for the great post. I am guilty of giving up too early in the past!
Carolina de Witte
May 30th, 2009 10:30 am
Although my only blog is for family and friends only, I do read a lot of public blogs. What makes me ‘drop’ reading a blog is an author who never, or very seldom, responds to comments by his/her readers. I think this is rude and thoughtless, and I’m not willing to spend my time reading a blog if the author isn’t willing to answer legitimate questions readers might have. Sure, it takes time to read and respond to your readers, but IMHO, if you want a successful blog, then you must do this. I’ve also seen some blogs where the author started out responding to comments, and then, as the blog became more successful, stopped responding at all. This sends the message that this person suddenly believes he/she is ‘better’ than his/her readers, and no longer needs to expend any effort into keeping his/her readership. Really, this is my ‘pet peeve’ on blogs. I have probably dropped at least 2 dozen blogs this year alone for this reason/
Dominique
May 30th, 2009 10:30 am
I’m constantly tweaking my blog to make it better. Great tips you have here will bookmark it.
Kaushik
May 30th, 2009 11:05 am
Not starting soon enough…I can’t figure out why I wrote for a year but didn’t post…Thanks! I’ll be mindful of the other pitfalls.
Bryan Karl
May 30th, 2009 11:17 am
That’s 21 loaded tips for everyone! Thank you very much Darren. Following your blog is really the best thing I must have done online.
Tiffany
May 30th, 2009 11:35 am
I did start on blogger, but I don’t regret it because it was an easy way to start blogging and I used that time (6 months) to prove to myself that I could do this. I know I’m making other mistakes now, but I don’t even recognize them yet. Probably because I’m not ready or capable of changing them yet. But I’ll get there. Great list!
Tony
May 30th, 2009 11:37 am
I am guilty of # 1..lol. Also I need to stop going back and forth from blogger and WP. Yes I wnt back to blogger and lost people who have viewed my blog. I know dumb move, someday I’ll learn.
Scott Coughlin
May 30th, 2009 12:29 pm
Darren, thank you very much for this post. I launched my new blog, IT Thought Of The Day and am guilty of mistake 1,2, 3, 5, 8, and 10. I appreciate you going out of the way to reassure me that I am not alone. You have motivated me to keep on going even though my readership is so low.
I am also thankful for your 31 Days program. I am trying to complete one of your days per week and am up to #4 now. Your selfless dedication to helping the community is much appreciated.
I am going to keep on Blogging!
@Scott_Coughlin and @ITThought
Marcio Rocon
May 30th, 2009 1:43 pm
And while of course that’s true, there are things the pioneers have established that it would do any newbie well to follow.
Denise
May 30th, 2009 1:48 pm
Alright Darren. I am so guilty of #2 especially. I know and struggle with this constantly. Afraid and a fear of messing it up so much. I believe I’d be so embarrassed. I’m detail oriented, tech challenged so learning is also at the forefront, attitude is that all ducks must be in a row, and on and on. So with that being said, and because you have referred to it as a mistake, I will take your advice and take steps immediately to remedy this. Appreciate your words of wisdom Darren.
Melissa
May 30th, 2009 1:58 pm
Wonderful tips! Number 4 is very important and I’m glad that I bought my domain early on (about a month into blogging).
I also completely agree with 8 and 12 about clutter and ads. I admit that I was guilty of this at first since I was so excited about putting everything on my blog. Then I realized that it was really distracting and that it is the content that brings (and keeps) readers. I know, content is king, I should have known that, but part of blogging is learning as you go.
Thanks for this list!
E. Sheppard
May 30th, 2009 1:58 pm
I really liked this posting. It gave me a lot to check on my blogs. I am guilty of sometimes being a stats-a-holic, like you wrote about. I’m glad I’m not the only one with this problem! I find many useful subjects to read about on your blog. Keep it up – I enjoy it a lot.
Mariano
May 30th, 2009 2:01 pm
Darren,
Awesome post. I’ve been blogging for about 2 years now and just started my second blog, which I’m very excited about. Knowing what the mistakes are…and making sure I don’t make them (or at least not beating myself up when I do!) is a great reference to have in my arsenal. Looking forward to seeing more!
venkat
May 30th, 2009 2:11 pm
the one thing I can identify myself on the above list is my blog not on own domain its on blogspot.May be in the future I consider buying domain.
