Are You Making These 5 Blogging Mistakes? (and how to fix them)

For anyone who thinks blogging is easy, I challenge you to think again! Blogging mistakes are easy to make, especially as a beginner. I’m here to give to you the lowdown on what these mistakes might be and how you can fix them. Confession: I've made all of these mistakes!

I've been writing blogs for a couple of years now. And I can honestly say that, while I love doing it, it takes a lot of work. I’m fairly certain I learn something new every day in the world of blogging. My first article, published a couple of years ago, was written much differently than my blogs today. And, I’m okay with that. I’m all about personal growth!

The good news about these blogging mistakes is that they can be easily fixed. So, let’s get to it!

5 Blogging Mistakes to Fix Immediately

Blogs are meant to be read, am I right? However, there’s a high chance readers aren’t going to get very far with your articles if you’re making these blogging mistakes.

Blogging Mistake 1: You aren’t speaking to your intended audience.

Who is your audience? If you don’t know, I encourage you to change that. The problem with not identifying your intended audience is that you may end up speaking to anyone who will listen. If you’re doing this, it may not feel personal. We want our audience to feel like we're really speaking to them. This allows them to feel connected and have a reason to stick around to hear more.

The Solution

Think about what you’re selling and who it would benefit. Maybe it’s millennials traveling on a budget. Maybe it’s entrepreneurs looking to market their business. Maybe it’s women who can splurge on clean skincare. Knowing this will allow you to specifically speak to that person and allow a better chance of building a trusting relationship.

Blogging Mistake 2: You’re not sticking to the topic.

When a reader lands on your blog, they’ve probably just searched for a phrase such as ‘best place to travel in 2021.’ However, if your article ends up being about how to pack for a vacation, they’re probably going to bounce. Pro tip: Bloggers don’t want high bounce rates.

The Solution

Stay on topic. Sounds simple, but it’s harder than you think! Choose your keyword phrase (again, one that’s on topic) and stick to it. My favorite keyword research tool is Keysearch (code KSDISC for 20% off).

Feel free to even use more than one related keyword. For example: ‘best place to travel on a budget’ and ‘things to do on a vacation’ can go together if you’re talking about things to do in this destination.

Helpful hint: Use headings so that the reader knows the topic of each section.

Blogging Mistake 3: You don’t have enough photos.

This is one of the most common blogging mistakes I see. Images belong in blog posts for several reasons. They grab attention, break up the text, and help with search engine optimization.

The Solution

You might already know what I’m going to say. If you guessed add photos, you're right!

Place a few images throughout your article. We know how short attention spans can be and how visual people are. Photos help tremendously with this.

Unsplash is my favorite resource for accessing tons of great, free-to-use images. You can also use Canva to create your own graphics. For example, you might be writing an article about natural skincare and use Canva to create an infographic about one of your products.

Blogging Mistake 4: You don’t have a call to action.

I help business owners with their website content and copy so this is for you. If you've got a blog, your goal is probably to educate, increase traffic to your site, and generate leads. Does that sound right? Maybe you sell a product or service and would love to make more sales. If you're here, you're off to a great start! 

Of course, this tip can be used by any blogger. Your specific call to action will depend on your goal.

The Solution

Give your reader a step (or steps) to follow. Include a call to action like ‘read more about xyz here’ or ‘buy your xyz today.’ It can even be something as simple as, ‘comment with your thoughts below’ to increase engagement.

An example of a call to action: Want to know how to make your blog stand out? Check out this complete guide.

Blogging Mistake 5: You’re not editing and proofreading.

Please, please, please edit and proofread your content. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect and mistakes happen. In fact, our audience actually likes to see that we’re human. However, let’s try to at least avoid the mistake of incorrect grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

The Solution

For me, the key to good editing and proofreading is doing it later. What I mean by this is don’t immediately switch from writing to editing mode. Get your content down, then step away. When you come back to edit, your brain is refreshed and ready to switch gears. 

I highly recommend using Grammarly Premium. While there’s a small monthly fee to use this, it helps SO much. And after using it several times, you naturally begin to write better.

After you edit, you should always proofread for yourself because Grammarly suggestions aren’t always right for the point you’re trying to make. Reading aloud can be a huge help in catching errors, too!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, each of these blogging mistakes has a pretty straightforward solution. An even simpler fix: hire a blog professional to do the work for you. I’d love to work with you!

Which solution do you find the most helpful? Feel free to share in the comments below.