Bad habits. All bloggers have them, but few know how to overcome them.
Whether it’s overcoming a ho-hum attitude towards content creation or a non-existent posting plan, bad habits can kill momentum and crush the hope of even the most optimistic blogger.
Nevertheless, if уоu wаnt results frоm уоur blog, you must commit to beating the bad habits below.
They are killing your blogging mojo!
1. Believing that More Equals Better
I believe that 2014 is a year we will see a shift away from the “more is better” mentality back to a less is more stance. What do I mean by this?
As marketers race to keep up with the insatiable appetite of online consumers, there becomes an increasing need to pump out more and more content.
However, when quality is sacrificed as the quantity picks up, you begin to break down the credibility, trust and reach you worked so hard to build.
Nile Flores with Famous Bloggers puts it this way and I couldn’t agree more…
“Slow and steady – that’s what you need to build a good foundation. People who brag about being able to post more than 1 (blog post) a day will usually run into a lull and have to eat their words.”
2. Focusing Solely on SEO
How do you determine what to write about on your blog? If it’s solely based on keyword research and search engine optimization, you’re missing the boat.
With the latest algorithm change called Hummingbird, Google is once again flipping the tables on writers and marketers alike.
While SEO was designed to enhance the online visibility and traffic of a business, many found the system easy to game. Certainly, Hummingbird will not eliminate these keyword stuffers and optimization cheaters, but it will reduce the amount of worthless content popping up across the web.
The new trend in 2014 is SMO. This is social media optimization and the integration of a substantial and influential social media presence.
How does that translate into your social media marketing strategy? According to Wishpond, “The Hummingbird algorithm values quality content that is relevant, authoritative, and shareable. So the more your content has been shared across social media, the higher its perceived quality, and the better you’ll rank on Google.”
As a social media strategist, this news makes my heart go pitter-patter. So what does this mean to you as you craft your content?
As my friend Peg Fitzpatrick said in her recent article, Goodbye SEO, Hello SMO (Social Media Optimization)…
“The bottom line is: be yourself. Write about your passions, share your interests. People will love it!”
3. Using Images Haphazardly
If you want to grow your blog and connect readers to your content, you need to get serious about the images you choose. Don’t use pictures within your posts haphazardly. Be strategic and thoughtful in how you choose to display and present each image within your content.
Begin by answering two questions:
- Do your graphics tell a great story?
- Are you actively sharing them across your social properties such as Pinterest and Instagram?
Hint: both should be answered with a resounding YES!
In our visually addicted online world, pictures are literally worth a thousand words. Consider this thought from Jenna at Rain on a Tin Roof when it comes to using Pinterest to expand your blog…
“Having great photos will not only help grow your blog through Pinterest, but it will keep readers interested in your post, and other posts on your blog.”
Whether on your blog or throughout your social channels, allow your images to tell your target market the story that will connect them to your personal brand.
4. Not Speaking Directly to Your Target Market
Go back and review your blog content. Can readers easily identify what your message and your motivation is?
Don’t leave landing that next client or earning your next reader to chance. Spell out who it is that you help and how you can assist them. Give details and be specific.
Readers have landed on your blog for a reason, give them the information they are looking for. Daniel Sharkov of Reviewz ‘n’ Tips puts it this way…
“Every blogger out there has a lot more interests than just blogging. Of course, there is nothing bad about it. One just needs to keep in mind that the business blog he owns is NOT a diary and therefore it should be kept clean of everything else.”
5. Posting Without a Plan
If your last blog post went live over one month ago, it’s obvious you are lacking consistency.
Make your blog a part of your marketing plan and a strategic resource in boosting website traffic and business profits.
Create an editorial calendar that maps out your monthly topics and article titles. This moves you out of the stressful last-minute panic attack that comes each time you wait until the last moment to write a post.
It’s this type of “fear – frustration – overwhelm” writing schedule that leaves you exhausted and burnt out.
yes, this is what I need, blogging schedule and calendar to plan ahead for staying consistent with my food blog. Thanks for these reminders. Which tool do you recommend to schedule social media publishing. One place to control most if not all, like Instagram Pinterest Facebook G+. Thanks.
