It’s one thing to want to start a blog. It’s another thing to get things right. There’s so much to think about – what to blog about, how often to post, how to get people to read it what you’re writing – that a lot can go wrong. Here are some common mistakes that beginning bloggers make, and how to avoid them:
1. Focus on yourself. Unless you’re Lady Gaga, nobody wants to hear about you, you, you all the time. Pick a blog topic you’re passionate about, but make it something other people are interested in too.
2. Write about anything. Write about parenting one day, gardening the next, trips, relationships, books and that wild weekend in Vegas with your college girlfriends and readers won’t have a clue what your blog’s about. Stick to your stated subject. If it helps, keep a notepad – or iPad – in your pocket, purse, messenger bag or car so you can jot down ideas related to your theme when you think of them.
3. Pick a generic name. My Daily Musings doesn’t tell readers what your blog’s about – other than you (see No. 1). Pick a name that fits the topic. The only exception: if you’re using as blog as a business platform, in which case, name it after some version of your own name. Add a tag line – catchy, straightforward, serious or humorous – to give readers more information. Use GoDaddy or another domain name registry to find out what blog names are available.
4. Post whenever you feel like it. Letting days, weeks or months roll by without a post is a great way to kill interest – and page views. Readers like consistency. Pick a posting frequency you can live with and keep to it, whether that’s twice a day, week or month. Use Google Analytics to find out when your site gets the most traffic and publish posts on those days. Use an editorial calendar to map out what posts you’ll publish when. If it helps, write posts in advance and use your blogging software’s pre-publish feature to schedule when they go live.
5. Write when you can squeeze in a few minutes. Writing posts whenever you can fit it in doesn’t work because you’ll get busy and put it off – I know, I’ve done it. Pick a schedule that works for you and stay with it. If you’re an early bird, write before work starts. If you’re a night owl, write the next day’s post before you go to bed.
6. Write really long posts. When it comes to blog posts, less really is more. 250 to 300 words is fine. Break ideas into paragraphs. Use bold face subheads to break posts up into section. Include numbered or bulleted lists. According to recent research on online readability, making text easy to read will keep readers hang out on your site longer.
7. Focus on style over substance. I just got back from the American Society of Journalists and Authors annual writer’s conference, where expert after expert stressed creating blogs with original content, including good old fashioned reported news. So use make sure your blog posts are optimized for search engines, but concentrate more on providing new information.
8. Never include links. Links are the way of the web. If you’re making an argument, link out to related material from a news site or more well-established bloggers to show you’re part of the conversation. Link inside to your own blog posts too – it’ll help readers discover material that might be new to them.
9. Run the same types of posts all the time. Variety is the spice of blog posts. Use Q&As, lists, trends, guest posts, roundups and collections of links to stories on a related topic. Record a podcast or video. Share a photo. Surprise your readers – people like surprises.
10. Assume you know what readers want. You might think people come to your blog for your witty repartee when they’re actually there because of your cool photos or daily pie recipe. Why wonder: ask what they want. Invite comments. Use polls and “Open Threads” to draw people in.
Ok, guilty as charged on just about all 10 of those counts! UGH!
We’ve probably all been guilty of some of them at some time. That’s why it’s good to go over the basics every once in a while to rid yourself of bad habits – that’s what the blogathon is all about.
Michelle
Michelle: thanks! Great refresher! We all need to keep these things in mind but we get lazy. Thanks for the new tips, insights and the much needed kick in the literary ass! My most grevious fault is not posting regularly. One a week on good weeks but never at the same time of week or day. It’s a wine blog and I’m thinking thurs or fri would be optimal…u know, the day on or before we want a great glass of vino to start our wkd!–Anne Valdespino (Orange Coast magazine)
PS Paul Hodgins sez Hi!
Hi Anne & thanks! So great to hear from you. Say hi to Paul. Did the OC writer who’s taking part in the blogathon mention me to you, because she emailed me about you guys. Glad to hear you’re still around the area & writing for Marty Smith even! Don’t be strangers.
