Do You Make These 5 Costly Blogging Mistakes When You Blog?
Posted by Igor Kheifets in Guests Posts, blogging tips, tags: blogging mistakes, costly blogging mistakes, mistakes when you blogThis is a guest post by Igor Kheifets the 21 year old genius behind the Daily Internet Marketing Tips For Online Entrepreneurs
Similar to cooking, blogging is a skill.
If you’re cooking your blog without any specific recipe for reference, chances are that you’re going to ruin everyone’s dinner.
A successful blog is like a Christmas dinner. It’s crowded, loud and some of the participants had way too much vodka. And although sometimes it gets out of hand-a successful blog is a huge family where everyone’s a part of the wonderful experience.
Your blog, as your cooking, needs to be focused around your readers more then about you.
Costly Blogging Mistake #1: Not Having a Voice
Neutral is boring, it has no value. State your opinion freely and with great confidence-people will follow.
Bloggers who fail to develop a voice fail to develop a connection with their audience.
Don’t try to please everyone-it kills trust. People can sense that you’re being a hypocrite and they’ll hate you for it.
Costly Blogging Mistake #2: Serving Fast Food Content
I used to believe that it doesn’t matter what I write, as long as I am updating my blog every day-I’ll get hits. I can’t tell you how wrong I was.
I learned the hard way that serving fast food content can hurt you more then bad SEO-it kills readership and dumps commenting frequency like no other.
Your readers should benefit from reading your blogs. Your content should make them better, stronger and make them crave for more of the same.
Best example of Fast Food Content are educational posts with big promise in the headline that fail to deliver on their promise. Not only it is frustrating as hell for your reader to waste his time only to discover the false promise, but also the feeling of betrayal which takes it’s toll eventually and the reader leaves for good.
Costly Blogging Mistake #3: Ad SPAM
Advertising may be a great way to monetize your blog but you need to be very careful to not over do it. There’s a thin line between healthy advertising and ad spamming and you might be standing on it without realizing.
During my early blogging days I noticed one thing: whenever I placed a new banner ad on my website my bounce rates got higher. A badly written product review had the same effect.
People hate advertising-it’s annoying. And I totally agree with that, but advertising is the engine that keeps the blogging industry running. As bloggers, we need to keep that in mind and stay in the healthy advertising zone or else…
Costly Blogging Mistake #4: Looking At Your Blog Through Your Own Eyes
If I were to hold a coin in front of you, you’d see only one side of the coin and I’d be staring at the other side of the same coin, right?
Different people see same things different and as a blogger you need to realize that and continuously adjust your blogging accordingly.
Costly Blogging Mistake #5: Not Engaging With Your Audience
Your blog readers are like kids-they crave attention, they want to get noticed. Not engaging with your audience shows them that you don’t care whether they are here or not and most of them will leave.
Show your readers that you care and that you want them there and they will keep coming back and keep commenting on your posts, expressing their opinion and by doing so they will encourage others to do the same.
At the end of the day a blog without comments is a dead blog no matter how much traffic it gets.
To better understand what makes your readers happy, use Google Analytics, Crazy Egg and other similar tracking software. By testing different elements you will discover what your audience loves. And when you do-flood them with the stuff they’re crazy about and they’ll love you for it!
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Do You Make These 5 Costly Blogging Mistakes When You Blog?…
A successful blog is like a Christmas dinner. It’s crowded, loud and some of the participants had way too much vodka. And although sometimes it gets out of hand-a successful blog is a huge family where everyone’s a part of the wonderful experience….
Twitter: knewthis
(38 comments) says:
Great points Igor. I especially relate to the first point. Having a voice helps so much. Let’s say you have a website about Mac – there are fanboys as well as those who hate it. So when I glorify the product, people who love Mac will love what I have written and possibly give me backlinks. If I am extremely critical, people are going to bash me up in the comments…but they will keep coming back to just keep bashing my points, which is in a way a good thing..
Anand Srinivasan´s last blog ..Be A Part Of The Bloggies Network
[Reply]
Twitter: Ileane
(68 comments) says:
Hi Igor,
Having a voice gives your blog personality and I certainly agree about the importance of engagement. I have a question, how often do you post to your blog? I’m wondering what you think is good from the readers point of view.
Thanks for sharing these ideas.
Ileane´s last blog ..Top 5 Blog Topics
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
Ileane,
I try to post a blog every day, If I can’t, I try to post at least once
in 2 days. Fresh content is what keep the blog alive, bringing back visitors
and notifying the search engines that the website should be crawled.