Mark | hereiblog
May 30th, 2009 2:14 pm
Darren,
Nice list of points. They make sense.
I will add 22. Being a Christian blogger who is not a “big name”
:)
Mark
Nate Moller
May 30th, 2009 2:15 pm
Here’s one big mistake I see a lot of new bloggers make that relates to #3:
Copying content directly from one blog and posting it on yours.
I also really like #11, blogging about something you like and have interest in.
When I was at Blog World Expo last year, I asked many of the bloggers there why it’s important to do what you love & the answer was unanimous: if you don’t love what you’re writing about, you won’t hang in there.
Great post! Thanks for the reminders and info!
frugalgrad
May 30th, 2009 2:17 pm
#19 – Not knowing why you are blogging.
Just read article on copyblogger in which a pro-blogger offer 20-30 free 30 minutes phone consultation for anyone who leave a comment. Read most of the comment there (280 of them), most of them concern blogger identity. People don’t know who they are and why they are blogging. It’s hard to target particular niche or audience if you don’t even know who you are. I was in that situation. Things are a bit clear to me now. Hoping other will find their true identity and interest soon.
#12 Too many ads. Just notice something, most professional blogger never used adsense. They are kind of distracted. I have no add (for now). Visitors have nothing to do but to read the content if that’s what they are looking for.Have thought about Adsense, but it seems not a good idea.
Suzanna B. Stinnett
May 30th, 2009 2:17 pm
Lots of good advice here. I teach people how to write practical online content, and when it comes to blogs, the hardest thing is to get people to begin. For my participants who have been blogging for a while, it’s often difficult to get them to get into “reader’s mind.” This is a big issue and I think fundamental to success. So common to hear people say “I want my blog to be for everyone!” Big, big mistake. The exponential thing is just such new territory, most people continue to think they should be reaching a very wide audience. But the more you limit your audience, the more it opens up. That’s tricky to understand as a beginner. Good writing, all.
Suzanna Stinnett
Natalia
May 30th, 2009 2:21 pm
Thanks Darren for another great reading! My mistake is not to take blogging seriously, I work as a designer, but I love writing, I write in Spanish, my mother tongue, but I should start writing in English right now, so I can reach a broader audience and write frequently!
Lee
May 30th, 2009 2:29 pm
My blogs are using blogspot. I think I am going to change to my own domain. :)
Jay
May 30th, 2009 2:38 pm
Amen to #14. If its one thing that annoys the heck out of me, it is a new blogger who is blogging about MMO issues. Please be more creative!
One thing I would add to this list, is for “new bloggers buying overpriced blogging or internet marketing products over $50 or more a month”. There are too many great and FREE resources (like ProBlogger, SEOMoz & more) to be paying for overpriced products to promote your blog. Use your money to hire a web designer for your own unique look, hire writers to grow your content, get an accountant to keep track of your financials and so much more. Grow your business!
After six months of blogging in promoting and growing your blog (from learning from great and FREE resources of course) if you are still stuck in the mud, then go buy those overprice products…if you must. Had to be said! Had too!
Salman
May 30th, 2009 2:45 pm
Hi Darren
I have asked you a question yesterday.You haven’t replied yet.I know you’re busy but please respond
regards
salman
http://www.tips4blogging.co.cc for blogging tips
Harris
May 30th, 2009 3:05 pm
I had been proud of myself of making a good start. But reading this post has given me another thought that blogging is about telling ‘who i am’ not matter whatever topic i will write about. thanks Darren. excellent tips
JT
May 30th, 2009 3:10 pm
I recently started blogging and i can say that i truly did my due diligence in order to keep from making mistakes. I still feel at times that i could do a better job with marketing/self promotion however, at this juncture my primary focus is on content.
Diane Scott
May 30th, 2009 3:15 pm
This isn’t a “mistake” but more of an often overlooked reason to check your stats. We love the plugin statpress with all it’s details and quick overviews. A good use of checking stats is to see what post strike a “nerve” (really peak your traffic level), and follow up on the subject.
Not every post will get tons of visitors, but when your stats reveal that “Ah Ha!” moment, be sure to work another “angle” (for lack of a better way of putting it) and talk about it again. People were obviously interested, so follow up. More research, different approach, additional info, more resources, etc.
Definitely host your own blog.
