Last updated on January 25th, 2023 at 07:57 pm
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As a new blogger, you’re bound to make mistakes along the way.
Some are no big deal while others are more painful.
(You can go back to change them. It will just take longer to rectify.)
In this blog post, I’m going to share with you the amateur blogging mistakes I’ve made through my blogging journey so hopefully, you’ll know better.
Amateur Blogger Mistake #1 – Posting Inconsistently
When you’re starting, it’s especially important to post consistently.
When readers discover your website through Facebook Groups, Google, or Pinterest, it’s hard to convert people to loyal readers if you’re not posting quality content regularly.
I was such a fan of some amateur blogs because there was so much potential. However, a lot of bloggers eventually go MIA. They don’t update their blog and soon enough, I forgot about them.
People usually only keep rechecking blogs if they’re close to you in real life or a die-hard fan. For most people, you check a website a couple of times and if there’s still no new content, you move on.
It’s hard enough to get traffic but to lose them when you’re not updating your blog?
No. No. No.
Although you will lack motivation at times, power through the challenge and continue to pump out blog posts.
Organize your time effectively so you’re not squeezing to do everything at once. If you write blog posts too much too soon, it can quickly lead to a mental block.
Consider having several posts lined up in advance.
That way, if your computer breaks or if you don’t feel like writing that week, you still have some flexibility and don’t have to worry about this week’s schedule.
However often you put up a new blog post, remember to stick to your schedule and post consistently.
2) Take More Pictures
Pictures are essential to your blog.
Humans are visual creatures!
An amateur blogger mistake I made when first starting out was not having enough pictures. I look back at blog posts like Terre Bleu Lavender Farm and the best pasta restaurants in Toronto and cringe.
They don’t have the best photos. That’s because I didn’t know I was going to post those photos on the internet back then. It was more for memory keeping.
Now, I have learned to take multiple pictures and angles of the same thing. You should too so you have options when you need them for future blog posts or to create pins for Pinterest.
Sometimes you only have seconds to take pictures. Once the opportunity is gone, there’s nothing left to do but sit in regret.
You have more time later on to choose the best pictures at the end. At the moment, you can be quite rushed taking photos for whatever reason. It’s not until hours or days later you might find a problem with a particular photo. But it’s okay because you have other photos to choose from.
There are always websites you can fall back on like Unsplash. These websites allow you to use their photos in your blog post but everyone has access to them.
Do you really want to see the same pictures over and over again? Probably not.
Taking your own photos would ensure that it’s unique so get into a habit of taking your own pictures.
3) Work on SEO
In the beginning, you might be so excited about having a blog that you don’t think about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
In short, SEO is how people find your website on search engines like Google. Most people don’t go past the first page so you want your website to be one of the first results that pop up. That’s how you’re going to get all the clicks.
Competing with so many people to get on the first page sounded so difficult. I kept procrastinating because I figured that eventually, I’ll start working on SEO. I’ll get to it one day.
That type of thinking was incorrect.
It took almost a year and a half before I started seriously implementing SEO practices.
That’s way too late.
Going back to revise everything, especially keyword research was such a pain and was extremely time-consuming.
Newsflash – no one has a magic wand where one wave means something gets done. This is only in movies or TV shows, unfortunately. You have to suck it up and get on with it eventually.
Not starting on SEO right from the bat was a HUGE mistake as an amateur blogger. It’s probably one of the more common blogging mistakes too with other bloggers.
There are many moving parts to SEO so investing in a course would be highly beneficial.
Having someone explain to you how to write SEO-friendly posts step by step is better than you figuring everything out by yourself.
There’s a reason why all bloggers emphasize how important SEO is.
Don’t be like me and wait so long. It also can take up to 24 months before SEO comes into effect.
If you can, start right at the beginning. By doing so, you are training yourself to use good SEO practices onwards.
4) Not Using Pinterest
Pinterest is something else bloggers talk about a lot. Unlike in the past, bloggers now have different opinions on whether or not Pinterest is worth it anymore.
In my opinion, it still is.
SEO is fantastic and it’s where most people spend their time and energy. However, Google’s algorithm tends to change quite a bit so your views can be unstable.
To be on the safe side, you need to diversify your traffic.
Pinterest is another main traffic source for many bloggers. In fact, some bloggers even claim that a majority of their audience comes from Pinterest.
There are hundreds of millions of users on Pinterest so why not get a piece of that? You definitely don’t want to miss out.
It’s a common misconception that Pinterest is another one of those social media platforms.
It’s actually a search engine. People are there to actively look for information.
Show off your amazing blog posts by creating several pins for each blog post on Canva then schedule them out on Tailwind.
