10 Mistakes to avoid for new blogger꘡ Blogging use to be different back then. It's like a trend, like youngsters that time famous with Twitter, Myspace, same goes with Blog. Now the situation might be different. People tend to get money by writing and doing a review. However, to get the audience, or perhaps your potential clients you might consider to check 10 mistakes that you should avoid especially for a new blogger. Below are common mistakes most beginners make and some tips on how to avoid them.
1. Mistake: You think of ideas that only interest you
Remember that, you're not the ONLY reader to your blog. Don't pour too much personal information unless you're an artist or public figure. People tend to get bored while reading your blog and might not visit your blog again.
Solution: Depends on your purpose of writing. If you blogging for fun, then it's okay to share everything with your readers. But if you want to archive something bigger then think again about your purpose.
2.Mistake: Your writing is too stiff
I have been browsing a lot of blogs. I have noticed that each blog that I been visit contains their won strength. Their own charisma, but some of the blog makes me feels like reading an exam paper. If you keep that style, believe me, people won't even try to read the whole page and they just skip to the comment section.
Solution: Write like you talk. So loosen up your writing, avoid using the jargon. Add on a pun or two. People will feel more relax and that's how u should do it.
3. Mistake: You digress
Sometimes you too excited to share everything with the audience. You tend to make your point again and again. Remember don't overdo it. Even though you are encouraged to let your personality shine but not the first 3 paragraph only about you.
Solution: Restate your point in every section of the article. Expressing it multiple times in small ways from beginning to end.
4. Mistake: Typos everywhere
I used to do this when I just started my blog. I'm so eager to write and I typing fast and don't even bother to check my spelling. Now I being driven mad if seeing errors everywhere, but I'm still learning and improving through time especially grammar.
Solution: Breathe and take a moment to check your article. Make sure the spelling is correct. Sometimes after I publish it only I realized it's okay you can always edit your post. Just make sure there is any typo.
5. Mistake: Too many short form and weird accent
Avoid using any weird language that you have been created. I don't know youngster right now tend to use a word that you have to think in order to understand those words, or I called it "wechat" language. They like to modify the words for example:
C2ac =situasi or 11nya= satu-satu nya
Solution: Come on, I doubt that your readers will be from WeChat users. Please use proper language. If you want to use short-form make sure the one that you use is universal understanding.
6. Mistake: You relying on conceptual instead of concrete.
Give your audience something to walk away with. People will browse for information. You blogging to share an experience that could help solve the problem of others. Same as Google. We're using Google because we want answers right.
Solution: When you're done posting something, perhaps you could asking yourself these questions
"Will they get something from my post?"
"Did they know how to do it?"
"Did my post give any benefit to them?"
7. Mistake: You not giving enough information.
You not adding enough text. Sometimes you just let your readers hanging like that or perhaps you just put the picture alone and assuming that your reader can understand it. It's not okay actually unless you doing wordless Wednesday, that will exceptional.
Solution: Please spend some time drafting your article. I know sometimes you want to maintain the stats of your blog so that you have to post it daily and because of that, you just post whatever that you have. Please change your mindset. People tend to get bored if they just look at the picture without details. Don't leave your audience with a question. Don't let them hang.
8. Mistake: You don't blog consistently.
Probably you have heard that the more you blog, the more traffic you will get, but it doesn't matter if you post daily for one week then doing a comeback after a month. It doesn't work like that. You will lose your subscribers if you do like that.
Solution: Create a schedule plan for a blog post. There are plenty of online trackers that can help you with scheduling your blog post such as https://www.notion.so
9. Mistake: You don't use data as evidence.
Sometimes you have to use data to back up the claims that you make in your post. Some serious topic such as economy or statistic needs some evidence of data so that people get the picture about what are you talking about.
Solution: Use data to support your arguments. You can put data in your blog posts to introduce your main argument and show why it's relevant to your reader or as proof of it throughout the body of the post.
10. Mistake: Your content consists of plagiarism
Don't think that plagiarism happens only at school only. Sometimes without you realize that you are actually plagiarist some of the other's ideas from another blog. Writing without telling where you get the source can be claimed as plagiarism. Don't be a copy cat.
Solution: Give credit when needed. It won't harm you by giving credit to the owner, plus it is a respectful and noble thing to do.
I hope you will get some idea about how you can improving your blog post.
*Credit to https://blog.hubspot.com for some of the points above