Definitely have a primary “theme” you revolve around.
Definitely do not write about making money if you can’t or never have… it shows.
While our primary blog is not so much a niche as an umbrella (internet marketing ways and means), once in a while I will include the odd this and that. Strangely enough, it’s fairly easy to take that thing of interest you really want to talk about and put it in perspective to your overall theme. You just have to think it through.
Also, there’s no reason not to start another blog where variety can be the spice of life. Leaving you with your true calling, and using the other in a mixed bag format.
Too funny though, I read #1 as Getting up too early and thinking, “What?” (Of course it is “giving up”). Ah but it’s late here and I really didn’t intend to spend this much time in one place, but I’m enjoying myself.
Personal name branding should always take the front seat, backed by real facts that you do know of what you speak. And yes, while it’s so easy to believe (or want to believe) that money just falls from the sky blogging, the truth is dedication, persistence, hard work, tons of thought and effort are involved in launching and sustaining anything one does online.
Too many people just are not willing to put in the time (guess all those glitzy sales letters have them believing they are “entitled”).
The only one I think I’d add to your list is find a theme that allows you to tweak it easily (stylesheet). I’ve seen some blogs that are just enormous blocks of text with no paragraph breaks, no white space, poor grammar, misspellings, etc. Those I run from, reading online should not be a chore.
Well enough of my rambling, good pointers all around :)
Karen Chaffee
May 30th, 2009 3:29 pm
I would add that we newer bloggers need to educate ourselves continually by reading blogs such as this one. For instance, 31DBBB was invaluable. Never be too proud to learn from the pros.
Jon
May 30th, 2009 3:33 pm
Not advertising my personality is definitely something I need to work on. I’ve read it a few places and definitely working toward getting better at it…not that I make money blogging, but any blog needs a personality behind it. Thanks for reminding me again :)
Nice post
Edwin
May 30th, 2009 3:47 pm
Wow. You had me at “Warning:” ;) This was a list of my habits. It’s like you’re in my head! I have no real focus on what I’m blogging about but thanks to you and your 31 day course (I’m on day 5) I’ve been blogging every day for 9 days. It’s good just to watch myself commit to something. Blogging is just an easy and fun thing to commit to. I think it destresses the writer, too. If any lost writers can identify a theme on my BLOG, please let me know (even one comment would be nice) and I’ll do the same for you. Thanks.
Joseph Doud
May 30th, 2009 4:03 pm
Thanks for pointing out blogging mistakes. Nothing beats quality content and simple execution.
jan geronimo
May 30th, 2009 4:19 pm
Hi Darren,
Well, I started on the wrong foot – signed up with blogger in December 2008. I’m happy to report, however, that I have got my own domain now and moved to a self-hosted WP blog just the other day. Yes, I feel like a proper blogger now. Wohoo!
That is one mistake out of the way for me now, right?
Will just have to be watchful lest I trip on the other 20 blogging mistakes. But I’m good and can’t be any happier. “,)
jan
BeatlesTrivia
May 30th, 2009 7:19 pm
I agree with those who have mentioned bad spelling and grammar. If it happens once in a while it’s OK, but when it’s a regular thing then some visitors will be turned off and probably never return.
Internet Fax Reviews
May 30th, 2009 7:27 pm
If you are new to blogging, it is better to ask for tips from experts. This will make you a better blogger.
Utsav singh rathour
May 30th, 2009 7:49 pm
Thanx for the nice post. I am a new blogger and am in search of some nice thoughts to make it big. This would be really helpfull.
Point no 1 applies to me since this version of my blog is a re re release of the blog. But this time it’s going good, I am moving smooth and every thing seems to be in place. Hope this continues and will make use of ur other points,
neon
May 30th, 2009 8:15 pm
Different bloggers will have different approaches to this one but my personal preference these days is to secure the .com version first and then to seriously consider other versions of the domain if you are serious about developing it in the long term…
Joseph Doud
May 30th, 2009 8:40 pm
>>Giving up too early – blogs take time to take off
Is this a given? If you pay people for 100 blog posts, and you promote these quality posts, will it necessary take a long time for the blog to take off? (I am new to your website, having added your RSS feed early this morning.) Have you ever heard of the Pillars? This seems like a brilliantly simple concept. The other day I created a simple fact page and promoted it in simple ways. I received about 1500 visits. It seems that How-To and FAQ sites do quite well. In fact, when I ask myself why I visit and return to a site, it is often to learn something new. I will certainly return to your site for this very reason.
