4 Blogging Mistakes You Must Avoid

Get more traffic and leads by avoiding these 4 blogging mistakes — and learn the best ways to make your blogs stand out.

In this article:

Focusing too much on you

Writing about trending topics only

Ignoring search engine optimization (SEO)

Not updating your old content

Businesses with active blogs generate twice as much email traffic compared to those who don’t regularly publish content. Yet, many struggle to gain momentum. Why?

It’s usually not due to a lack of good content ideas. Even the most brilliant concepts won’t guarantee blogging success. More often, avoidable mistakes sabotage your progress. 

But there’s good news! Once you understand these mistakes, they can quickly be corrected. You can then grow your blog and get more leads.

In this blog, we'll highlight the top 4 blogging mistakes you should avoid. 

Let's get to it. 

Blogging mistake # 1: Focusing too much on you

Many people make this mistake when they start blogging. They focus more on their experiences and stories. 

While, this is a good way to connect with your audience.your blogs should focus more on solving your readers' problems and offering solutions. Of course, sprinkle your personal voice into posts liberally.

But, if you want to keep getting more leads and ultimately sales, focus on creating content that is of interest to your audience. This is the only way that will compel them to take action. 

Here's how you can fix this problem:

Write reader-centric blogs!

To make sure that your content is valuable for your readers, follow the I-C-I format. Your blogs should either inform them, connect with them, or inspire them to do something.

If you're ticking these boxes, your readers will keep coming back for more, which means more traffic and leads for your website.

Here are some examples:

1. If you're a fitness coach, you can share the experiences or top mistakes your clients make during a workout session and tips to fix them. This way, your audience will relate to your content and be inspired to act. 

2. If you have a nutrition blog, highlight the importance of foods that promote the longevity and well-being of your readers. People usually ignore the benefits of a healthy diet; sharing the benefits is a great way to inform them.

Blogging mistake # 2: Writing about trending topics only

The idea of hopping on trending topics is always exciting. You get an instant increase in traffic, which is a great dopamine rush. And it's not a bad idea! The issue is these trends appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. 

This is why creating a content strategy around such topics only is a blogging mistake. Plus, the results you'll be getting through such trends will die down sooner or later. 

So, how do you create content that has a longer shelf-life?

Create an evergreen content strategy

Focusing on evergreen topics is one of the best ways to win at blogging. Such topics are always relevant and are a great way to attract your readers.

In addition, search engines prefer evergreen content too. That's because such content offers continuous value to the reader. This leads to better search engine rankings and more traffic.

Here are a few examples of evergreen content:

• For habits and lifestyle blogs: Tips on managing stress or the importance of self-care.

• For a nutrition blog: Busting myths about diets or easy ways to make a balanced diet.

• For a fitness blog: Workout for beginners or benefits of stretching. 

Blogging mistake # 3: Ignoring search engine optimization (SEO)

The sure way to reach your audience is by getting ranked on search engines. But how do you make sure that your blogs are ranking on Google?

The only way is to optimize your content for search engines. It might sound boring, but here's a stat that will convince you.

SEO brings 1,000% more traffic than social media. This means that there's loads of potential in using SEO as your main strategy for reaching more people.

Yet, many websites make the blogging mistake of completely ignoring SEO. They think that content alone is enough to help them stand out. 

There's no doubt about the importance of quality. But quality alone won't be beneficial. You need to focus on SEO.

Optimizing your content for SEO

Here's a 3-step strategy to write content that is optimized for search engines:

1. Focus on adding keywords that satisfy your reader's search intent.

2. Add keywords in your headings, meta description, and alt texts.

3. Include external and internal links in your blogs.

Blogging mistake # 4: Not updating your old content

Only 38% of people update their blogs. This is one of the biggest blogging mistakes many people make. They publish blogs and then forget about them. 

However, it's easier to work on blogs that are already ranking at certain positions. So, focus on creating a strategy to improve your old content.

This will help you to get higher rankings on Google or Bing. Moreover, search engine bots favor content that is up to date.

How to update your content? 

Here are 3 steps that will help you to update your content the right way:

1. Use Google Search Console to see the pages ranking on 5-10 positions.

2. Shortlist those pages and check the content quality and search intent.

3. Improve the on-page SEO factors and the content structure. 

It's a wrap!

Establishing your blog will require time, dedication, and patience. Throughout the process, you'll find yourself experimenting often, implementing, analyzing, and repeating the process. Focus on creating content that resonates with your audience and avoid these blogging mistakes. 

Keep going, and your blog will soon get the traction you're expecting.

Happy blogging! 

Hafsa Raja is an SEO content writer. Read more about her work and connect with her on LinkedIn.