What Are Some Mistakes Blogs Make?

I like to provide blog tips from time to time but occasionally I think it is good to take a look at some of the things not to do. David Airey provides a list of the Top 7 blog mistakes to avoid.

I will quote them from his blog and then I will comment on them after each one.

Mistake #1 - not using a self-hosted blog
The problem with hosting a blog through WordPress.com is that you don’t have full control over customisation. WordPress owned and stored my content. I was also showing my blog’s web address as being www.wordpress.davidairey.com rather than www.davidairey.com.

On top of all that, I was using a blog template that thousands of others were using. That’s no way to stand out from the millions of blogs that are online. Since then I’ve launched a new blog design which I’m much happier with.

In Jakob Neilsen’s 2005 article on the top 10 blog mistakes, he had this as number 10:

Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service
Having a weblog address ending in blogspot.com, typepad.com, etc. will soon be the equivalent of having an @aol.com email address or a Geocities website: the mark of a naïve beginner who shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Ok I tend to agree on this one, but it depends on what is important to you. Though it isn’t completely crucial, at some point if I were on blogspot or wordpress, I would buy my own domain for $9.95 per year. I have never decided to stop visiting a blog just because they were on blogspot so I don’t think it is crucial when it comes to visitors. I think it would be best if you used your own domain for complete blog customization and functionality purposes. But if that isn’t important to you as a blogger then I am not sure moving to your own domain would be best. You have to know how to install wordpress, edit the style sheets, edit the html files, and learn how to operate software on your own.

Mistake #2 - expecting people to visit
The blog world is amazing because of the reader interaction. It’s why I continue to publish on a fairly consistent basis. When I first started out I had no idea how to attract new readers, commenters, interaction etc. I had the impression that if I published new content I’d automatically find readers in my niche.

How wrong I was.

Successful blogging involves time, effort, and reaching out to fellow bloggers / publishers / authors (whatever you prefer). In fact, there’s a whole psychology behind blog publishing and I had no idea how it would change my way of thinking. Now if I see or hear something of interest I wonder how it can be incorporated into a blog article.

I think the tip is a good one, though he kind of got off topic on the expecting people to visit thing. When you first start a blog, even if you are a fairly recognizable name and are somewhat popular in your niche, it takes time before people start to visit. It is just the nature of starting a blog. I will also throw in the concern of new bloggers here at the Network. We can deliver you a few new readers when you start, but it really takes several months of dedication and posting and networking in order to find loyal readers. Most get discouraged and give up. The best thing to do is keep publishing and working at it. So, new bloggers, don’t expect visitors overnight. You will get them if you hang in there long enough. Sometimes it can take a year. Sometimes it could be 4 or 5 months.

Mistake #3 - not writing as if I’m talking
You have to find your personal brand and deliver it through your blog. The way you write, the words you use, your tone of voice, how you respond to comments, the design of your blog, the topics you cover… it all shows who you are.

Blogs are less like a lecture and more conversational. Well it depends on the blog but I have found that most successful blogs mix it up real good. Some will tell the facts and then when stating opinions, they have a real strong conversational style voice. It insights debate, provokes discussion, and opens up their blog post for both sides to comment. So, don’t be afraid to have a voice and state your opinions. It isn’t the end of the world if readers disagree.

Mistake #4 - changing the location of my blog
When I moved my blog’s location, from davidairey.com/blog to davidairey.com, I knocked my Google Page Rank from 5 to 4. The mistake wasn’t moving, which I’m glad I did. The mistake was not doing it sooner, or not starting out with my blog in the root directory.

Personally I don’t think it really matters whether your blog is located in the root directory or at /blog for instance. I think what matters is once you have installed it somewhere just leave it alone. Google will find it. Moving your blog around is not only a headache but you will lose page ranking and all your links that are out there in cyberspace are now broken. Not a good thing when people are finding your old posts and can’t get to them. A blog is timeless and once you publish a blog post it is out there forever. Some think once that post falls off the home page you will never see it again. Wrong. I have people finding posts I wrote about 6 months ago. So decide before you launch your blog where you want it. Once you decide stop worrying about it. Look forward, leave your blog location alone, and move on.

Mistake #5 - neglecting my article headlines
Most people new to blog publishing will spend all their time writing the article, and not thinking too much about the headline. Here’s the thing, if your headline doesn’t catch my attention, the chances are I won’t read the article.

This is something I have stressed a lot in the past. Titles are very important, especially with catching people’s attention and SEO. Try not to lure readers in with suspense, but with facts. People want to know exactly what they are about to read. The first clue is in the Title of the blog. If they can’t determine what the article is about from the Title the chances of them moving on to read the first paragraph is slim.

Mistake # 6 - not linking to others as I’d like them to link to me
I still see it every day, people linking to others using the anchor text ‘here’ or ‘click here’. You wouldn’t be linking to people unless you thought they had something worth saying, so give them a link they’ll truly appreciate.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Did I say that right? Well you get my point. Some call it link love. (More on link love here and here) Link out to other sites that are pertinent to your post. There seems to be a fear out there that linking to other people will only send your readers away. This is “old school” thinking. I guess if you owned a store and you started sending people to other stores to get their merchandise you probably wouldn’t have much of a business left in a short time. But the blogging world is different. People can buy what they are looking for over and over again from many places. What they are buying is information and you are providing it for free. So people aren’t necessarily going to find that one spot to spend their money. It is free. People will come back for more and more and more as long as they are getting information. Whether you provide it yourself or tell your readers where to go to get it then you are a viable source of information for them.

Mistake #7 - underestimating the time commitment
When I first started out, I had no idea how much time blog publishing would take. I don’t spend all my time around here. Far from it. A work-life balance is essential and I find myself posting articles less and less at the weekend (and when I do they’re often time-stamped from a week-day).

Yes. This is something we all get caught up in. We all learn the hard way. Anybody can blog, but those who want to have readership, regurgitate useful information, and actually provide their readers with good information day in and day out then blogging can become a full time job. There is a lot of energy that needs to be spent in order to maintain a half decent blog.

Can you think of any common mistakes new bloggers make? I am sure there are more than 7. If so, let us know in the comments section.