QUESTRADE COUPONS - All Coupons, discounts, promo codes, offers, and reviews
May 30th, 2009 9:37 pm
#8 use to apply to me and my blog…THis list of no-nos is a mandatory read for anyone starting out
Make Money Online
May 30th, 2009 10:11 pm
Point 21 is bang on. I am sure even top bloggers like you learn new things everyday. There is end to knowledge and no depth to how much we can learn more.
roentarre
May 30th, 2009 10:21 pm
Your writing here really helps me
I have made so many mistakes in my own blogs and I will have to avoid all the wrongs that you have mentioned here
Laura
May 30th, 2009 10:50 pm
Great post and thanks for the reminder on some of those things.
kumo
May 30th, 2009 11:04 pm
Nice. It’s good to repeatedly reading this post as it keeps us on track. Sometimes we just ran off after blogging for a long time.
Singaporean in London
May 30th, 2009 11:13 pm
Like Jan, I started off with a blogger blog. Even after two years of blogging, I’ve yet to switch to a self hosted site. Come to think of it, I should probably have done it back then but it seems a little too late now, isn’t it. LOL.
Well, mighty thanks for the post.
Cheers,
C K
PMullaly
May 30th, 2009 11:28 pm
Thanks for the advice. You always put things in simple straightforward terms. I appreciate that. I have several blogs… one is just to have fun… for friends and family… keeping up to date, the other three are for the purpose of sharing good information with readers, and to make some money through affiliations. It’s hard work and takes time. But I find if that my efforts are beginning to pay off. Slow but sure.
elizof
May 30th, 2009 11:50 pm
Hi Darren,
Glad to see we can the joyful exchanges we started during the 31 Day Challenge with such excellent reminders. I like the list above and suspect we are guilty of at least one mistake.
I am developing my rhythm and blogging about topics that give me joy and substance. I am pleased with it. I own my domain name (and more) yet I prefer my WordPress blog; call me a creature of habit.
Thanks again for all the fantastic tools you gave us at the workshop. I have not even begun to tap into all the goodies … I will . Albeit, slow and steady like the tortoise.
Cheers,
Eliz
elizof
May 30th, 2009 11:54 pm
Corrected Copy ~ Typos Torpedoed!
Hi Darren,
Glad to see we can continue the joyful exchanges we started during the 31 Day Challenge with such excellent reminders. I like the list above and suspect we are all guilty of at least one mistake.
I am developing my rhythm and blogging about topics that give me joy and substance. I am pleased with it. I own my domain name (and more) yet I prefer my WordPress blog; call me a creature of habit.
Thanks again for all the fantastic tools you gave us at the workshop. I have not even begun to tap into all the goodies … I will . Albeit, slow and steady like the tortoise.
Cheers,
Eliz
PS. Now there’s a title I like! =D
MyCreditGroup
May 30th, 2009 11:57 pm
Our blog, for us, has always been a little tough to keep fresh, consistent and interesting.
I know I would benefit from (and suspect others may as well) an article on how to come up with fresh, new ideas for posts on the same topic over and over.
We’re in the credit industry, and quite frankly, it’s not the most exciting topic. Sometimes I wish we were in celebrity gossip or tech reviews because there’s always something to talk about.
But credit? Sometimes it takes me days to come up with something that is interesting and hasn’t been done to death already.
Do you have suggestions for coming up with new angles on the same topic?
Thanks.
Shawn
May 31st, 2009 12:08 am
Wow, it’s amazing how many people I know who have made exactly those mistakes.
Shawn
http://www.eliteblogger.net
Money Making
May 31st, 2009 3:16 am
Nice post.
Adding Procrastination ie., putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time. Every one should avoid this mistake.
-Ven
Carrie Burrows
May 31st, 2009 4:20 am
You always have the best advice and information! Thank you for your work.
David Stillwagon
May 31st, 2009 4:34 am
Unfortunately I have commited more than a few of these mistakes.
Ben Roberts
May 31st, 2009 6:24 am
Really great post. I teach blogging to real estate agents and almost all of these points apply. I think number one is fitting that it is in 1st place.
Fred de ConseilsMarketing.fr
May 31st, 2009 6:53 am
Hi !
