Last Updated on: March 11th, 2021
You’ve worked hard to build your blog and everything seemed alright and good to go.
Looking back, you could remember vividly all the sleepless nights you suffered before you were able to even figure out what niche to choose.
Right now, things look fine from the outside and people are beginning to visit your blog. “Wow”, you think, “What a dream come true!”
But then, it all looks like you’ve been attacked by the devil himself. Everything you’ve worked for is beginning to fall apart.
Your blog has gone stale. No more visitors, no more social shares, no more clients and worst of all… your blog got hacked.
Now you’re wondering why all these things are happening to you at the same time. Have you offended someone? Do you have bad luck? These and more questions are manifesting in your mind, yet, you’ve not been able to come up with an answer.
Sound familiar?
There is a popular saying… “It takes ages to build a house but one mistake can bring it down in a blink of an eye.”
That is the same way blogging is. It does not matter the amount of time you put into it – there are certain mistakes you will make and they will bring your blog to its knees.
I know you wouldn’t want that to happen, right?
If these things resonated with you then, I have good news.
In today’s post, I will unveil to you 5 of the most common blogging mistakes that most people make.
You need to avoid these killer blogging mistakes if you don’t want to lose everything you’ve worked hard to build.
Avoid These Killer Blogging Mistakes and Save Your Blog from Suffering
There are many mistakes bloggers make. Some are common. Some are easy to fix.
Some are deadly and can wreck your blog and your blogging efforts.
The good news is that most can be avoided!
In addition to the 21 Dangerous Blogging Mistakes most bloggers make, and the 4 Common Blogging Mistakes That Prevent You From Growing Your Business, there are 5 blog killers that you need to be aware of and fix if you want your blog and your blogging efforts to be successful. (And these are in addition to The 8 Biggest Blogging Mistakes New Bloggers Make!)
Blog Killer#1: Neglecting Your Readers
You know why I used this as the first one? It’s the most important of them all.
Why? Because your audience is your most valuable asset. Your readers are the people that will decide whether your blog will be a success or a failure.
If they unanimously decide not to give you their attention, then you’re doomed. They won’t give you their email address. They won’t buy from you. They will make you fail.
In the past, most bloggers and internet marketers formed the habit of ignoring their readers.
If your readers must listen to you, you have to treat them like gold. You have to show them you care.
They should know that you have their best interests at heart. That you’re not just after their email addresses and money.
If they perceive in any way that you have your own selfish interest, they will abandon you and your blog to die and you can’t do anything about it.
How to Fix Blog Killer Mistake #1:
There are many ways to prove your loyalty to your readers.
- Meet them at the point of their needs
- Respond to their questions and requests
- Reply to their comments on your blog posts
- Interact with them on the social media
- Don’t be too busy to attend to them
- Give them more value than you get from their money
- Show them you’re a genius.
From my research, I found out that readers always feel more valued and important once you give them all the things I mentioned above.
Once they know that you want them to succeed too, they will follow you wherever you go and will always buy what you recommend.
They will even send your links to their family and friends.
Blog Killer #2: Your Writing is Too Complex
You should always focus on simplicity. Less is more.
It’s often believed that complexity is a proof of wisdom, intelligence or sophistication. As a result, most bloggers formed the habit of making things difficult for their readers. If your audience consists of doctors or Mensa members, write using technical jargon.
If not, use simple, commonly understood words.
How to Fix Blog Killer Mistake #2:
So, when you’re writing blog posts next time, try to pass your message across in a simple language.
You don’t have to show your readers your level of intelligence. The truth is, they don’t care if you have a PhD in the English language.
Just ensure your message is simple and easy to comprehend. They will always appreciate you for that.
You can also use one of these Readability Tests to check your writing level and find out how readable your writing really is.
Blog Killer #3: You Have No Idea Who You’re Writing For
Your writing cannot be for everyone but for a select number of people and it’s your job to know who they are.
Addressing everyone while writing is not a good idea. It will end up making your blog posts sound generic and fake. At the end of the day, you will find out that you were not talking to anyone.
How to Fix Blog Killer Mistake #3:
While writing your blog posts, instead of addressing everyone, write as if you’re talking to just one person. As Henneke Duistermaat said in her article 11 Common Blogging Mistakes that Waste Your Audience’s Time, “create in your mind an image of that one person you wish to write for.” For example, let’s say we are writing for Sally, a 32-year-old mom who works full-time.
- Write down the things that keep her up at night when others are sleeping.
- Think of what you can do to save her from those worries.
- Write about it on your blog.
Your post will always be more interesting and engaging if you can focus on one person while writing.
By creating a reader persona, you will be better able to speak to your target audience.
You can then create a buyer persona, which will help you in your business.
Blog Killer #4: You’re Still Blogging
This one may sound as if I’m crazy (maybe am) but I will prove my point shortly.
