Ever wonder why everyone seems to have a blog these days? There are more and more blogs being created every single day, but don’t let the numbers fool you because not all blogs are created equal. Sure, there are bloggers who just likes to keep a personal weblog, diary(or however you want to call it) online to keep track of things and stops there. Then there are the rest of us who knows the potentials of blogging and the many lucrative opportunities it can create. However, that only comes when you’re in it for the long haul. Therefore, it is not a matter of setting up a blog and expect to make it big, it’s knowing what mistakes to avoid, hard work and dedication that will make you stand out from the rest. Avoiding these mistakes can mean the difference between a successful brand or just another blog on the internet.
Not having your own blogging domain.
If you want to be taken seriously, this is one of the first thing you must do. Like any other business, you need to have a professional domain as in youbusiness.com. Of course, you can use blogger.com and set up a blog for free but that’s not the look you want to convey when creating a new business do you?
Not having a logo.
There are many free sites on the internet that will let you create you own logos for free. Don’t skip out on this one because it’s one of the first thing people see when they come to your site. Logoease.com is one of my favorite and it’s completely free. Just make your logo and download.
Not having a Favicon image.
These are the small images that shows up on your open tabs in your explorer that’ll let people know which site is yours if they have too many tabs open. Again, this will make you stand out.
Not having sharing icons
Twitter and Facebook are some of the main sources of traffic if you want to reach out to more audiences. Put them at the bottom of your posts and on your main site, just don’t go overboard with it okay?
Not taking SEO lessons.
In the blogging world, content is king but what is the use if no one is reading it? If you want more traffic, learn how SEO works.
What else do you think is missing from this list? Share it:)
What are some good sites to make your own logo?
Hi Mary, you can try logoease.com, it’s one of the site I use.
The biggest one on this list in my opinion is not integrating social media on your blog. A lot of new bloggers don’t appreciate how important social media is for blog marketing. The other mistake I see a lot making is that they put up a new blog expecting the traffic to come in without doing any offpage marketing. Networking with other bloggers and staying active on their blogs is extremely important, especially early on.
Aaron nice post dude, but I think a new blogger will need some information regarding Favicon image. This might be a new thing to them, where to use how to insert in the code..
Good point Jonny, might have to do a new post on it 🙂
Good tips and I totally agree about using free platforms such as Blogger. I do’t take them seriously as long term bloggers. I would never for instance trade links with a Blogger blog.
Can I add another? Writing for search engines rather than people. Many bloggers spend most of their energy worrying about optimising keywords etc. and forget to write amazing content that people actually want to read. Ultimately you need people to like your blog cos it is people who share your posts and click on ads and buy products, not automated bots!
Nice post!
Here are my two cents: Getting involved in the community by commenting on other blogs (thoughtful comments only, hopefully it can bring value to the conversation)and guest posting. And the guest posts should be written with all the care in the world!
Also, I would say know what your blog will be about. For example, Ramit at I Will Teach You To Be Rich, doesn’t have the greatest PageRank and he doesn’t focus on SEO..you can see that by the title of his posts. He has a very specific focus group and has no ads on his site. Yet he makes money through the courses he offers.
Just my thoughts!
There really is just so much to blogging, we’re all bound to make mistakes no matter how prepared we try to be. Great post, Aaron. 🙂
I still have a blogger blog. I’m happy with it. I’m not making enough to justify paying for a domain name in my own mind. Maybe if I had my own domain I’d be making more, but I’m happy with where I’m at for the time being. Maybe in the future.
I think having a .com domain is rel important as most people are familiar with the extension .com.And a nice logo is usually required to attract people.
The biggest one on this listing in my opinion is not integrating social media on your blog. a lot of new bloggers don’t admire how important social media is for blog marketing. The other mistake I see a lot making is that they put up a new blog expecting the traffic to come in without doing any offpage marketing. Networking with other blog owners and staying active on their blogs is fully important, particularly early on.