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Although blogs are rated as the 5th most reliable source for getting information online, the majority of blogs fail.
A lot of people are daunted by the thought of setting up a blog, but it really isn’t difficult to get a blog running. If you are dedicated to your blog and have a smart plan, you can start a blog and make substantial passive income. There are no risks involved, and the rewards are amazing.
The profit margin can be tremendous, and people have accomplished so much from blogging alone. But before dashing off to set up your own blog, here are some mistakes you must avoid.
1. Lacking an objective
No doubt, this is the most important one, as the main idea of blogging is to address your audience with a target. For instance, if your blogging is meant to help job seekers secure a position, then everything on your blog must be associated with that subject.
If you suddenly decide to post pictures of cupcakes or fast cars, your readers will ditch your blog quicker than those fast cars.
Before you begin, identify a niche that you are passionate and knowledgeable about. After that, ensure that every blog post is related to that niche topic. It is important to establish the goal of your blog before setting up a website.
2. Thinking that blogging is easy
Many people have the wrong notion that blogging is easy, (quite like people who believe the same about writing), but if your idea of easy is spending more than 30 hours a week on your website, then you are correct, blogging is easy.
Blogging involves consistent effort on your part, from creating high-quality content to following through with the marketing of that content. This can be very demanding. More significantly, blogging is growing at an astonishing rate, so the standards are high for new bloggers. There are over two million blog posts published daily. So, to stand out, you must post unique content regularly, at least 3-4 times a week.
3. Letting income decide your niche
Blogging can be very demanding, sometimes as much as having a regular job, so before you start, make sure you choose something you are extremely passionate about.
If you aren’t a good cook or know nothing about pastries, don’t bother writing about exotic recipes, thinking it might earn you a significant income. Same with fitness; don’t blog about bench pressing or cardio exercise if you aren’t a fitness instructor.
Every niche is lucrative, as long as you know how to monetise it. If you decide to write about things you don’t enjoy, you will tire yourself out soon enough, and your blog will fail.
Select your niche wisely. If you love bird watching, start a bird watcher’s blog that educates people on different birds in a particular area.
4. Not having your own domain
This is one of the most common mistakes many bloggers make. To have a successful blog, you must own your domain and host with a good hosting platform with excellent technical support, zero downtime and modern web building tools that guarantee a more friendly and responsive user experience. Bluehost and www.umbrellar.com are some of the best bets out there.
Every day, people set up blogs without their domain. Your domain is simply the name of your website. If your blog domain looks like this:
- www.websitename.wordpress.com
- www.websitename.blogger.com
- Or on Tumblr
You are merely letting your readers know that your site is not professional. Many bloggers have been successful without their own domain name, but why risk the chance?
Make sure you register your blog’s domain name in a custom manner. There are a number of registrars who offer this service for a token fee. Eventually, the rewards outweigh the cost.
5. No promotion efforts
High-quality content is very important, but if your audience doesn’t know where to find it, or that it exists, it’s useless. When you put all that effort into a carefully researched piece and enhance it with quality graphics, don’t stop there! Otherwise, you may be writing it for yourself.
Blogging is 30 percent creating content, and 70 percent promoting it. Put some effort into marketing your content for potential readers to see and visit your website. Some effective ways to promote your content include SEO, guest posting on more popular sites (and redirecting readers to yours) and engaging social media networks. There are various online tools that have been developed for this purpose.
6. Thinking you will cash in immediately
This sort of mindset can leave you disappointed if you don’t curb it. While there are blogs that make up to £50,000 per month, you should know that it takes a considerable amount of time, effort and (sometimes) money to build that sort of credibility and authority. For some, it may take a long as five years of committed hard work.
Take Becky Wiggins, for example. She started blogging 10 years ago after her husband got a job in Ireland. For her, blogging was just a way to keep in touch with family and friends without contacting them individually. Today, her blog is an award-winning food, travel, and lifestyle national sensation. What started as a simple means of communication developed over time into a valuable commodity.
Don’t expect too much immediately from your blog. Give it some time to grow.
7. Being an inconsistent blogger
To be a successful blogger, you must have a clear and consistent schedule. You shouldn’t write blog posts when you are “in the mood”. It is a job, and you should see it as one. If you don’t, it will ultimately fail.
Reports have shown that consistently updating your blog with new content can drive up traffic by double digits. People love fresh content, and if your blog is stale each time they visit, they will stop coming back and seek alternatives elsewhere.
You could decide to write at least a specific number of posts weekly (ideally 3 – 4 posts), and make sure you stick to it, or you could go a step further to adopt an online editorial calendar and commit to your own schedule.
Blogging is an excellent way to generate passive income. If you set your goals right, stay dedicated and promote quality content regularly, your blog will become lucrative and sustainable.