Like I wrote about in my recent post, blogging is dead and if you’re still doing it today, you will be struggling like others.
You have the blogger mentality when all you think about is how to write and write more blog posts on your own blog when you have little or no audience.
You’re a blogger when you think that you owe it to your readers to be publishing new posts on your blog daily just to maintain your readership.
But the ugly truth is that your readers do not care how often you publish.
What they are more concerned about is how compelling, informative and educating your contents are.
So, it will be more meaningful to publish 1-2 powerful blog posts once a week (or once every two weeks) than it will be to be churning out 7 garbage posts every week at a rate of one a day.
How to Fix Blog Killer Mistake #4:
1: Understand that publishing all your articles on your own blog when you have no one to read them is a dumb idea.
Instead, connect with some of the top influencers in your niche and write for them. These people already have a huge audience and by writing for them, you will be able to siphon some of their audience to your blog.
2: Stop publishing every. Learn to publish when you have something worthwhile to say. Publish only exceptional posts.
3: Stop blogging and start content marketing instead. Think like a content marketer.
4: Always be aware that blogging is not a business. It’s a mechanism to build a good business.
The moment you get rid of your blogger’s mindset, you will see the difference it will make on your blog.
Blog Killer #5: You’re Using an Unsecured Host:
There is something that happened to me when I started blogging in 2011 that I’ve not been telling people about.
Topbloggingcoach.com was not my first blog. In fact, I registered the domain early 2012. My first blog was built in 2011, but it didn’t survive.
I made the mistake of using one of those crappy cheap hosts on the internet not knowing I was shooting myself in the foot.
Barely 3 months after I built the site, it got hacked and all my efforts went down the drain. I couldn’t believe it. I called the guys hosting my site and what I heard was that they were sorry.
“Sorry?”
That’s it? Are you kidding?
To figure out what happened, they scanned their server for threats and restored my blog. I thought all my problems had been solved, not knowing that the worst was yet to come.
After being up only 48 hours after my blog was restored, it got hacked again. It was hacked 4 consecutive times until I later abandoned the domain.
I was really mad. It was as if someone was monitoring me with a magnifying glass somewhere and vowed to see me not have a blog.
Later, I realized that the host I was using was not secured at all. I discovered this because the same thing started affecting their other customers.
Let me tell, nothing hurts more than putting all of your time and effort into something only to have it destroyed.
How to Fix Blog Killer Mistake #5:
However, all these can be avoided from day one and that is by getting a good, secured and reputable web host. It might cost you more but at the end, you will be happy you. This is because it will save you from a lot of trouble… and a lot of security threats.
Use Bluehost or Abivia as your web host. (Wording Well’s aff links)
Or choose a web hosting service based on Lorraine’s research.
Do You Make Mistakes?
It’s ridiculous how these 5 killer mistakes can destroy us and the blogs we spent so much time building.
The funny part is that, most times, we often do not see some of our actions as mistakes until we get hit or experience failure.
No one is immune from making mistakes, but it’s good to be cognizant of these mistakes, especially the most basic ones.
Knowing about them will enable you to bullet-proof yourself against them from Day One.
Want to know one of the secrets of great bloggers? They’re always conscious of these mistakes and they do everything possible to avoid them.
Of course, they know other secrets, too. 😉
There are still so many mistakes bloggers makes on their quest to build a popular blog but, these are the most basic ones, and they can be deadly!
Have Your Say!
I would like you to tell me in the comment section some of the other blogging mistakes you have experienced.
Lorraine and I would also like to help you solve your problems! Please speak up in the comments!
Author Bio
Theodore Nwangene is on a journey to help bloggers and entrepreneurs build a better and profitable blog, increase visibility, and boost their online authority. He also writes insanely helpful guides on blogging and marketing at Top Blogging Coach. Get his free guide “5 Steps to Your First $1000/Month Blog.”
These are some great points, especially not writing in a vacum. There is definitely an art to writing for your target audience. Thanks for the info.
Your audience is EVERYTHING! Always write for them!
You’re welcome.
Hi Lorraine,
Loved reading your post. It’s awesome and I think it covers all the basic mistakes that we made. I have faced so much due to hosting. I have lost so much of my money on hosting. I once bought cheap hosting for my secret site 🙂 and I have to shut down the website because of creepy hosting. That’s why I choose blogger for my new blog. By the way, thanks for sharing this wonderful article.
– Sumair
Sumair,
Sorry to hear about your hosting problems!
Hopefully you will have better luck with your new blog!
P.S. Use the CommentLuv feature to list your latest blog post… do not put links directly into your comment. This is a mistake many new bloggers make in an effort to get “noticed” online BUT it only shows others that you are being “spammy.” So don’t do this!!! (You will make more friends online if you show respect, leave insightful comments, and add value to the post you’re commenting on.)
