I am never going to write about how to make money online because I am not one of those bloggers that pretend they know how to make money online when we all know most have no authority on the subject since most do not make money. Besides not all blogs are all about making money and every blogger has their own objectives in blogging.
I can share with you the mistakes I have made in blogging so you do not make the same ones I have made. Hey this is not easy for me ok since I like to think I don’t make mistakes, but what the heck we all do so I guess it’s not so bad to admit them.
- Not responding back to comments.
This one is huge. I made this mistake and certainly regret it. There was a time I just didn’t have the time because I was busy selling real estate. But even if you get busy or distracted and you just don’t have the time, someway somehow find the time to respond to your comments.The whole concept around blogging is interaction so if you were able to write something that someone was interested enough to comment , you should be able to respond to them. I am making a concerted effort to try and respond to most comments now especially the ones that invoke some type of dialogue.
- Writing when you are not in the mood.
There are many different views on how much you should blog, writing for some people comes naturally, for other people it takes a little more work, I fall into this category. My brain really needs to be focused in order to write, I wish I was a better writer and it did come naturally but for me I really need to be in the mood and not have any distractions around me in order to complete a post.
- Not incorporating video into your blog. Videos are a great way to not only increase your traffic to your site but provides an opportunity for you audience to see your personality that may not always show up in your writing. Did you know that Youtube has the second most search queries behind google.I plan on making incorporating videos a priority this year.
- Doing too many projects at once.
This is difficult for me because this blog is not my main source of income and I have to focus on other blogs and websites to maintain. I sometimes bounce back and forth to many different projects in a day so it becomes unproductive for me. If you are working on multiple blogs have an allotted time focusing on just one specific blog for that time, don’t bounce back and forth between blogs.
- Not giving back If you find a great blogger and have learned something valuable don’t be afraid to give them props. They will most appreciate you linking to their site as a token of appreciation. If your site is all about you it is going to show and people will be turned off.
I am sure there others I have made but these are some of the ones I would like you to avoid. So what are your thoughts? Have you made any of these mistakes? Care to share any other mistakes you have made in blogging? Please comment below
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Great tips, I’ve retweeted this for you. I do in-fact make money online but this seems to be where my career is heading, i have the time to comment back because i am not out in the work force, so to speak. Your second tip is a big one for me. I obviously spend a great deal of time at my computer and getting burnt out is something that is almost a daily occurrence.
As of late i’ve been giving myself permission to take a longer break, permission to relax and do something fun. It’s helped a lot.
.-= Josiah@free ipad´s last blog ..iPad with iBooks Looks Amazing =-.
Hey Josiah thanks for RT and commenting. I have made some money on this blog but it is only supplemental income. My Real Estate business makes money from the techniques associated with online marketing, someday I hope to do that with affiliate marketing but just can’t commit to it 100% yet. That is great you are making a living online and I hope you continue in your success
Burn out and writers block is a huge obstacle like you mention, sometimes you need to take a break from it all no doubt.
I like how you are using a niche and popular hot product to target like the iPad. Do you have any other niche sites? Hope to see you back soon.
I think I should add:
1. Don’t use to much ads in your websites.
2. Don’t use badly designed template and those template that not suite your site content type.
You just share some nice point and love your honesty. You are right most blogger share tips on earning this day where they themselves not earn much. Another thing I should add, most blogger write on SEO but there own site SEO is not good enough. I appreciate your honesty Danny and just share your article with my 3000+ followers, hope they learn something from you.
.-= Arafat Hossain Piyada´s last blog ..Qmmander: Free Split Screen File Manager =-.
Hi Arafat, Thanks for the RT and comment. I agree that some blogs are overwhelming with ads which in most cases can hurt your blogs success. Bad design is another one yes sometimes I see a design that is so off that I won’t even bother trying to navigate around it. Keep it simple! Very good points.
I totally agree with this post. Been planning on inserting vids into my blog too. Besides, some people are more about the visual than anything else, so.
.-= Elena´s last blog ..Secret Underground Tunnels In Moscow =-.
yes one of the most basic skills that any blogger should spend time working on from the very early days is responding to comments on their blog, responding often leads to a sort of conversation in the comments, which always is fun.
Nice post!
“Not responding back to comments.” – From my point of view this is perhaps the greatest mistake of all. As you have pointed out blogs are conversations, and if you start the conversation but don’t follow up it’s like you’re abandoning your audience. I run a few blogs and I take care of following up with all comments, when it’s a “me too” comment, I just thank it, and when it’s a more elaborate one I reply with my opinion. I also run some Facebook groups, and there, I respond to every single post, too. It’s all about showing you really do care about your followers.
“Writing when you are not in the mood.” – If I’m not in the mood I just don’t write. It’s far much better to write 4 quality posts per month, than writing 1 low quality post everyday. People are after good content, and will soon notice if yours is not what they want, and will probably leave your blog for good.
“Not incorporating video into your blog.” – I know video is hot at the moment, and also agree with Elena on the fact that many people are the “visual” kind. Although you don’t have to be Steven Spielberg to produce good video content, I think one should do some research and practice before venturing into video. Some “focus groups”, before publishing anything, will help you see how you’re doing with this. By “focus groups” I mean asking your friends, family, or a chosen few blog readers, nothing too expensive of course.