I would have 2 more advices to add :
Error No. 22: Not building a “base contacts”
One of the mistakes of neo-bloggers is simply to subscribe to the RSS feed to retain its readers. But RSS feeds do you can not get a contact database, your readers are free to return whenever they appear, or even stop reading your blog Informartion happen overnight. Your goal should be to recover their emails to communicate with them regularly via a newsletter. Over the months you have a true “customer base” that will ensure regular traffic and eventually to monetize your blog.
Similarly it is essential to offer them to join your community, whether on Facebook, Twitter, Viadeo via a button … “Follow me on …” or widgets like Facebook Connect, Mybloglog …
Error No. 23: Do not rely on your own traffic to succeed.
Many novice bloggers read articles about problems caused by duplicate contend, and therefore they do not see articles by other sites. Should provide the incentive, provided they have 1 or 2 links pointing back to your site. And even if the site in question is better placed than you, do not worry, you will receive traffic and especially the reputation.
Similarly you must use every opportunity to generate free of Hearing: paperblog.fr … will give you the visibility that you don’t have when you launch a blog.
Rick Vaughn
May 31st, 2009 7:09 am
Awesome post, you should be forced read this before your aloud to blog. Thank you!
Amer Kawar
May 31st, 2009 8:20 am
Great post there. I think I’m a bad stats-oholic! :). I get excited everytime I see more traffic! hehe
Jimmy
May 31st, 2009 10:03 am
I recognize all of these!
Giorgio Marandola
May 31st, 2009 10:47 am
Another terrible mistake, that a lot of bloggers do, is to copy the content! It’s really disgusting!
I find everyday blogs, that call themself “aggregators” that copy all my content, also the pictures, with hotlinking..
http://www.technicoblog.com
George Fourie
May 31st, 2009 11:44 am
Excellent post. Every blogger should read this post at least once a week!
Chief
May 31st, 2009 12:14 pm
Thanks Darren,
That was an excellent post, i am sharing it on my blog even for the benefit of Bloggers.
http://www.asknanu.com
Unionhawk
May 31st, 2009 12:21 pm
I personally know… a lot of these… Especially number 18…
Two rules:
1. Don’t flamebait to begin with
2. If you do, don’t use your real name at all. Stay anonymous.
I broke both of those, and it came back to bite me in the end…
sony
May 31st, 2009 1:36 pm
off course, I agree with you, most of the people try to learn about blogging and how to make money first. After that they prefer to blog on making money as they have some good knowledge.
People with adsense knowledge won’t click on ads.
Check it out with your own personal experience.
Have you clicked ads after knowing that they are ads?
Here somepeople may answer like “YES, i have”. But my intention is that the ratio is too low.
Ryan Yockey
May 31st, 2009 2:20 pm
I have made so many of these mistakes early on in my various blogs.
Josh Auriemma
May 31st, 2009 4:52 pm
I definitely need to work on #7. Coming from a background in social media, it’s tempting for me to want to push my content via those ties. On my new blog at http://www.joshauriemma.com I’m actually devoting Wednesdays to “social media push days” but in retrospect, I’m not sure whether or not it’s a good idea.
On one hand, if I convert even 1% of the traffic into readers, that’s a huge [for me] addition to my current reader base. On the other hand, maybe I’d be better off spending my Wednesdays networking with other bloggers. Hmm . . .
Fatin Pauzi
May 31st, 2009 7:44 pm
Among those 21 mistakes, I ever done the mistakes stated at no.5. I just don’t have time. I know It’s a jerk reason. I’ll try to make my time more manageable. Thanks for the reminder.
a_usman
May 31st, 2009 8:46 pm
Great post… I have also written about my first 4 mistakes while I started blogging. You can see here http://www.reviewpk.com/my-first-4-mistakes-in-blogging/
iW2K
May 31st, 2009 9:19 pm
Blogging is certainly not an easy thing to do. It is serious stuff. It needs patience and a lot of hard work especially when you are on your own.
I agree to some extent to your point no.17 – (Becoming a Stats-a-holic). Checking stat counter everyday may lead to depression. On the contrary sometimes it may be read as a sign of recognizing your work and add to your motivating factor.