Thanks for sharing useful insights about blogging.Reading this list is a great reminder for all of us because not only do we see these mistakes every day, but we have all probably made most of them as we learned and developed our skills over time!
Over promoting yourself or your service is natural for most of us. Good quality content only comes from with-in and not from rehashing material you see everywhere
Travis, I agree. Most of us have made at least one of these mistakes at some point!
(By the way, because I am an English teacher, I want to point out that a hyphen is NOT needed in “within” but it IS needed in “over-promoting.”
Thanks for your comment!
Thanks guys for sharing useful insights about blogging.Reading this list is a great reminder for all of us because not only do we see these mistakes every day, but we have all probably made most of them as we learned and developed our skills over time!
Over promoting yourself or your service is natural for most of us. Good quality content only comes from with-in and not from rehashing material you see everywhere.
Vineet, thanks for dropping by and reading this post. I hope you are not making any of these blogging mistakes!
Thanks for sharing..! First of the comment is, the awesome post.
Well, I knew not everyone love to listen other mistakes or own mistakes. However, sometime, mistake is the most amazing thing in life. I did lots of mistakes, and it taught me many less to make thing better. I assumed that I got an brilliant time to listen these above mistakes today.
I agree what wrote here…! Blogging isn’t about sitting and write a post then publish on your blog. You’re tempted to do many kinds of work which help getting more attention from your readers. Sure, they’re the most important asset for your blog, and can decide your failure or success. Therefore, you have to pay attention on those readers.
You know..? I love the last mistake, you shared here. I used to get hacked and lost over 90 post of my blog. I used to careless with my blog security, but now I learnt. The mistake teaches me about that.
Thanks for sharing your story here..
Hi, Kimsea. I am glad you learned from your mistakes!
Thank you for your comment. Your English needs a bit of improving, but I understood everything you said. I’m sure English is not your first language… and so I am impressed that you know more than one!
I hope you find value in the lessons you learned while blogging, and that you are more successful in the future!
Please visit Wording Well again and check out the Resource Kit page. It has a lot of good stuff on it you will like.
Take care!
Hi Theodore and Lorraine
Great to see you at Lorraine’s blog
These mistakes you mentioned are just real. I almost made the first mistake No 1 till I cautioned myself. The cheap hosting is the worst. Though I did not experience such issue but it is a big concern for newbies.
Thanks for sharing and thumbs up Lorraine for inviting Theodore to share his thoughts. Take Care
Hi, Ikechi. Good to see you again. It’s easy to make mistakes as a new blogger if you don’t have good advice!
Thanks to Theodore, we now know some of the worst mistakes bloggers make.
I am glad things have worked out for you!
Hello Ikechi.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful comment. I’m happy to hear that you were able to avoid the first mistake and I’m sure you will able to avoid the other ones.
Thanks for stopping by.
Theodore Nwangene recently posted…Blogging is Dead and Buried: Why You Should Stop Blogging Today (What to Do Instead If Youâre Struggling)
wow dear this is another Great post & you explain main Mistakes in over blog !
i hope this info give me some extra traffic 😀
Thanks dear
Vikash, it’s great to see you over here… instead of just on Facebook. 😉
Thanks for your comment. I am glad you found Theodore’s post useful!
Thanks Vikash,
Glad you like the post.
Theodore Nwangene recently posted…Blogging is Dead and Buried: Why You Should Stop Blogging Today (What to Do Instead If Youâre Struggling)
Hi Lorraine and Theodore; I’m assuming this is a guest post as it says Lorraine and I at the end. 🙂 I liked what you said in number four. Bloggers don’t always realize the value of contributing content to other blogs or doing interviews on podcasts. There have even been some articles lately saying that guest posting is a waste of time. I recently did an interview where the host asked me to sing. I love to sing, and the hosts know this because its in my media kit page. After I sang she clapped and asked if it was okay to crop out the audio of me singing and post it to her youtube channel. Of course I said yes. I told her people aren’t finding my singing on my page but maybe they will find it on yours. But now I know why she asked if it was okay. I can’t believe anyone would, but judging by this post; I guess there are some people who would have said no. It takes a combination of quality content and effective promotion to make a blog truly successful over the long haul. Thanks to both of you for this post. take care, Max
maxwell ivey recently posted…my 2nd book it’s not the cookie it’s the bag is finally here
Max, sorry that I just found this comment. It was in the spam folder on my site. I just finished cleaning out that folder. I had 147 comments in it. LOL
I’m glad I decided to clean it, though. Otherwise, you would’ve stayed there forever or got thrown out in the trash. Geez.
Anyway, I’m glad you are able to find opportunities all over the place! I know you do a lot of guest podcasting, and I think that is really wonderful! Perhaps you should start posting videos of you singing on your own website, too. 😉