I’ve only been blogging for a month but I’m trying to use Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. I mostly take my own pictures but I have gotten 2 images from Pixabay. My biggest issue is not having a blogging calendar. I try to be consistent with 3 new blogs a week. Of course all my numbers are low but I’m trying to be patient! Thanks for this post. I feel good about the things I’m doing right and inspired to improve in the other areas.
Non-existent posting plan. sigh.
You can do it Robin! Planning is tough, but I know you can make it happen!
This is one of the reasons why I love you Rebekah! You’re always encouraging us! Thanks for believing in me!
Great information as always. Love reading your posts tweets and G plusses too. They are always helpful and informative. I am finding that consistency and good content is what makes the difference at my blog. That schedule helps me keep consistent and my planner helps me come up with content so that I am not fumbling around the night before a post is due. Helps avoid burnout too because when the creativity flows I can write write write and schedule the posts for later.
yeah SMO is the latest in 2014 with social media thousands of prospect will know you have something new on your blog. and i totally agree with the fact that it help your ranking especially when you use Google plus, facebook, pintrest etc thanks Rebekah Radice for that good reminder.
Great article as always, Rebekah! You’re right posting without a plan is not healthy for your blog. Lack of consistency not only affects your ranking in search engines, but can also cause negative impression on your active readers and new followers too. Your loyal readers not only expect quality content from you, but they also expect consistency from you. Irregularity in publishing new content will not only disappoint your readers, but will also deter them from visiting your blog further.
Other than these I also want to add one more point here — Publishing your post without editing. Most of the bloggers have a tendency to publish their post without editing it. Editing is important not only for checking grammatical errors, but also to refine your post.
Hi Rebekah,
Less is more? Yes. Quality over quantity? Yes. Now, Mrs Flores seems to have set a maximum limit of 1 blog post per day. It seems it is not a good idea to exceed this limit.
There is the other, lower limit, too. Some people say the lowest frequency should be a blog post per week. Anything less than 1 post per week is bad. This creates the following range:
1 post per week – 1 post per day.
Every successful blogger must have a frequency inside this range. Do you agree?
Social Media Optimization? What is this new trend? is this a kind of SEO for social networks? Very interesting. Could you tell us more?
Increasing social media presence?
This is something everybody wants. A kind of Holy Grail of bloggers and marketers.
That person who has an effective system to increase your social media and online presence and is able to teach you how to do it, must be considered the best of the best in the online world. Do you know such a person?
Have a wonderful day
Hi Rebekah,
I absolutely agree 100% on this post! Pushing out too much content is not as good as putting out the best content you can. I only post once a week because that’s all I can handle and I do quite well.
SEO? I think that died a long time ago. Yes, a little here and there is good, but I was never one to write SEO based content. Just wrote from the heart!
When it comes to photos…my goodness! There are so many rules and regulations that are changing out there that I just take my own. Yes, it must be pertinent to the blog, but I do the best I can.
There are so many changes that have gone one, there is only one thing I follow: Less is more! Just like make-up he he.
-Donna
I find that a lot of small entrepreneurs don’t have a really good idea of who they’re talking to – many times they seem to be talking to their competition instead of their target audience – lots of jargony language, complex topics that need to be simplified, and assuming that readers know more than they do.
I’m also skipping for joy about the Hummingbird stuff. I actually make my living freelancing as a SEO but I endorse content marketing and creating valuable content / linkable assets as a way to generate more traffic.
I pretty much think the best way forward for any business online is to have a blog and regularly create quality content. It’s nothing new but believe me actually convincing people to do it is quite difficult. So with Hummingbird it’s going to force people to listen and if they actually want success they’ll need to invest more time and effort.
The easy to use editorial calendar will certainly act as a great aid in being more focused on content. Have already used it and brainstormed on topics. Really helps when you have a topic that is quite in depth and meaty that splitting it into smaller segments means that you are part way there to a good strategy. So agree with visual comment. As someone who is quite visual, it is easy to be quite turned off by an image that has no bearing on content. Service providers I find need to be more creative and make better use of images than those with products.
