Avoid This 10 Mistakes Which New Bloggers Usually Make

on April 16, 2013

There’s much more to starting a blog than meets the average beginner’s eye.
It takes a bit of sweat, and sometimes multiple revisions, to create great posts like those on your favorite
blogs.

Publishing quality content your readers will find valuable is key.
But, there are some serious blunders beginners tend to make that decrease the quality of their blogs. I’m here
to help you steer clear of them. Here are the top ten mistakes beginner bloggers make, and how to avoid
them.

#1 Not Being Original

Some beginner bloggers just don’t understand the importance of originality.
Many have been known to fill their blogs with harvested news stories from all over the net.
This may bring you a handful of readers. But, most people interested in these stories have already read them
on more popular news sites.
If your goal is to report on important daily news topics, don’t just pull others’ feeds. Make your posts unique
by adding your own personal opinion  to them:
• Give your readers your personal opinion on the topic.
•Provide them with your own personal conclusions.
• Ask interesting questions that will encourage readers to leave comments.

#2 Practicing Plagiarism

“Borrowing” content is the same thing as “stealing” content.
Plagiarism is frowned upon among readers, who will eventually notice your duplicated content. You’ll also be
penalized, harshly, by Google and other search engines for publishing duplicate content.
Must Read:  Free Plagiarism Checker
Think about it. How would you feel if someone passed off an article you spent hours writing as their own
unique creation? And, to top it all off, it’s actually illegal. If, for any reason, you decide to include another
blogger’s content in a post, be sure to inform your readers of your source. This is not only the law; it’s simple,
common courtesy.
If you don’t do so, you can get in some serious trouble!

#3 Making Your Layout the #1 Priority

It’s surprising how many beginner bloggers put off publishing their blog simply because they don’t like the
layout.
Believe it or not, it’s just not that serious. Your layout is not what brings traffic to your blog.
Quality content is the key to attracting quality traffic that will last. Just start blogging.
You’ll find that your readers are visiting your blog for the content, not it’s look.
Worry about the look of your blog later.
You could be building an audience today.

#4 Not Adding Visuals

Visuals, such as videos, photos, images, cartoons and infographics, catch readers’ eyes immediately.
Many will check out the visuals before even reading the post. Add some sparkle to your posts.
This will help to capture your audience’s attention.

#5 Not Giving Blog Titles Much Thought

The title of your post is what is shown in search engine results.
In order to get searchers to click on the link, the title needs to be relevant and pique their interests.
Put a little thought into the titles of your posts.
Make sure that they’re fascinating enough to draw in readers. Also, make sure they include important,
relevant keywords, for SEO purposes.

#6 Not Encouraging Readers to Comment

Blogging experts say that no matter how many readers you have, 99% won’t interact with you unless they’re
encouraged to do so.
Don’t just turn on commenting. Actually take the time to ask your readers to leave comments.
One effective way to do this is by ending you post with a good question.
Many readers will be more inspired to leave comments when they’re asked a direct question.

#7 Not Spreading the Word Yourself

This is your blog.
No one cares more about it’s success than you do. So, it’s up to you to get the word out about your blog and
it’s content.
Use the various social media networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Digg, etc… to spread the
word about each new post you publish.

#8 Not Allowing Guest Posts

Top ranking blogs are filled with content.
Therefore, many of these savvy bloggers simply don’t have a need for guest blog posts.
However, it takes time for new blogs to gain recognition for their content. These blogs may still have
very low search engine rankings. But this can change fairly quickly with the use of guest posts.
As long as the posts are relevant and interesting, your audience will appreciate them.

#9 Not Showing Your Readers Appreciation

Readers like to feel appreciated.
Here are some tips for giving back to them and showing how much you appreciate their loyalty:
•    Respond to every comment promptly.
•    If your readers leave a link to their site, visit it. Leave them a supportive comment and, if possible, link
back to your blog.
•    Encourage on-site interaction with featured readers, surveys, competitions, quizzes, etc…

#10 Not Blogging Consistently

If visitors land on your blog post and really like it, you may just have gained some new, loyal readers.
More than likely, they’ll bookmark your blog, register as users for post updates or add it to their RSS feeds.
However, if every time they return to your blog, there’s nothing new there, you’ll quickly lose this audience.
It’s not necessary to blog every single day. However, having a consistent blogging schedule is very beneficial.
In time, your loyal readers will learn your schedule and know just when to visit your blog.