7 Blogging mistakes You Should Avoid as a Freelance Writer

“All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes”—Winston Churchill

Nowadays, a lot of people are seen turning to blogging. Some have taken up blogging as a profession, while others have taken up just as a hobby. Those who do not have any interest in blogging believe that blogging is a business for nerds. Well, that’s not true! Blogging has been there for ages. Earlier people used to write personal diaries, but after the emergence of the internet, it has become a profitable business.

When it comes to blogging, the opportunities can be massively exciting. Being able to provide your content and giving people knowledge that you hold within is immensely pleasurable. However, it’s not as simple as it seems. There are a lot of hurdles and roadblocks you need to overcome; not counting with the mistakes you will surely make. 

 Being a newbie, you may not avoid every mistake, but there are common mistakes that every blogger makes during the starting of their blogging profession. They probably didn't know that they were making mistakes. Lucky you that you landed up reading our blog post! If you take care of all these mistakes in advance it will benefit you in improving your Google presence. So, are you ready to take a step ahead on a path of your dream profession? Let’s get started!


Mistake #1: Trying to be perfect

We all are aware of the fact that in this world nobody is perfect. The same holds true for  your blog posts. No matter how much effort you put in writing a single post, it will always lack something. Your posts will be published on the internet, and there will be millions of users who would probably read your post. Every reader will have their own opinion on your posts. Therefore, it is better to avoid thinking too much about readers and concentrate on your writing. Over time, you will get to learn a lot of new things to improve your posts. But, by saying this, we don’t mean to compromise on the quality of the content. Here we are only asking you to write the best content with proper planning and by following basic guidelines.

Mistake #2: Forgetting your reader’s persona

Another common mistake that most bloggers make in the initial years of their blogging career is that they don’t create readers' persona. They think that they know their audience well, and creating readers' persona is simply useless. Well, that’s not true! Before writing every blog, it is important to spend a few minutes in understanding who all will read that particular blog. You can also have a discussion with your friends and family who you think fits as your blog reader. This exercise will give you clarity on the type of topic to choose and the information to include in your post.


Mistake #3: Copying content of others

Did you know that in countries like the USA, copying content is a punishable act? Also, many of the bloggers are unaware of the fact that Google bots are highly alert. If they find any plagiarism in your content, they can penalize your blog and rank it down in the organic search listings. We are sure that you don’t want to get caught in such a situation. You can obviously take inspiration from other writers, but copying the whole content, including images, is not the right practice to follow. Just like your logo, your content should be original. In blogging, sometimes to support the content, it becomes necessary to mention the content that is already published, such as facts, statistics, etc. In such cases, quote the original author, mention the source, and give credit for their idea.

Mistake #4: Not building an email list

If you are a serious blogger then you must understand the importance of building an audience. You may succeed in attracting readers for the first time, but to retain them, you need to update them about new content on your blog. And for that, nothing is better than emails. Email marketing can be one of the most powerful tools for every blogger. It is not only a way to communicate with the audience but also helps businesses in generating more leads. So if you have not started building an email list, start doing it today! Doing this will also help you spared with the stress that may cause due to change in Google’s algorithm! When Google’s first Penguin algorithm got updated, a lot of bloggers lost more than 70% of their blog traffic. If they would have been sending out emails, they could have repossessed at least half of their traffic to their blog.

Tip: While sending subscribers your new posts, don’t miss out on the opportunity to increase your brand awareness. Create an email signature by using the ‘Email Signature Generator’ tool.

Mistake #5:  Think about making money only

Most people think that earning money through a blog is very easy. In fact, a lot of them choose this profession intending to earn money only. They don’t care about the writing style, quality of content, and target audience. They casually choose their blog topics and write them without putting much effort. If you also think this way, then let us tell you that this approach will not take you anywhere. Sooner or later, you may end up losing your readers. Here we are not asking you to stop thinking about money. After all, every person wants to earn profits from their business or profession. But thinking only about money is not the right practice to follow. Don’t hit a lot of AdSense advertisements on your blog after a few months of your blogging. First, build your audience and authority, and then focus on monetizing your website by promoting products.


Mistake #6: Not maintaining consistency

Many bloggers start blogging with a lot of passion, but with time, they become inconsistent. They stop posting their blogs regularly and interacting with their audience. For every blogger, maintaining consistency is very important. If, for instance, you are publishing your blogs thrice a week, then stick to it. The lack of consistency not only confuses your readers but also lose their interest. This may end up losing your hard-earned audience. To maintain consistency, you need to start making a habit of maintaining a monthly calendar. Keep a backup of at least two blogs so that in case of any emergency, you can use them. This will save you from being inconsistent.

Mistake #7: Poor quality design and layouts

There are a lot of other bloggers who will be targeting the same audience and writing content on the same topics as you. So how will you attract an audience to your blog page? Through design! Design is the face of the blog. If the graphics of your blog will be impressive, people will click on your blog, and if they find layout more impressive, then they may spend some time in your blog, even if they don’t come under your target audience. Want to create high-quality designs for your blog? Designhill is your one-stop solution for all your graphic design needs.

Conclusion: 

It takes time to create and build a successful blog. When you are blogging, you will make mistakes. As rightly said, ‘every expert once was an amateur.’ There is nothing wrong in making mistakes. But the problem arises when you don’t consider your mistakes as a ‘mistake.’  So if you are making any one or all of the above-mentioned mistakes, accept them, and improve them. It will eventually help you in generating more leads. Good luck!