Excellent points here, Rebekah. I was just thinking yesterday that I should focus on doing a much better job with visuals on my blog this year. Do you have any advice on where to find great images? I’m always looking for new sites.
I purchase all of my stock photography from DepositPhotos and BigStock Kenna, but I know there are some very reputable free sites out there as well.
Visuals are a huge part of shares and not just in blogging. It’s interesting to see how relevant they are even on Twitter where you might not expect it.
I would love to purchase my photos, but it’s just not realistic when my blog is more of a hobby than a source of income. I see the benefits, though. It’s much easier to find quality images on paid sites.
Thank you +Rebekah Radice I am a newbie to this world and was almost afraid to read your 5 bad habits but was pleased to see that I had good habits. Thank you for the confirmation and encouragement to continue to do what I love to do — write. Launched my memoir a few months ago which got me started in the world of blogging — never too late, right?
That’s fantastic Carol! Congratulations on launching your memoir. You’re absolutely right, it’s never too late!
I agree with the you in most of the cases. But sometimes you don’t know what to writer which we call as writer’s block.
At this point to bring back mood, we need to write those things which we like to share. Not for bots, not for users.
~@Khajamoin1
Very true Khaja. We all fall victim to that every once in a while. I think a lot of that supposed writers block can also be attributed to overwhelm. We have so much content coming at us that reigning in our thoughts can be challenging.
Hi Rebekah!
I love this advice and the way you were able to find examples from other bloggers who I know and respect.
You always have great images and it’s true that makes me want to keep reading!
Have a wonderful 2014 Rebekah.
Chat soon.
Thank you Ileane! You are a top blogger I’ve followed for quite some time. It’s always exciting to watch others and see how well they manage their blog, content and community. Thanks for paving the way for so many!
Rebekah, thanks for reminding us about setting an editorial calendar.
This helps make writing easier.
Just want to ask a question on the side does Rebecca and Rebekah mean the same thing.
An editorial calendar is the key to staying focused and productive, but often overlooked as something only big businesses or brands use. Not true IMHO, we all need one!
These are guide-lines and facts! Thanks for sharing this!
Glad they were helpful to you Afosi!
Hi,
This is a really useful list!
I’m really trying to add more pictures into my blog, and I’m actually using my own illustrations so they are exactly what I want them to be (I am an art student, the £9,000 a year may as well go towards something!)
I agree with what you say about SEO vs. SMO- loving the new acronym!
Sammie
xoxo
http://sammieontoast.blogspot.co.uk/
How fun Sammie! Using your own images is such a great way to create differentiation and really build your personal brand.
Thanks for including me!
I really do believe that quality is more important than quantity. You might get more readers with more posts but they might not come back if they didn’t really like it.
Great article, as always!
You know how much I agree with that Peg! More eyeballs doesn’t equal more sales. That’s the bottom line to me.
If you’re going to pump out content, it needs to translate into company dollars somehow, someway. I see too many posting an overwhelming amount of content without nothing to show for it.
Rebekah,
Great article! Always nice to come across a quote from Wishpond when you’re not expecting it! I’d like to agree enthusiastically with the importance of an editorial calendar – something I still rarely see with content marketing. I think most online marketers have gotten the hang of planning/Buffering social media posts, but for some reason content calendars haven’t yet caught on. Thanks for writing (and linking!)
I completely agree James. The concept still seems relatively new to most people I talk to.
They want a strategy, direction and focus, but don’t know how to find it. A content calendar is the one thing that pulls it altogether.
Especially in an online world where we’re all suffering from shiny object syndrome! 🙂
Amen on #1…. surprised you didn’t link to my article about this. I think its nice when people are go-getters, but they’re going to burn out fast. It takes pacing yourself to build a sturdy foundation, otherwise you’re missing out on other vital points like engagement.
People will post like a machine, and share their own stuff, but they forget sharing other articles, linking back to others, and balancing engagement on their website, rather than rely on comments on FB and Google and more.
great list!
You’re absolutely right Nile and I just updated the post to include yours. Slow and steady is the key. That and as you said, linking back to others, thanking others and making sure to actively engage with others.
There’s so much more to blogging than just posting your latest article!