Common mistakes that bloggers must avoid

Many a time most bloggers and (even writers for that matter) would come up stating their efforts are yet to be rewarded. And most of them end burning out or becoming less passionate about blogging. Like any profession, blogging needs patience, courage and a desire to aim for the very best among the competition. Lot of times, many of these bloggers makes noticeable and unnoticeable mistakes that cause a big loss in readers and prospects. Worse, the bloggers continue in same path without correcting the mistakes. It is always worth to do a self-assessment and check the  direction of things, even when you are blogging for fun.

Some of the common mistakes that bloggers make are:

1. No proper aim/goal for the blog:

    To establish the very goal of the blog you started, you need to have clear answers to the following questions:

•  What will be the prime focus of the blog. What would and would not be covered in the blog.
•  Why did I start this blog for? Is it for a selected audience or free for all.
•  What are the different milestones I would be looking forward in coming months for my blog?

Whether the goal is to reach 5000 subscribers, or make money or   establish one as a subject matter expert, there is no right or wrong with the goals. The most important thing you should have a clear idea of what you would like to achieve through your blog. This would then translate to how to achieve them and what are the ways and so on.

So the basic solution is to keep  a goal in mind and check the goal in every quarter and evaluate the progress.

2. Bad formatting:

This is one of the biggest mistakes most bloggers make (Even some excellent writers and bloggers does the same). And the end result is loss in prospects. A blog should always look presentable and easier to the eyes of a reader. It should not look clustered and with improper fonts.

So one of the best ways to solve this problem is by following the basic tips:

 Use shorter paragraphs for the overall article.

Highlight the important details

Use bullet points to break text into useful points.

Headings and sub headings needs to be used

3. Schedule of posts

An erratic style of posting different articles will definitely frustrate readers. Moreover as blogger/writer you would find it difficult to maintain the rhythm and tempo required for your blog. The key here is to keep a consistent, yet comfortable schedule while posting articles. It need not be on a daily basis or weekly or biweekly, it can be even monthly, but then it needs to be consistent. A little bit of flexibility is often considered fine, but long periods of inactivity and activity will not help either the readers or bloggers.

So, the solution would be to keep a consistent and comfortable schedule for blog posting. And remember that quality matters over quantity.

4. Improper writing:

It’s a sad fact that some of the excellent bloggers and writers are let down by the frequent typing mistakes, grammatical mistakes, repetitive words or poorly formed sentences or words. Although most readers would let go of occasional mistakes, frequent ones are definitely a letdown.

The key solution here is to review a post for few minutes or hours before publishing it to the readers. Set aside a few hours or minutes as needed and do it comfortably and at a gentle pace. Use spell checker and make it a point to rewrite any poorly written sentences. It really helps. In case needed, asking   a near and dear one for a review can also be considered.

5. Bad linking and optimizing techniques:

This is mostly on the technical side of the blog. It’s important to note the keywords and links used in the blog are used to attract the audience and also helps in getting the best exposure possible.

So a solution, make sure you are using the right links and keywords in all of your articles and comments. A diligent approach here can get your rich rewards.

6. Leaving readers clueless:

Sometimes, bloggers just publish things without considering what audience should be doing with the knowledge or information shared. A course of action is not mentioned directly or indirectly. The blogger should be always be writing an article considering the audience in mind. It should be presented in a way that the reader could take any action including the sharing the article if needed.

7. Unrealistic goals:

In today’s blogosphere, there are literally thousands if not millions of blogs. There is a fierce competition in different niches to reach the top .Bloggers who kept going in the race, would tell you a story of keeping a achievable goal one at a time and not set unrealistic goals. It’s literally impossible to earn $100 in the first week of blogging come whatever other say. It takes time and effort to establish and stabilize the reader base as well earn well.So,its important to keep a real goal that is achievable. It also helps in getting you in some confidence to go further plus it would not burn you out as well.