“Doing too many projects at once.” – Well, we all fall or have fallen prey to this one. I think that until you don’t find that best performing blog of yours, there’s no choice but to run several projects simultaneously, as the old saying goes “don’t put all the eggs in one basket”.
“Not giving back.” – Totally agree. Ideas should be shared, otherwise they’ll get stale. I’ve learned this concept long ago when reading about the story of WordPerfect, you can Google it.
Finally, I also think there’s too much people writing about making money who don’t have a clue about it. But, I always come up with the same discussion opener when it comes to this topic: what’s making money?? This clearly depends on your goals, for some even $100/mo is money, while others just dream of getting rich on the blogosphere.
Thank you for stopping by. I know what you mean that everyone has a different of interpretation of what’s making money, It’s almost like defining success. I guess that is why we see so many speaking on the subject.
I’ll have to look you up if make it down to the Keys this summer although I am not big into fishing I have some friends who are.
I too am guilty of Not repsonding to comments, and taking on too many projects. I’ve been this way most of my life but if I am to succeed in this stuff i’m going to have to learn to go slower. Thanks for the tips!
.-= Ahmed Payette@Sheriffs Sale´s last undefined ..Response cached until Sat 3 @ 22:17 GMT (Refreshes in 23.80 Hours) =-.
Your first tip seems very important to me. Very correct, blogging is interaction. I do agree that stumbling upon words and getting stuck up with content is a problem. But trust me, you are not alone.
I’m guilty of attempting too many projects at one. It has helped me to create a worksheet of sorts to keep track of blogs I’ve created. This way I can shift from one to another without missing readers comments.
.-= Joy Lee´s last blog ..Patio Chairs =-.
Excellent tips for any new blogger and I can safely say there’s some “Pro Bloggers” out there that it might help as well. Hope you had a great Easter Danny.
.-= Extreme John´s last blog ..Happy Easter Road Blogging Style =-.
The topic chosen for the post is good. However, some points seem common. For instance, nearly every site has testimonials from satisfied clients. How genuine are these needs to be questioned. I very much agree to the fact the content must make the user believe that he/she is reading the matter written by an expert and the website is worthy of consultation.
Agree with just about everything you mentioned. Writing is definitely a struggle for me as well. I get so bored with it. And believe it or not people really do look at testimonials. Like someone else mentioned though I do think you have to question whether or not they are legit.
- Not responding back to comments: I also suffer for this when I am too busy, but I vowed to get this sorted.
– Writing when you are not in the mood: like you writing doesn’t come naturally to me, and I have to make special effort. Writing when not in the mood can double the time it takes to craft a post.
- Not incorporating video into your blog: not too sure about this one, although a lot of bloggers do, I don’t see the point.
- Doing too many projects at once: yep, another one of my mistakes. I just have too much stuff going on at the same time and have sites I haven’t touched for 3 years slowing rotting away.
- Not giving back: I don’t usually commit this one, but I can see it killing a blog. Selfishness is never good, and online is even truer.
May be “not settings targets” in terms of post frequency, followers, subscribers etc… could be another one. Without targets you can’t measure or see evolution and rely on reached milestones.
.-= Tom@NetAccountant´s last blog ..Twitter do’s and don’ts: 14 DON’Ts to avoid losing your hard-earned Twitter followers =-.
I agree with not taking on too many projects. I have previously tried to do too much and spread myself too thin. It’s better to do a few things well than lots badly.
.-= Thomas´s last blog ..Navy Steps in to Return Britons Stranded Abroad by Volcanic Ash =-.
Nice points, nothing kills a blog faster than lack of updates, make a commitment to keep your blog updated. Then before you hit Publish button you should take your time to double check the post to make sure it’s free of errors. If you spot an error after the post, correct it immediately.
.-= Hafsoh @ UK Business forum´s last blog ..Dell shows off several mobile stunners – Inquirer — Date Posted: 22nd April 2010 13: =-.
Writing when you are not in the mood.
I think this applies to what I’m going through right now. I can’t stick to my schedule because I always allow myself to stop when I’m not inspired to write. Like you I’m not as an expert writer who can make an article in minutes. It’s hard especially when I’m distracted and simply not in my mood. But I try to fix the bad habit by writing everyday, if it’s going to be a routine then my mind could get used to it.
Wow, great tips! I agree the most with not responding to comments, and writing when you are not in the mood.
A good blogger should always responde to the comments, because It seems that he’s not interested at all, and that’s bad!
Im new to the whole Blogging schene and have read a few articles and posts but im very impressed with yours as it gives some very good advice that I have not read anywhere else, it will help me alot with my blogging future.
Thanks again
Katie
I hear you about not taking on too many blogs at once. I created 7 blogs in 2009 and struggled to maintain them all at an appropriate standard. They tick away and others are just in folders of ideas on my computer waiting for a launch date when I have time.
I ended up concentrating on one main blog and my husband on another. There are two secondary blogs and we do spend about 20% of our total blogging time maintaing them but it is not enjoyable when you are juggling a full-time job and family and dare I say trying to have a life still.
My recommendation would be to be strict with your time management and be honest. If more than one or two is too many, then focus on your main potential bread and butter site and wait for the day or help to grow the others.
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To maintain blog you have to fully concentrate on all the aspects of blogging and doing many work at a time can decline the progress in each task as each task needs complete attention.
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