Getting an audience is hard.
Sustaining an audience is hard.
It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose,
and of action over a long period of time.
Bruce Springsteen
All too often bloggers complain that after what seems like a great start, perhaps a year later, their blog is as dead as the proverbial doorknob. This is a common problem that almost always revolves around a fairly small list of common mistake that bloggers make. Many bloggers want to sit back and hope that the blog will do all of the work for them. This is a terrible mindset to have for blogging or anything else in life. Successful bloggers will tell you time and again that great blogging takes a certain amount of dedication and hard effort to make it work. You must put effort into the blog to sustain it, especially after the first month or so of completing your design. Most people work super hard during the initial design phase and then they run out of steam or get lazy after it is complete. To avoid this period of doldrums for your blog, check out these five common mistakes that can bury your blog.
Infrequent Updates
One of the biggest mistakes a blogger can make is to “forget” about posting. The most successful blogs are updated with new posts at least once a day. Some larger blogs are constantly being updated. You should try to create new posts as often as possible. If you miss a day here and there, its really no big deal. However, if you miss a week or more without posting, and you haven’t told your readers that you will be away, you may as well consider the blog dead already. You have to take a few moments, even as little as five minutes a day to create an interesting post or content. This is much easier if you usually write short and concise posts. Like everything else you are truly interested in making successful, it is easy to keep your blog updated, if you make it a priority.
Too Much Advertising
Most bloggers today do want to make a profit from their blog. But, this is a trend that can get out of control pretty quickly. If you are interested in adding ads to your blog, do so with caution. There is nothing wrong with a few appropriately places ads that offer viewers links to places that correlate with your blog’s content. However, adding a massive amount of advertisements on your blog is a mistake. If you have a bunch of flashy ads on your blog, your content will most certainly get lost in all the hoopla. My suggestion is to limit your ads to three or fewer per page. Make sure you place them in appropriate places that let your content shine through. After all, that’s really what you want your readers to see, isn’t it?
Also, don’t allow huge ads to fill up your pages. This will simply annoy your readers. Be smart and judicious about including advertising on your blog!
Unprofessional Look
Looks do matter when it comes to your blog. The more professional and crisp your blog looks, the more your readers will take you seriously. If you are interested in boosting your traffic, you should try a more serious layout or presentation for your blog. If you can afford to hire a professional, you should. If you choose to do it yourself however, you must make sure that the end product still looks good. If you have a sloppy blog that looks “homemade” you will not likely have a great response. As with the advertising, if your readers get distracted by the layout, confused about the navigation, or wander off-page to look at something else, then they are not paying attention to the content that you have labored over. Whether you are doing it yourself or using a professional, try a couple of different layouts and approaches to see what gets you the most traffic.
Graphics Overload
Pictures can add a ton to your blog and draw in more readers. However, when done to excess, much like the ads, pictures can drive people away. The main reason too many pictures can ruin a blog is because there are many web surfers who still use slow internet connections. When they try to load your page, it will take a very long time for the full page to appear. This in turn will probably annoy them and drive them and anyone else with this problem away. Try limiting to a few pictures per page.
Inappropriate Content
Everyone knows that the web is a place where you can freely express yourself. However, if you want your blog to survive, you might want to think about that freedom of expression. Although you should always say what you feel, you can do so in an appropriate manner on your blog. There are ways to say anything on your mind, without using profanity or any offensive lingo. If you want your blog to be successful, you cannot use content that is inappropriate for your desired audience. And always remember that just because we have the freedom to say anything does not mean that we should say any and everything that pops into our minds.
What else would you add to this list?
Related post
Why You Should Consider Blogging
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loungerie/156191839/sizes/z/in/photostream/