Are you a new blogger? Here are some things you should know.
Blogging is hard, let’s not beat around the bush. If you’re a new blogger or thinking about starting a blog because it’s ”easy money”, you would be very wrong. Running a blog whether you want it as a hobby or as a future business prospect, takes a lot of hard work and consistency. But it can be so much fun and you can learn so many new skills.
Lauren started her blog in 2017 nearly five years ago and she would have loved to have read a post like this. It would have saved her and I a lot of time and effort! While we both feel there are many blog posts out there about what you should do as a new blogger, there aren’t many on what you should avoid.
Lauren, from Bournemouth Girl, has kindly taken the time to outline a few things you should avoid as a new blogger. Or, if you have a blog of any age! No matter where you are in your journey, it’s good to step back and take stock of your blogging practices. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two?
These are 9 things to avoid as a new blogger.
1. Not disclosing your content.
Disclosure is so important and is a legal requirement that you should follow to give your blog credibility. Disclosing your content means making it known to your readers when your content is an AD, pre-written post, or contains affiliate links. It portrays transparency from you. So when you collaborate with brands make sure you disclose it in the post, you don’t want to lose followers or engagement because of it.
2. Not using photographs in your post.
There are various reasons why you should always make sure your blog posts have photos. For SEO reasons it is important, but also from a reader’s perspective. To be met with streams of words and no break from an image can turn readers away.
This is often an early blogger’s mistake, and an issue Nyxie often comes across in her older posts. It’s therefore a good idea to go back and re-work older articles by adding images, updating SEO, and even checking your text for errors.
3. Leaving one or two-word comments.
When you engage with others’ blogs, commenting on one or two words is a big no-no! It is giving the writer no insight as to what you liked, what you related to, and what your thoughts are on the subject.
Also writing a more lengthy and genuine comment can help build your DA score and build relationships with the writer.
4. Just because you’re a new blogger, DON’T sell yourself short.
When working with brands or organising blog collaborations, it is important that you do not sell yourself short. There are brands out there that will expect you to create content in exchange for a product. If you are happy to do that – then that’s great! But if you are trying to build a business, it is vital you are not being fooled. Many brands have influencer budgets for social media marketing, so make sure you price your services accordingly.
5. Not taking SEO seriously.
Learn about SEO from the moment you start posting! You should ensure that all your blog posts are optimised because having to go back through all your posts is so frustrating.
Introducing a good optimising SEO strategy is key, so when potential readers search terms that are related to your blog, there will be a greater chance of discovering and engaging with your content. Learning about on-page and off-page SEO is a must.
6. Not proofreading your posts before publishing.
This sounds like such a simple thing but it is a huge mistake you want to avoid. If you have taken the time to research, format your content and promote it on social media channels you are invested in the outcome.
However, one small typo could make readers feel a sense of carelessness and you don’t want that, you want your blog to stay credible. Also, if you haven’t read your content first, why would you expect others to?
7. Not posting consistently.
Whether you want to post once a week or once a month, you must stick to that schedule. Consistency helps not only build a loyal following but it helps to boost your DA score and that is key for future brand collaborations. Learning how to be a consistent blogger is key to a successful growing blog.
8. Not using interlinks and backlinks.
Interlinking is an effective way to boost your DA but in addition, is a great way to keep your bounce rate up. As you write more content you will be able to link it to older relatable content. It can help you keep readers on your site for longer.
Credible backlinks are links you get from other sites linking to you, whether that be from guest posts, advertising posts, or features with brands. Using backlinks is also really important to improve your DA and your site’s credibility.
9. Promoting your content the wrong way.
This is one of my blogging pet peeves! When you have spent time curating promotional blog tweets or promotional posts and then someone comes along and just plonks their post link. That is not the way, take the time to curate your own posts. Also, do not comment on another creator’s blog post with your blog post link, it is rude and not professional.
If you are a blogger what would you say is something to avoid? I’d love to hear in the comments.
These are just a handful of things that both Lauren and I have seen or experienced through our time as bloggers. We really hope that these nine pieces of advice can help new bloggers find their feet quicker. And, who knows, maybe we’ll work together someday on a collaborative post just like this one!
