8 Blogging Fails (and how to fix them)

Even if you’ve been blogging for a long time, you can fall victim to blogging mistakes, AKA blogging fails. These fails are insignificant when they happen once or twice, but can cause your blog to completely fall apart in the long run if you keep making them. That’s why we’re discussing 8 blogging fails and how to fix them today. You’ll see clearly the mistakes that you’ve been making and the ones to watch out for. When you’ve got a list of dos and don’ts, you’ll know the steps to take to keep your blog thriving month after month. So…gather ’round, grab your typewriter and start taking notes! (Just kidding on that typewriter part.)

8 Blogging Fails (and how to fix them)

Your blog isn’t integrated with your website.

If your blog is separate from your company’s main website, fix it now. This issue hurts your branding, your SEO, your centralization. Make it easy on your loyal readers and keep your company blog connected to your company’s main site.

You publish too much product-centric content.

If your blog is too much about you–your products, services, achievements, etc.–you’re detracting from your readership that comes to a blog for an education (which are most readers). Instead, blog about thought-provoking, educational, leadership-driven content. You’ll turn your corporate blog into a valuable resource for your industry.

You publish your blog infrequently and inconsistently.

You benefit the most from blogging when you do it frequently and consistently. Studies show that businesses blogging 20x per month generate over 5x more traffic than those who blog fewer than 4x per month.

You publish off-topic content.

Give your blog a theme and stay organized. Write with a defined purpose and focus. Determine your focus by asking “What are you trying to accomplish in your blog?”

You offer no content variety.

Don’t bore your readers. Make your content a little different each time. Try switching it up with a video, infographic, guest blog, Q and A, book review…the list goes on. As they say, “Variety is the spice of life.”

You don’t offer opportunities for engagement.

Allow your readers to engage with you! Comments are your #1 tool for engaging with your readers. Keep the comments open, ask questions, listen to the feedback and make sure to reply to the majority of comments. Make your blogging a conversation, not a monologue.

You don’t optimize for SEO.

It’s hard to attract readers if you don’t have the cooperation of Google and other search engines. We’ll spend a lot more time talking about SEO in future posts, so check back. If you want a quick fix, though, here’s a good resource.

You don’t promote your corporate blog on social media.

You can increase your readership and subscriber based simply by promoting your blog on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Why not do it? Betcha can’t come up with a good answer.

We’ve found these to be the top reasons why blogging fails. If you watch out for these mistakes, you’re sure to be happily blogging for a long, long time. And your readership will grow because of it.