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5 Blogging Mistakes You’ll Want to Avoid

January 31, 2015 by: Jennifer Gretson 5

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For businesses looking to enter the crowded “blogosphere” and reach customers in new ways, there are a number of important factors to keep in mind. Don’t merely focus on what you need to do to be successful, though. It’s equally important for bloggers to avoid making mistakes that could risk reputation and sales.

Major Blogging Mistakes

What may seem like a simple oversight can wind up having a negative effect. That means you’ll want to keep an eye out for the following issues and avoid them when possible:

• Failure to integrate. One of the worst things you can do is fail to add your blog to your existing website. Instead, your blog has its own domain and acts as its own entity. This is a mistake thousands of small businesses make when first starting the process. Ideally, your blog should be a subdomain or subfolder of your main website. Not only does this make it easier for customers to find and associate with your brand, but it usually comes with added search engine benefits.

• Not having an identity. You should think of your blog as an extension of your brand. While it’s a webpage, it needs to have a personality that represents your company’s core values. The mistake far too many companies make is publishing a blog that has no unique brand identity or flavor. Instead, it’s basic, bland, and as a result, lacks engagement. Take the time to develop specific goals for your blog and shape your content around those goals.

• No CTAs.  Every blog post should have a call-to-action. It can be incredibly simple, but it’s important to include something. The goal of every post is to imply you can add value to your customers’ lives through the products and services you offer. Ideally, you should direct the customer to a landing page or ask them to contact you for more information.

• Poor website. Ironically, one of the biggest blogging mistakes you can make has nothing to do with your blog. Instead, it has everything to do with your website. While a call-to-action is important, it can only serve its purpose when you have the backend – your website – in place. Customers want to see consistency from your blog to your website when browsing. Work on developing content-rich internal pages that clearly explain your company’s advantages and features.

• Too much pushing. A good blog is well-balanced. Constantly pushing an agenda or trying to oversell isn’t a sustainable model for your blog. As a rule of thumb, only 10-20 percent of your posts should be directly related to your products and services. The other 80-90 percent should be related to your niche, but informative rather than self-promoting. This investment in informing your readers will ultimately lead them to trust you in the future.

Blogging takes time and you shouldn’t attempt it unless you’re able to give it significant attention. By avoiding these mistakes and learning how to implement tips from blogging experts, you’ll be well on your way to developing a blog that converts and engages customers.