As for readers, If you post good content, they will only love coming
back every day to read more and to gain more value (in any form).
So, as long as you’re giving good stuff to your audience, you can post once a day
without hesitation.
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Best List Building Training You Can Find For Ten Bucks | Accelerated List Building Review
[Reply]
Don Power
Twitter: donpower
(1 comments) Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I started my blog very recently after months of research. Although I didn’t really have a niche or a specialty, I forced myself to launch it before I changed my mind and put it on a shelf before it even began!
Now, I’m finding that I enjoy blogging about blogging and I’m about to change the focus of my blog so that it becomes about highlighting and promoting other like minded bloggers.
So, I guess I’m finding my voice (plus it’s giving me confidence to start up another, more niche focused blog in the New Year…)
Thanks!
A couple of shoutouts:
1. I found this blog via your intersting post title in blog engage.
2. Ilene – I’m starting to see you around many of the places I’m visiting – that’s a good sign! I also wanted to compliemt you on your speakig voice on your videos – it reminds me of the professional readers you hear on kids’ reading programs on TV, like Reading Rainbow for example. Have you ever done voiceover work? Might be worth checking out
Cheers!
@donpower
Don Power´s last blog ..Do you REALLY know what it means to be SINCERE?
[Reply]
Dennis Edell (98 comments) Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
This may seem like to simple an answer, but the fact remains; the best way to gauge how your readers feel about something…..ask them.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..The Final “Official” Post For DSWM!
[Reply]
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) says:
Hey Anand,
great example. I’d be the one to praise a Mac although I never
really owned one.
Thanks for commenting,
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Best List Building Training You Can Find For Ten Bucks | Accelerated List Building Review
[Reply]
Twitter: israelimom
(5 comments) says:
You make good points and I loved your metaphor. One thing though, peach-vanilla tea?!?!?!
Anne @ b6s.net´s last blog ..How to Recognize Comment Spam
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:13 am
Yep, Peach-Vannilla.
Tasty as hell and I am an addict!
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Best List Building Training You Can Find For Ten Bucks | Accelerated List Building Review
[Reply]
Try using a web analytics provider such as clicktale. This will show you actual videos of your visitors journey through your blog. You can see where they are scrollling, clicking and parts where they simply dont look at. try the free version to see if you like it.
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:43 am
Sam, I used Clicktale and CrazyEgg,
and If I were to choose-I’d go with the CrazyEgg.
It’s only $9/month and you don’t really
need a video, all you need to know is where the mouse
cursor clicks.
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Best List Building Training You Can Find For Ten Bucks | Accelerated List Building Review
[Reply]
Twitter: ShotOfCoffee
(63 comments) says:
Really great advice! However, I think posting daily is important, but of course it has to be quality posts. Posting daily has helped my blog quickly rise thru the ranks and kept me focused on the blog everyday. Posing every day, makes me treat it like a business. Maybe daily is extreme, but I think updates need to be often and set in stone and not just for traffic reasons.
Mike´s last blog ..N.O. Brew Review
[Reply]
Twitter: element321
(15 comments) says:
Such great advice. As a new blogger, I will take any advice I can get. As for you blogging tips. I find that try and add content everyday. If I can’t find anything useful to blog about, I deal with it. If I end up writing more than 1 or 2 posts a day, I schedule for the future.
I always engage with my visitors when I can. As for adds, I try to limit the adds to small amount and keep them off to side or between posts. But as for the new site, I will add ads in a month or 2.
element321´s last blog ..Daily Delicious Posts Dec 21th 2009
[Reply]
Twitter: SoftwareCritics
(3 comments) says:
Having a niche blog is definitely challenging because not all readers can relate to a post especially for tech blogs so variation in topics is important however swaying from the blog’s main theme is another aspect to look upon.
Not all my blog posts have comments because for software/tech blogs, you can’t always expect people to leave a comment mainly because people leave a comment based on experience of which they have something to say or share but that doesn’t mean not having a comment on a post is a failure.
Mathdelane @Software Critics´s last blog ..Blogging Mafia: Do They Really Exist?
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:46 am
One of the criteria by which your visitors judge your blog
is by looking how many comments your posts get.
If you don’t get comments at all-it means that your blog
is probably not worth the time, because no one considered
it important enough to leave a comment.
So, in the blogging industry-commenting matters big time!