Michelle
OUCH! Number #3 hits hard. My blog is entiteld, “My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands. 🙂
Well, I am participating in the WordCount Blogathon 2011 to learn, improve and be inspired. Here is hoping that those goals will be achieved , when the finish line is reached at the end of May.
Thanks for the tips.
Joanna: Two things save your blog’s name – the purposely misspelled “Mooosings” and the addition of “in the Netherlands.” “Mooosings” is a nice play on words and “…in the Netherlands” tells them that you’ll be writing about a specific place.
Michelle
Wonderful information! Thanks for this posts and the entire BlogaThon kick-in-the-butt I needed to get serious and efficient about blogging!
That’s what I’m here for.
M
Good day Michelle,
I agree with almost every one of these. I do understand the rationale of not making posts too long. However, I don’t know if I agree with the 200-300 word count. I, like you, am a member of BlogHer and rarely see a syndicated post less than 500 words. I think it depends on what type of blog one is running. For example, food bloggers would have a tough time posting articles at 200 words.
Obviously my blog is a personal type blog(average post 500 words), but I write with the intent of sharing about me to stimulate ideas and broaden minds. Ex: I post about prejudice a lot because I am mixed race.
I am grateful for the Blogathon for inspiration and motivation. Thank you.
Tatyanna:
I agree w/you that it’s hard to limit yourself to 250 or 300 words. The point I was making was that it’s fine to go short sometimes, and that even 250 to 300 words is OK. Look at Seth Godin – he’s the Zen master of short blog posts & wildly popular because of it.
Michelle
Now I know the 10 things I’ve been doing wrong! Actually, I hadn’t worried about it, because I originally started blogging just to dust off my writing chops.
I’d like to get serious now, and these tips are a great start!
It’s very common for blogs to evolve; I started mine for similar reasons & after a couple months settled on a theme. Sometimes when you hit on what it is you want to focus on, you have to start a different blog. It’s all good.
Michelle
Agreed on everything, especially #6: Long blog posts turn me off and if I have to scroll down more than once to read one, I invariably lose interest. I try to keep mine around 300 words.
I am hosed.
No, you are funny, and that makes all the difference. If you have what it takes to make people care about what you say or do, then all bets are off.
Michelle
Hi Michelle! Very solid list, I'm sure lots of bloggers will find it useful. One thing I'd add is a lot of new bloggers don't look before they leap. And that's no big deal if you just want to blog for friends and family, but if you're looking to reach a wider audience, it's worth it to do a bit of research first before making mistakes that waste your time, money and effort.
About including the links, I agree that we have to link to our other blogposts to make the readers spend more time on the blog, but won’t including too many links to other resources turn readers away from the blog? Aren’t we basically telling them that “I have no information about this. But hey this place is way more cooler”.
Links are good, and you’re right, too many links to outside material could send people away. On a regular basis, I probably use 60 percent links to my own older material and 40 percent to outside material , or maybe even 70-30. Except on Fridays, when I do a recommended reading list that’s basically a link round up – then I list 5 to 10 links to outside material, but include my commentary for why people should check out the material, which hopefully positions me as knowledgeable, helpful and keeps people coming back.
Michelle
Guilty on all counts. This is wonderful information, although I’ll admit I’m a bit depressed to see all the mistakes I’ve made.
Note to self: You’re a big girl. You can handle it.
Great advice will analyze my blogging techniques and try to edit.
I am definitely guilty of a lot of these–oh dear! Still, we all have different reasons for blogging and different goals.
Mine is about me (that would be mistake #1) and the various challenges I’ve faced since my marriage ended. It’s like a memoir written in installments and I get very positive feedback on it, plus I enjoy writing it.
Would I love to get a gazillion readers? Yes! Should I post more frequently? Absolutely. Am I realistically ever going to worry about SEO? Highly doubtful.
You are a powerhouse, Michelle, and a great inspiration for sure.
Thanks Christina. As you pointed out, people blog for different reasons. Many people who do the blogathon have blogs that they use to share what they’re doing or thinking, while others use them to report on what’s happening in their neighborhood, city or state, or on a subject they’re especially passionate about. The great thing about blogging is there’s no single right way to do it.
Michelle