Blogging has boomed in recent years and more and more companies are incorporating blogs into their websites. Whether you’re a beginner, a blogger who wants more traffic or a company that’s thinking about starting a blog, it’s easy to stumble on a few common mistakes. Here are a few tips on how to avoid them.
1. Your title is too weak
The body of a post is important, but it’s the title that determines whether viewers want to read it. Some titles can be long-winded, boring and unappealing, so your aim is to grab the reader’s attention, to entice them into clicking on your post. Collate a few significant words relating to your article’s subject and include them in your title, clearly and concisely. This also helps with your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) efforts too as the keywords used will help people find your post.
2. Not dedicating enough editing time
You’ve just finished your post and you think, ‘done’. Wrong. A common mistake is not dedicating enough time to editing your piece, or not doing it at all! However experienced you are, everyone needs to edit their writing. You want your posts to be high standard. The quality of your posts will determine whether your readers will return to your blog, so take the time to thoroughly edit your posts. Check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and polish your writing!
3. Posting inconsistently
Are you providing enough content for your readers? Look at your target audience and the industry your blog focuses on and apply this to how many posts to schedule per week or month. Think about what your audience want from your blog and equally what you want too.
4. Post topics are too broad
When writing a new post, try and refine your topic ideas. Choose something specific that will attract peoples’ attention and make them want to read your post. Your readers will appreciate a more concise, honed post rather than one that’s trying to cover too much.
5. Lack of style or tone
Before you start writing, recognise whom you’re representing and how you want to interact with your audience. If you’re blogging for your company, look at your brand and how you want to come across to your customers. Do you want to be informative and serious, or light-hearted and casual? It’s crucial to think about elements such as tone and writing style before you start. Know your target audience and understand their expectations. It’s important that your personality comes through in all of your posts, keeping consistent all the way through and engaging with your reader.
6. Leaving your posts
So, you’ve finished writing your post, you’ve thoroughly edited, and you’ve posted it. For some, they leave their post at that. After you’ve published your post, use your social media platforms to get it out to followers and readers.
If you’re posting often, you may prefer to use social media managing tools such as Sprout Social or Hootsuite. Follow other bloggers in your industry and relative accounts to boost your readership. As well as this, use relevant hashtags and get involved with the blogging community. Social media is crucial for bloggers, so learn to incorporate that into your blog. As soon as you post, let everybody know about it!