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Best List Building Training You Can Find For Ten Bucks | Accelerated List Building Review
[Reply]
Mathdelane from Software Critics
Twitter: SoftwareCritics
(3 comments) Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
@Igor That’s was nicely thought of you, I guess it’s a shame that you’re not Problogger and I’ve never asked your opinion before I even posted my comment on this post. It’s just bad that I’ve never thought about you being an A-lister.
I simply thought that someone who may not have past the level of maturity and credibility normally challenges another fellows notion in a very relentless know-it-all manner.
Well, I wouldn’t get past pagerank 4 if nobody links to my content and because I close comments are after 90days, older posts that have a lot of visits for almost a year doesn’t get additional comments. It’s such a shameful misunderstanding of a blogger depicted at this time of age so high school-ish with lack of intellectual judgment.
I wonder how many bloggers think feebly. I’d rather close my comments than having a commenter pollute my blog with his linkbait. (dofollow blogger here.)
I came here to leave my stand (not to get a link) and if somebody doesn’t like my stance then that person should get going with his life and get his piece of Guru s**t expertise on his own blog, rant all day, and proclaim his greatness to the blogosphere while he can because I’m not buying it.
Mathdelane @Software Critics´s last blog ..Blogging Mafia: Do They Really Exist?
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I don’t really understand what’s going on here,
maybe I am just not mature enough, however, if
I offended you in some way, I’m sorry.
This being said, I am off to celebrate my
wedding anniversary.
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Weekly Friday Roundup 25.12.09
Twitter: dragonblogger
(36 comments) says:
These are all excellent points, unless you are a personal blogger whose blog is your online diary and the “point” of the blog is to post every rant, thought or opinion going through your mind, it is better to have quality posts once every two or three days, than just trying to get one post per day or more out there.
Of course there are some exceptions, like if you report on breaking news and other such things, you can sometimes get away with a summarized post linking back to the original article and still provide some benefit to readers.
I agree with many of these points, and want to point out that comments don’t necessarily indicate a blog posts success too. I have had posts with 100 views and 30 comments, and other posts with thousands of views and only 5 comments. Some people just don’t comment because some articles don’t “invite a comment” or beget one.
Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..Can You Quit Your Day Job to Blog?
[Reply]
Twitter: JayceOoi
(4 comments) says:
Agree with point 2. No use to post everyday with rubbish posts. Better write 1 quality post every week.
Jayce´s last blog ..How to hack Facebook account profile
[Reply]
Twitter: elmot
(2 comments) says:
I must admit that sometimes I am guilty of making a fast-good content especially with my seo blog.
But I still try to maintain two other blogs where I am trying my best not to fall trap on these 5 blogging mistakes.
elmot´s last blog ..Sen. Bong Revilla Jr. in Good Shape for a Re-election
[Reply]
Twitter: moonheart
(45 comments) says:
Hi Igor you have elaborate some nice point here regarding on blogging mistake. I have seen some blog that has no any comment, so I think those blogs do not care about their visitors. The importnat things is that we should always take care of our visitors, we should know what our visitors want from our blog.
chandan@work at home´s last blog ..Work at home | Freelancing PDF converting job
[Reply]
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) says:
So far this post generated 15 comments, it means
that you guys had to say something which means it was of
interest to you all.
This only proves that comments are important and that
the conversation between you and your audience is important.
Those who still believe that comments do not mean anything to blog’s
success remind me of those parents who say to their fat kids that they
are slightly overweight.
If your blog doesn’t get comments, admit it, face it and deal with it.
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Best List Building Training You Can Find For Ten Bucks | Accelerated List Building Review
[Reply]
Twitter: HollyJahangiri
(10 comments) says:
Hey, kid genius, you can write a guest post for me any day…
Seriously, this is a surprisingly fresh look at common blogging problems and how to avoid them, and I enjoyed reading it – you have a voice (you say that bloggers must, but how many don’t even understand what that means?), and an engaging style.
Holly Jahangiri´s last blog ..In-context Links? No Comment!
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Hey Holly,
I’d enjoy guest posting for you anyday.
Thanks for the compliments! I am blushing here
Even geniuses do …
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Being Rich Is Good
[Reply]
Twitter: extremejohn
(165 comments) says:
This is probably one of the most creative and well put together guest posts I have seen, I love the analogies. Love’em!
Sunday Smash bound.
Extreme John´s last blog ..10 Reasons I Wouldn’t Copy Your Article
[Reply]
Twitter: GrowMap
(2 comments) says:
Thank you for caring that I wasn’t able to comment earlier. I knew you were the kind of blogger I really wanted to know.