Play around with the platform by testing out things like which pin design your audience resonates with and the best interval times (how many days you wait in between before scheduling the same pin to a different board).
Keyword research is probably the toughest part because you have to figure out what people are looking for on Pinterest. It’s pretty much the same as SEO so if you have experience in one, you kind of know what to expect from the other.
Similar to SEO, your Pinterest account might not gain traction right away. It’s another thing that takes time and patience but if done correctly, there are enormous benefits.
5) Promote Your Blog
Speaking of diversifying traffic, another way of getting more eyeballs is promoting your blog.
This might be one of those common mistakes bloggers seem to make because a lot of us are introverts.
For some reason, this was really scary for me. I felt like I was screaming at the top of my lungs like, ‘LOOK AT ME AND MY BLOG!’
There was some sense of shamelessness and doubts if whether or not my blog was even good enough to promote.
Pull through because you have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe your website is good enough, how are you going to convince people to become a reader?
Spot opportunities to promote your blog.
Now, don’t go blindly posting your website everywhere. It’s not helpful if those aren’t the places your audience hangs out.
Think about what websites they are browsing.
Select a few and be active on the platforms. Ask and answer questions. Interact with other users.
This is another amateur blogging mistake I made so it’s a piece of advice I would give to new bloggers.
Go out there, promote your blog, and introduce yourself! Your blog is your brand so be proud of it. You’ve worked hard.
Do keep in mind to start promoting when you have about 5 – 10 posts up. This will give your audience an idea of who you are and what you write about.
If you’re promoting your blog with 0 posts, what are they supposed to look at?
6) SSL Certificate
The technical side of blogging is not my forte but this is important.
Do you know what the SSL Certificate is?
If you don’t, don’t worry.
It’s the beginning part of the website where it’s either HTTPS:// or HTTP://.
You might not think this part is important but it is because you want your website to start with HTTPS://. This means that your website is secure.
If your website starts with HTTP://, it means that you guessed it, your connection isn’t secure.
Your website is then more vulnerable to hackers so you need to protect it.
I had no idea about this until a Reddit user reminded me to change my SSL certificate. Thank you random Redditor!
It depends on your website host but Siteground provides a free SSL certificate. In a few steps, I managed to switch from HTTPS:// to HTTP://.
Other web hosting domains might make you pay some money to switch from one to another.
Even if you did make this mistake, it doesn’t take long to fix so check to make sure your website is secure.
7) Not Networking Right Away
Facebook groups are the perfect way to meet amateur bloggers like yourself and to get help from professionals. This community has all types of bloggers.
Most importantly, everyone is welcoming and comforting.
It’s very nice to have a place you can turn to for anything blogging-related. When you need help, you can count on experienced bloggers. This can vary from anything from opinions on your blog design to asking them tips on how to overcome writer’s block.
For those who are new to the blogging world, talk to new bloggers because you guys can help each other out. They’ll encourage you not to give up when you really want to. You’ll also have people who understand EXACTLY what you’re going through.
Blogging can be a lonely journey so having company is heart-warming.
This platform can even be used to discover new blogs! There’s a very low chance you’ll find beginner bloggers on Google so looking for undiscovered gems on Facebook is fun.
8) Ignoring Old Content
Amateur bloggers might not think about this just yet but know that you can always edit an old blog post. People might think when you hit publish, your job with that blog post is over.
In reality, it’s not a once done kind of thing. You can, and should, update previous content.
Blog content gets outdated so revise information to stay on top of your game.
For example, you might have a blog post about Pinterest in 2021 but is the information still relevant in 2022? What about a few years later?
When it comes to updating your blog post, ask yourself if you can…
- Update information
- Insert more pictures
- Write more relevant and detailed information
- …etc
For a comprehensive list, check out the FREE checklist I’ve created on how to edit a blog post. Use thid freebie to go through all your old content. It’s what I use when I’m making edits.
Amateur Blogger Mistake #9 – User-Friendly Content
Another common mistake amateur bloggers make is talking about themselves too much. While you can share anecdotes here and there, your readers are looking for information that will benefit them.
When you are writing, always remember to keep your audience in mind.
What else can you include to make your blog post better? And for them to find useful?
That’s how you convert casual readers to loyal followers.
It doesn’t mean you can’t talk about your experience at all but don’t make it that the main part of all blog posts.
Final Thoughts – Amateur Blogger Mistakes
You’re bound to make a few amateur blogging mistakes along the way but hopefully, you learned what mistakes amateur bloggers tend to make so you can avoid them.
Now to You – Amateur Blogger Mistakes
PIN FOR LATER
Xoxo,
Nicole