Have you anything else you would like to add or something unique that you’ve experienced?
Great points here!
I’ve been blogging for 3 years now, and I still make little mistakes like typos! I usually publish my post, then read it on the live website, rather than just in WordPress – any errors jump out at me and I correct them before sharing the link, or pinning it etc.
Thanks heaps for these ideas
I’m not a new blogger, but sometimes we all need reminding! And you’re right about SEO, as there’s no set way of doing it; it is something we all learn with time and practice. Thanks for the great tips
These are some brilliant tips indeed, Lauren is such a great blogger (as you are, Chloe!) and all her tips are so real – every new blogger should follow these!
As a blogger myself, I found this post really useful
Great post! I love Lauren’s blog as well & there are some amazing points in this post (and the comments). SEO is definitely an important thing to learn for any website owner. I think it’s also a pretty good guide for new bloggers wanting to write impactful content.
I’d probably say another point (more so from a marketing perspective) that blogging ISN’T about you. I love a good old-fashioned personal post but most readers are coming for themselves. They want to know what you have to give them whether that’s a product, service or information. Creating valuable content for the reader is more likely to bring traffic to your website than a personal journal-esk post.
Lauren gave a lot of great advice to new bloggers! The 2-word comments are one of my pet peeves & I completely agree new bloggers shouldn’t sell themselves short! Also, when I first started blogging, I wish I knew about SEO because it is a pain having to go back & update old posts!
All 9 tips are perfect for new bloggers, tips that would have helped when I was just starting out. SEO should have been number one as it is a very important skills to have as a blogger and I learnt that the hard way with my first blog. Very good post!
This is great advice. Being a blogger takes time and dedication. It is important to learn basic SEO as soon as possible. Interlining is also very important and something we need to take time and work on.
This is great advice. Being a blogger takes time and dedication. It is important to learn basic SEO as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for allowing me to write for your blog again. I really enjoyed writing this post as I wanted to share some of the things that I have learned a long the way. Thank you again! I hope your readers find it useful.
Lauren x
Yeah, SEO is probably the most important thing, however, not proofreading the posts before publishing is something that I believe most of new bloggers do.
I am one of the newbies. Thanks so much for this! I feel lost much of the time but posts like this one helps me tremendously.
Definitely agree with all of these points! I made a lot of mistakes as a new blogger (which I’m definitely paying for now). I feel like the blogging world is SO better equipped for new bloggers these days x
These are great tips! When I look back at my old blog posts, I am definitely guilty of not using enough pictures and not taking SEO seriously.
Great things, these are what I should’ve done when I started blogging. Thank you for sharing!
Yikes! I’ve been blogging for over 10 years and sometimes I STILL don’t read before publishing. Good reminder!
After reading this, I think I should post often. I have gone quite a while without putting something new out.
This is a really good article, to the point and all the tips are relevant and helpful. Good photographs are a must for sure x
Ha. The one-worded comment thing is pretty annoying, I gotta say. And I’m pretty lenient when it comes to comments. But if a reader can’t even take the time to write one sentence, have they even read at all? Anyway, good tips here. And it’s great to see Lauren mentioned here as I visit her site regularly. Thanks for sharing!
I wish I’d had this post when starting my blog, I definitely did most of these things
I think these are great tips for new bloggers and is also a great reminder to those bloggers who are not beginners. Thank you for sharing this.
Great tips and information for those wanting to get into blogging & great advice even for those who have been running a blog for a while. I agree that blogging isn’t as easy as people think! I have had a family member & friend want me to help them out because they think it will be super simple with little effort, when in fact it takes a lot of time and dedication.
Neglecting SEO is just about the biggest mistake you can make as a blogger – old or new. It doesn’t matter how good your content is if no one sees it.
I am a huge fan of Lauren 🙂 All those tips are really valuable. I’d add that as a new blogger you shouldn’t be scared to reach out to people. Whether it’s other bloggers or brands.
Oh my. This is all so valid.
I’m still a newbie and have so much more to learn. But I absolutely love writing and sharing my blog and that gets me through all the other bits that I love less (like understanding SEO). Some really great advice here- thank you.