Gail @ Social Media Marketing´s last blog ..How to Use TipTop for Real Time Market Research
[Reply]
Karen
Twitter: Blazing_Minds
(1073 comments) Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I always try to help fellow bloggers out when I can
[Reply]
Twitter: GrowMap
(2 comments) says:
My earlier comment thanked Extreme John for tweeting this post (which is how I found you) and Kikolani because she recommended Blog Engage so I already had an account and could vote this post up.
Gail @ Social Media Marketing´s last blog ..MEME: Share What Makes You Feel Thankful
[Reply]
Twitter: gfserradinho
(28 comments) says:
I agree with all your points. I have a few ads on my site and I still want to bring the number down 25%. I could do with less ads and I know it.
As for engaging with commentators – I do my best to interact with them and try and reply to every comment if possible. Sometimes it’s hard, but I do try. I also have a Monday roundup whereby I list my posts from the previous week as well as posts from other blogs I visit, sort of link love. They seem to love it and I always look forward to it as well.
George Serradinho´s last blog ..eBook – Delicious Candy Recipes
[Reply]
Igor Kheifets
Twitter: igorkheifets
(9 comments) Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 7:57 am
George,
list posts always seem to work well with
any topic.
I haven’t yet done any roundups
on my blog, but I see more and more
bloggers do it everyday, so I might try
it too.
Igor
Igor Kheifets´s last blog ..Being Rich Is Good
[Reply]
I most certainly relate to #1. There is a whole lotta me in each and every post. sure I babble sometimes, but my readers do seem to eat it up.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..The Final “Official” Post For DSWM!
[Reply]
Twitter: catalinadrian
(98 comments) says:
Blogging for your audience is the most important. If you don’t write something that is nor interesting for your audience you will have a problem. Being able to please your readers is what will make them come back and will add traffic to your site. Your will never be able to please them all, but at least those that enjoyed your post will follow you and that is a good thing.
[Reply]
Twitter: janniefunster
(2 comments) says:
Just love this post!!
How does one best try to see one’s own blog through the eyes of others, I wonder?? That bears looking into for me. It’s an enigmatic one as there is probably so much going on that I do not see, mostle ’cause I’m usually the vodka soaked one over at my party!
But what? What could I see better over there?? Interesting point for me to ponder.
thanks!
Jannie Funster´s last blog ..A Peanuts Christmas Song For You
[Reply]
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Twitter: uttoransen
(7 comments) says:
I personally prefer the neutral approach on controversial posts, however on most general posts, its good to take sides that you feel best. Apart from that i agree on all other points, specially on the engaging with readers, its a must for a blog if you want to establish a community around your blog.
Uttoran Sen´s last blog ..2010 Plans – Big Dreams
[Reply]
Twitter: anneonline
(17 comments) says:
Great tips here. I’m with Jannie on trying to see my blog from another’s point of view, but I do try to keep advertising to a minimum. Every now and then I revamp and revise my sidebar[s] to eliminate the clutter that always seems to find its way back. Now I’m experimenting with a non-intrusive google adsense at the top of my posts and some intermittent ads in the footer. We’ll see how it goes and what works where.
Anne´s last blog ..2010 Wish List ~ Non-Resolution Style
[Reply]
Holly Jahangiri
Twitter: HollyJahangiri
(10 comments) Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
It can be very helpful to recruit a couple of friends (heartless friends, I should add – unsentimental and unstinting in their willingness to offer constructive criticism) to help you see your blog from another’s viewpoint.
Holly Jahangiri´s last blog ..Wordy Wednesday (Last Wednesday of 2009)
[Reply]
Anne
Twitter: anneonline
(17 comments) Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I guess I should get used to criticism if I want to be a writer [of any sort]. Okay, pulling up my big girl panties. I can take it.
Anne´s last blog ..POW! BAM! ZONK!
[Reply]
Holly Jahangiri
Twitter: HollyJahangiri
(10 comments) Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Well, it’s way better than resounding silence.
Holly Jahangiri´s last blog ..Wordy Wednesday (Last Wednesday of 2009)
Dennis Edell (98 comments) Reply:
December 31st, 2009 at 4:17 am
Are you offering your services?
[Reply]
I am glad you put voice at point number one, because it is the most important mistake that a lot of writers make. If someone just wants information, even tainted, they will go to wikipedia. Visitors will frequent your blog not only for what you say,but how you say it. Maintaining a conversational tone will earn new readers and keep old ones coming back. Great points, Igor!
Keith@Norman Rockwell Art is hoping you stop by and read Jan 17, Puppy Love, Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post Cover 1926
[Reply]