Zemalf
May 31st, 2009 9:26 pm
Hmm, I’ve definately made several of those mistakes in the past, but managed to cut my list of mistakes I make considerably shorter or at least less frequent. Still got work to do, but this list is great for personal blog/blogging review and shifting things on the right track again.
Colorado Springs Real Estate by Kathy Torline
May 31st, 2009 9:44 pm
Great reminder article. My biggest problem is good articles with not great titles. I think I’ll make that my focus the next 2 months, really working on better titles.
Rochelle Robinson
June 1st, 2009 1:54 am
Thanks! I just started blogging again so this was just in time! I especially like the posting on a regular basis so visitors don’t get frustrated when they return and no new updates.
Rena
June 1st, 2009 2:10 am
I’ve tried to be good, but I have fallen prey to more than one of these mistakes. I started my blog on wordpress, and now I’m ready to move it to my own personal domain. How do you do that? I don’t have a lot of traffic, but I’m afraid of losing any SEO value that I’ve gotten until now. (I don’t for SEO, but I am concerned about it.)
Thanks! I enjoyed reading your article.
Shalina
June 1st, 2009 2:15 am
This one makes me laugh especially as I read your post comments:
“Adding links from other blogs to yours in the hope that it will boost your rankings – most [decent] blogs use ‘nofollow’ in the anchor tags from comments so this won’t help your SEO!”
Keep up fantastic articles Darren!
MJ Doyle
June 1st, 2009 3:50 am
I’m so glad having a cluttered blog made this list! As soon as I come to a cluttered blog I leave it right away because I find it overwhelming.
As de-cluttering is one of the main focuses of my blog, I try to keep it as organized and streamlined as possible.
Thank you!
Turil
June 1st, 2009 4:08 am
One mistake I see made all the time is smooshing the two words “a” and “lot” into one… :-)
Just one of my pet peeves. It drives me crazy, awholelot!
TL
June 1st, 2009 4:47 am
Fantastic information! I recently started blogging after making some of the mistakes listed in this post. I thought I had to know everything before I launched the site; and, I thought it had to be perfect. 2 years later….lol..I’m finally up and running.
Satollo
June 1st, 2009 6:56 am
I asked my self if those 21 point apply to me. Here my answers and I added the point 22.
Be warned: my English is terrible.
Tina
June 1st, 2009 11:15 am
Fantastic advice, 5 weeks a go I started a blog that I am taking seriously and adding at least one post everyday and will continue to do so for the next few months and slow down a little and then add product reviews, more about destinations and my trip stories etc.
Dixon Marshall
June 1st, 2009 1:35 pm
A great article, but being quite the grammar nazi, one common mistake that I see is using the erroneous non-work “alot,” instead of “a lot.”
Please see http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/alot_a_lot_allot.htm.
Thanks.
Charles @ Big Idea Blogger
June 1st, 2009 5:04 pm
Here’s one more:
Not having a vision for your blog – the old Bible adage is true. “Without vision, the people perish”. Without a vision for your blog, the readers disappear. Set a vision and some goals and work towards it.
Dean Saliba
June 1st, 2009 7:56 pm
Very good list there. I get a few people asking me how they can make moneey form their blog (not as many as you, obviously) and the one tip they fail on all the time is the first one!
Patricia Grannum
June 2nd, 2009 1:30 am
Thank you so much for this. I am very guilty of no 17. This post was really encouraging.
http://womanofcolour.blogspot.com
Mark
June 2nd, 2009 1:32 am
Irregular posting isn’t all that bad. Is it?
Steve McKee
June 2nd, 2009 1:36 am
Thanks. I think I’m doing pretty well on these criteria overall but definitely room for improvement. Good tips.
Lakshmi
June 2nd, 2009 1:48 am
A very thoughtful list of mistakes. I learn a lot from your such useful posts. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Scott Webb
June 2nd, 2009 5:11 am
my gosh there is a huge amount of value even in the comments here.
Everything takes time to improve and grow on. Some of these lessons were probably learned overtime and after making the mistake.
I think just pushing yourself in the act of blogging will help you find you’re style and content. I love what I am doing now and I am starting to think about more and more post topics that are unique. It all takes time…and patience it seems.
carla | green and chic
June 2nd, 2009 3:39 pm
I know I had too many ads on my blog at one time. They were mostly affiliate links that were pretty useless. I removed them, added more links to my website and a couple Adsense ads and that’s it. I may even scale it down even more.
