Jun
26
Most people think blogging is easy… pick a niche, write a couple of articles, throw up some ads, and then just sit back and wait for the money to roll in. Well, they soon learn that there is a little more to it than that but hopefully they will hang in there and learn from their mistakes.
We have all made mistakes along the way but I see many new bloggers making the same mistakes over and over. These errors may seem obvious to the more experienced blogger but here’s a few things that new bloggers should avoid.
Don’t be Generic
I know that the easiest design to use is the generic theme that comes with your blogging platform. It may look okay, and it might be functional but you do not want to use it because most splogs (spam blogs) use it. Trust me, the last thing you want is people deciding that your blog is a splog before giving your content a chance.
Be Easy on the Eyes
When you customize your blog please remember that one of the most important aspects of a blog is its’ readability. Consider your readers before getting creative with the font color, style, and size. You may think it looks cool but do you really think your visitors will read a blog with bright yellow text on a black background?
Don’t Ignore Your Readers
One of the most important aspects of blogging is the conversation. Many bloggers just present the facts and don’t try to involve their readers in the conversation. You should write posts that have a call to action… ask your readers to get involved. And once they do get involved, always respond to their comments and questions.
Keep it Simple
You should always adhere to the K.I.S.S theory… Keep It Simple Stupid. I know all those cool graphics and widgets are tempting but each one adds to the loading time of your blog. You do not need a graphic intensive blog or 20 different RSS chicklets, just make sure your blog is fast loading and easy to read and your visitors will love you for it.
Take it Easy on the Ads
Some bloggers recommend that you wait until you have 1000 visitors a day before you start to monetize your blog. While I don’t agree with that theory, I do think it is a bad idea to cram 20 ads on a brand new blog that has 1 article and no traffic. Write a few articles first, get some traffic coming and then you can experiment with different monetization strategies.
These are a few of the common mistakes that I have noticed on new blogs. What would you add to the list?
Popularity: 13% [?]
I agree about the ads. I get around 150 visitors per day, but still make a bit of money from my blog. However, I went 3 years without even google adsense. It’s important to find out you like blogging, as one of the most discerning thing for a new blogger is seeing $0.00 on adsense
It is discouraging to see the $0.00 in your account day after day. Blogging is much more enjoyable if you can make yourself stop checking your stats and adsense income every 10 minutes
Good Point David, I tend to check my traffic stats way too often.
It really is more fun to leave them alone for awhile before checking in.
Generate quality content … gotta write quality content that keeps your readers interested in your blog …
Darin
That is true… without good content, none of the rest of this stuff matters.
I whole heartedly agree with you two that “Content is King”.
I would also recommend making it easy for readers to sign up for not only feeds but for email updates(i like Feedburner for both)…old peeps like moi like the email updates, and rarely check readers…I do have one but have not gotten into the habit of checking.
Adam
Adam, if you update an old post, doesn’t FB send that out in the email as a new post to your readers? I currently use Feedblitz, but have been thinking about changing to FB.
Jolynn, I am not exactly sure how that works with the updated posts. When I do updates I usually make a note at the bottom of the updated post. But not sure if the update gets sent out again.
I second this.
I’ve subscribed to RSS feeds and never read another word of their blog because I have no idea how to get their new posts in my email (the only thing I want to check).
And since there are no shortage of bloggers, I just move on to the ones who offer email updates.
I agree with you, and I’d add this: don’t fill your website/blog with flash animations.
They just slow down everything!
Very good point… that is very annoying.
Don’t forget for those who don’t mind getting paid for writing posts, that you can do quite well writing for places like PPP etc.
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I’m still new to the blogging scene. These are all good tips. But being a newbie, I think the things I need help with is understanding how to create templates. What’s the best blogging service: i.e. I use Google’s Blogger. How to create your own domain name while using a 3rd party Blogging Service like Blogger. If anyone has newbie tips like these, I’d be greatly appreciative.
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Great article and I agree about all the points.
The part about having a generic theme worries me a bit as I’m using the cutline theme and I’m not really sure how to customize the look.
flash can be realy fast, but i agree thet it is not good for blogging! Sorry for my english)
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I agree.. professional bloggers should learn from a previous mistake or he may learn from other mistakes as well…
Five very useful pointers here. It’s sad to see those ‘new’ blogs that push ads before content. You need a readership before your ads will generate any income.
I recently changed the design of my blog – people were telling me they loved the design but it was a little difficult to read the text at times.
Text and content is the key to a successful blog, therefore I overhauled the blog and changed the design to ensure usability and accessibility.
- Martin Reed