A blog is an informational website or an online journal that many people write and regularly update for viewers to read. There are many successful blogs online and in the 21st century, there are millions of people writing online blogs every day. Beginners need to understand that blogging is not just about writing random thoughts on a particular subject online.
Many people want to attract a large audience for their blogs and also monetize their blogs. But beginners can tend to make some serious blogging mistakes that can make the blog unsuccessful and it is important to know the type of mistakes that beginners need to avoid.
Why Small Mistakes Can Ruin a Blog
Almost every blogger makes small mistakes when they start blogging. These mistakes are often small but can make the blog look unattractive and also at times can ruin the reputation of the blog. Beginners do not even at times know that they are making these mistakes and keep wondering why their blogs are not more successful even if they think that the content is good. These mistakes can be easily avoided and the following are details about these types of mistakes bloggers make while starting in the blogging business
Mistakes That Bloggers Should Avoid
Blogs with Auto Loading Music
A key to the success of the blog is that it is very focused on the content and is easy to load at any internet speed. Auto-loading music in the background of the blog can be extremely distracting which is disadvantageous to the blog. Another problem with the auto-loading music on the blog is that it slows down the blog. The loading time of a blog is seriously hampered as the blog needs a lot more time to load when it has an auto-loading music component to it.
Sometimes bloggers like to put in music in a blog and the viewers do not expect the music. This unexpected music can be a real problem for people trying to read the content of the blog. If there is no actual value added by the auto-loaded music then it is a good idea to avoid this component in the blog.
Choosing the Wrong Background, Text, and Font
Many bloggers think that the content and the information that is provided in the blog is the only important aspect of the blog. This is however not true as the layout, aesthetics, and design of the blog also play a role in attracting or dissuading viewers from reading a blog. The background is an important aspect of the blog.
A horrible dark background can look cool but is not always the right choice for the blog. The background should match the topic of the blog. Dark background for a blog about the spring and summer is for example, not the best choice. The aesthetics of the blog play an important role in determining the usability and readability of the blog. The font used to write the text should be clear and should go well with the blog’s niche.
Also, most blogs are written in dark-colored fonts and using light and unreadable colors do not always make sense.
Problem with the Sidebar Clutter
As mentioned above, aesthetics are important while building a blog. The blog must be clean and should be extremely easy to use and free of clutter. Reading a blog should be a peaceful activity and there should not be too many distractions on the blog page for a viewer while reading a blog. Some bloggers make a mistake of putting a lot of links, ads, call to action buttons and even music and videos in the sidebar of the blog making it look extremely cluttered. There has to be a sidebar in a blog with important information on it but blogger has to declutter the sidebar to make it look aesthetically better on the blog. Instead of putting information about awards or related news it is a good idea to put links. The sidebar should not have too many links and there must be a lot of free white space on the blog to help viewers focus on the blog posts instead of everything else.
Different Types of Plagiarism
A blogger usually writes new content and publishes the content on the blog. Writing something in the same way that someone else has already written is plagiarism. It is taking someone else’s work and passing it on as one’s own in a blog. Most of the bloggers who plagiarize content do not do it purposely and it just happens while they are writing a blog based on research. Plagiarism is a serious issue and can also be legal trouble for bloggers. There are different types of ways in which bloggers can accidentally plagiarize content. The text can be plagiarized; the images, photos, design, and even the videos on the blog can be plagiarized.
It is very important to read the rules of plagiarism and know what content is deemed plagiarized and what content can be used. There are applications available that check content to see whether there is plagiarism and whether any copyright is violated which can be used by bloggers to avoid this problem.
Not Using Keyword Phrases as Links
Most blogs have links to products, information and other subjects related to the blog post and there are many ways in which these links can be conveyed to the viewers on the blog. Instead of using “click here” call to action buttons it is a very good idea to use phrases within the blog as links.
Again crowding the entire article or blog with phrase links is not always the best idea. Using phrases and putting links on the phrases is easy. For example, simply writing a line about how the product can be bought online and providing a link on the phrase for an online shop for buying the product is a good idea.
The mistakes mentioned above are the basic mistakes that most bloggers do when they are new at blogging or have just started a blog. These mistakes are avoidable and avoiding these mistakes will make blogs more successful.