Justin Levy
June 2nd, 2009 4:16 pm
Really great post! You knocked it out of the park right off the bat with #1. Unfortunately, not only do some people give up too early but I know of instances where a company has been given the recommendation that the blog they were launching was just part of a campaign for the next few months. I’m sure you know what my advice to them was…
Rajeev Singh
June 2nd, 2009 5:38 pm
Considering how many people take up blogging for making money online, one of the most common mistakes is to have unrealistic expectations of your own income out of the blog.. Blogs can make good money but most dont .. it takes time and effort to take the blog to a successful plank,.. invest in it.
KETAN RINDANI
June 2nd, 2009 9:58 pm
I especially liked the point on posts being SEO-friendly than human-friendly! I believe when a visitor drops by, s/he needs to feel that there is some takeaway from the visit. If there is no value-addition, what’s the point in creating a blog? One might as well write down thoughts in a paper journal.
Thanks for ProBlogger.
MaximizingMoney.com
June 3rd, 2009 1:04 am
I think it’s important to reach a balance in blogging, as many of these “mistakes” are very subjective depending on the particular blog.
For instance, what defines too much advertising can vary from blog to blog, depending on the subject matter, design, etc., and it may also be important to reach a balance in writing for humans versus writing for search engines, if you want to at least attempt to get some search results, so that humans will actually find your blog to read it.
If I go to a blog, and they’re all about anti-capitalism, but they have a ton of advertisements, then that doesn’t make sense, but if a blog about affiliate advertising has a bunch of ads, then it’s sort of what defines the blog.
As far as selling yourself through your blog, I feel that also depends on the purpose of your blog. If you have a real estate blog, and you are an agent, then yes, it makes sense to sell yourself, but I feel a blog should otherwise be about selling the blog itself, and the ideas represented by the blog, and not necessarily the individual behind it.
Just like Rolling Stone magazine is about promoting the rock and roll mantra, and not about the publisher or editor behind it, a blog is an entity in itself, and not necessarily a portal for the personality behind it to promote themselves, unless promoting yourself is in itself the purpose of your blog.
Thanks for the article, there are lots of good ideas here. I just wonder how you get so many people to comment on your articles, it’s amazing. I’m lucky if I get any comments.
BloggerDaily
June 3rd, 2009 2:40 am
I’m attracted to #14. There’s a lot of making money blog that we can see today although the articles posted show that the writer of the post him/herself never know how to do what had been said in the article.
write something you know. learn from what you’d wrote and comments from the readers. Plus your knowledge, don’t wait too much, and you’re ready to rock!
Garry
June 3rd, 2009 9:32 am
Blogging is a steep learning curve and I suppose you either learn form your mistakes and then you will have a chance of succeeding, or you don’t and as a result you wont get too far.
Chris
June 3rd, 2009 12:13 pm
I’ve built a website and want to move my blog over from blogspot–one place to update + my domain. Anyone have any thoughts? I could use the custom domain option at blogger….but want to be able to drive traffic to my online store, when I get that running (Photography). Any thoughts? Would I be able to customize blogger enough to look like the real thing?
Shahriat Hossain
June 3rd, 2009 1:31 pm
Nice read! I will improve my blog according to this read, thanks for sharing this post :)
Jide Salu
June 3rd, 2009 7:32 pm
Hi Darren,
Thank you so much for the tips. They were indeed very helpful and I could relate to a few of them. I can understand how your site has attracted quite a number of readers, do you think a blogger such as myself writing about personal experiences having recently relocated to Africa can make money and attract a following?
Will appreciate if you check me out .
Elizabeth Kaylene
June 4th, 2009 1:01 am
You just gave me the kick in the butt I needed to launch my online book club, FreakingBookworm.com. That coming soon page has been sitting for far too long!
MassKash.com
June 4th, 2009 3:58 am
Personally, I love the “Blog about making money online, yet they haven’t made a dime”. If you’re going to do this, at least try to fool me into thinking you know what the heck you’re talking about. Otherwise, get your feet wet and learn a few MMO skills before you try to run a blog about it.
Casey
June 4th, 2009 12:47 pm
Darren thanks for the tips, I know I need some major help on my titles. I actually need work on many things on that list.
I am going to keep at it.
