Blogging is a tool that is used by entrepreneurs around the world to build an online presence. Blog posts are normally written about topics that center on a specific industry. They address a single pain point that the target audience might be experiencing and help to solve it. Businesses that make blogging a priority have a much higher chance of seeing a positive ROI. Web traffic is mostly driven organically so we need content and we need a lot of it. Most entrepreneurs have come to this realization so they become more proactive in this regard. But the problem is that there are some mistakes that have become all-too-common for those starting out with their blog.
This post is going to explore some of the most common blogging mistakes beginners make when they start.
Top Blogging Mistakes #1: Writing About Topics that Only Interest You
This is an okay strategy (still not great) for personal blogs since their likes are more likely to align with their audience, but for businesses this can quickly become a disaster. You are not the target audience for your blog so you need to stop acting like it.
When we are keeping up with a blog, ideas are going to pop into our heads at the most random times. However, just because it seems like a good idea to you doesn’t mean that your target market will find value in it. This is why top companies invest time and money into SEO research.
How to Fix It
Every blog post should be aligned with the overall growth of your business. Your biggest benefit to blogging is that it solves problems for your target audience. In return for solving those problems, your business gets sustainable growth. What’s so cool about blogging in business is you’ll find that the topics customers are searching for the most will usually align with your growth goals. Each blog post should answer a specific question.
Top Blogging Mistakes #2: Unfocused Topics
Each blog post should dive deep into a specific category and address one specific pain point. Using titles like “Best Business Practices” is not exactly going to address a specific question. It’s just impossible to address this broad of a topic in a single blog post. This sort of topic would need an entire book devoted to it.
Specific topics will attract a targeted audience which is much healthier for a business’s website. Targeted leads are much more likely to convert into customers. Unfocused and broad topics are going to cause a blog to struggle.
How to Fix It
Do your homework. Research your industry to find keyword phrases that are being searched. Develop topics around those keywords. Make sure every blog post is focused on answering one very specific question.
Top Blogging Mistakes #3: Don’t Back Up Statements
If you make a claim in your post, then you must back it up with data. Include a link to a study or other trusted source to back up your statement. When you root an argument with valid data, it becomes much more compelling. We must be able to get people to take action and data-driven content is going to pull more people in.
How to Fix It
Use data to support any arguments you make. Blog posts must be written in a way that solves one of your reader’s pain points and any arguments that are made must be backed up with data. I recommend that you lead with some valid data-backed point in order to hook readers into reading the rest of your post.
Final Thoughts
Most bloggers have made these mistakes on multiple occasions. I’m not saying that you need to go back and rewrite all of your blog posts to remove them. Just keep these tips in mind moving forward. Avoiding these blogging mistakes will improve your blog and you’ll reap the benefits. These tips will fuel your path to success to ensure that your time and effort are not being wasted.