Sometimes, when I tell people that I blog for a living, they roll their eyes. "That's so easy," they say. "You get a paycheck for sitting on the internet all day and writing. A monkey could do your job!"
That's when I roll my eyes. See, people are quick to deem blogging as a no-brainer job. But when they actually sit down to write their first couple of posts, it hits them: This is way harder than I thought. Like any person starting a new job, they mess things up.
Anyone can start a blog, but many will never give blogging the attention that it needs to be a successful part of a business.
A hobby blog is one thing, but when you want to grow or monetize your blog, there are several things you need to focus on. Namely, you need to identify the goal of the blog, know your target audience and what moves them, build a blog site that is easy to navigate, and choose a writing style that resonates with your audience.
Fear that you’re missing some of these elements? It’s okay! We’re here to help you and your blog become a success. Let’s delve into some common blogging mistakes and the solutions that will help your blog move up the ranks.
- Create blog posts that serve your larger company goals.
- Identify what resonates with your audience.
- Write like you talk.
- Show your personality; don't tell it.
- Make your point again and again.
- Start with a very specific working title.
- Specific posts should still tie into the bigger picture.
- Use a specific post type, create an outline, and use headers.
- Give your audience something to walk away with.
- Use data and research to back up the claims you make in your posts.
- Use examples to back up why what you're saying is important.
- When drawing from others' ideas, cite them.
- Take 30 minutes to edit your post.
- At a certain point, just publish it.
- Blog consistently with the help of an editorial calendar.
- Focus on the long-term benefits of organic traffic.
- Add a subscription CTA to your blog and set up an email newsletter.
- Refresh old content while writing new content.
- Vary the mediums where you share your content.
- Promote your content.