I included a link to this post on my blog here. http://www.yolablogger.com/index/part-2-how-to-create-a-niche-and-start-your-free-yola-blog-
Ecommerce Help - Tyrone Shum
June 5th, 2009 12:10 am
I do recognize all of these things, and I must say, you did a very good job in briefing them all. I like the part wherein you stated: “Giving up too early – blogs take time to take off” since this holds true. When you want your blog to succeed, you should work hard and try your best to find ways to improve it.
Jawed Iqbal
June 5th, 2009 2:19 pm
One of the mistakes you mentioned was using hosted blogs; but you did not explain why. I’ve seen many blogs that are on Blogspot and Wordpress.com and they are doing great and are quite popular. Are there exceptions to the rule??
Jr Deputy Accountant
June 6th, 2009 6:03 am
the NUMBER ONE mistake you can make as a blogger is to listen to what “the experts” have to say about blogging.
Find your heroes, mentors, and friends in the blogosphere and emulate but don’t copy. And for the love of God, stop listening to what the “experts” have to say. No one can tell you how YOU need to blog.
Pfft.
Powder Room Talk
June 7th, 2009 5:02 am
Thanks Darren, I felt you were talking about me personally!! My biggest mistakes have been being a stats freak, comparing myself to bigger blogs, and often wanting to give up because I would always say, “bigger blogs w/more traffic are doing what I’m doing, I’m just gonna give up” and being so focused on these things that I keep forgetting to just enjoy writing girl talk. I would suffer from severe writer’s block because I was not allowing myself to just relax and enjoy.
I tell myself each day that I write for my girlfriends and it helps me relax & focus on the fun of putting in a post what I normally will share with my girlfriends.
Thanks for writing this, I needed this to realize my habits were only affecting me! :)
mattus
June 8th, 2009 1:24 am
Nice post. You might consider #12 for your own blog. Man, there’s a lot going on in the upper right part of your blog.
Freya
June 10th, 2009 10:25 pm
thanks for posting this! I’ve been blogging for more than a year and I’m glad to know that I’m going in the right track. :)
MidwestElle
June 13th, 2009 8:43 am
Thank you for this post! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I appear to be on the right track.
Best Wishes!
MidwestElle @ iowabride.blogspot.com
Sean Davis
June 17th, 2009 5:57 am
This is a great post. I like how some of them get straight to the point. I really like the one about not blogging about making money blogging.
I got my successonmymind.com domain years ago. It has been many different things. However, the first blog I put on it was all about making money. I hadn’t made any more money than the average person. Needless to say, blogging about making money didn’t work out for me.
I’ve since learned to only make sites about things that I am already passionate about. I still use that domain name but now I use to talk about having positive thoughts. I am really big into this… the name fits… and I know the ins and outs. Much better!
Isabel
June 18th, 2009 12:17 am
Great article Darren:
I will take all this into consideration, since I want to start a blog myself. You have been very helpful.
Christina Crowe
July 5th, 2009 11:20 am
When I first started my blog, http://www.saladsticks.com, I almost made the mistake of “giving up early”. Thank god I didn’t or I wouldn’t be where I am today.
karsten h.
July 10th, 2009 9:30 am
It’s truly amazing to see how many people have commented on this post. Surely thousands have read it. Great topic Darren. You can’t ever stress enough the power of mistake #1. In a way it’s a good thing for bloggers who don’t want more competition, but if more people stuck to their blogs and persevered, there would be literally millions more interesting blogs out there right now.
Angel
July 11th, 2009 7:24 am
Nr. 2 and 17 Gave me the chills.
Great post.
Direct TV
July 15th, 2009 1:57 am
Recognize a few of those and have realized a few of my own as well.
SURVEYS FOR MONEY
July 16th, 2009 6:29 pm
I see way too many blogs with a bunch of clutter. It’s just a distraction for those who check out your blog. You want them to focus on just your posts/content. Less is definitely more depending on the topic.
muzaffar abbas
July 21st, 2009 7:19 am
Well all of sudden I forced to think about my blog after reading your post , it seems every caution you pointed out I am favoring those in my site.
The best part of your post is ” write for search engines before humans” I personally feel this one sentence summarize the whole discussion for me.
Very Informative share Thank your very much.
Ed Hardy bags
July 22nd, 2009 10:37 pm
Great stuff. I really appreciate you guys posting this type of information and I often incorporate into my own blogs.
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