Ever feel like you’re banging your head against the wall when it comes to blogging? You’re not alone. Blogging can be a rewarding experience, but it can quickly become a headache if you’re doing the wrong things. Always remember to blog smarter and not harder.
The majority of blogs – up to 95 percent, in many cases – are abandoned after 120 days, according to a New York Times report. To keep your blog from becoming one of the many left abandoned, it's critical to recognize three common pitfalls and take steps to avoid them.
1. Doing everything yourself
The phrase “time is money” rings true for many people, especially for freelancers and contractors who are already on tight schedules. Creating the content yourself can be a good idea if you can get it done in a reasonable amount of time; otherwise, it might be time to enlist the help of an outside copywriter knowledgeable enough to successfully knock out content dealing with you or your organization’s area of expertise.
If getting the design aspects of a blog together isn’t your thing or if it takes too long to get it done, you might want to hire a web designer for a helping hand. A well-trained web designer who deals with blog software on a regular basis can easily customize your blog to deliver an optimal viewing experience for users and writers while you focus on other aspects of the blog.
2. Putting Quantity over Quality
Constant updates are great, but not at the expense of the quality of your blog content. Spamming your blog with a steady stream of poor content is just as bad as sporadically posting high-quality blog content. Creating great content takes time and effort, but it's well worth the positive clicks (and revenue) it can bring. In other words, blog Smarter!
It's not just the quality of content that merits a careful eye. You don't want your blog content to the solely for insiders. For instance, if your blog is about web design careers, you might want to include information that’s easily accessible to those outside of your field of expertise.
3. Setting up unrealistic goals.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and your blog won’t become an overnight success. Expecting a lot out of your blog too soon can easily set you up for failure. For instance, try focusing on publishing at least one to two posts per week instead of one to two per day. Also, make sure you've given your blog enough time to grow organically. It can take a while for a steady and loyal readership to materialize, especially if it the content happens to be on highly technical subject matter.
Great content makes great blogs and vice-versa. Knowing how to blog smarter can open the door to a multitude of previously undiscovered opportunities for your brand and your organization. Contact us today to learn more.
