I’ve been blogging for what almost three years now and I am no where near a pro by any means, I don’t even try to be. Here are 5 reason your blog is failing, not necessary bad things but mistakes you could avoid. However I can share a few things I’ve learned along the ways and maybe it can save you some time and hassle. I hope these simple things are helpful to you. While there’s only 5 things here, I could talk about this more. I may just make another post about the topic. In the meantime..
5 Reasons Your Blog Is Failing
Plagiarism is a NO NO!
This one should really be common sense, but what I’ve learned from blogging and from other bloggers is never to copy another blogger’s work. It’s one thing to get inspired from one blog or another website. You should NEVER copy word from word from another person’s website. That’s frown upon in the blogger world as well as Google.
Just Another Mom Blog
Why does your blog stand out? What makes your blog different than other lifestyle blogs? Your blog has to stand out. People aren’t going to take the time out of their day to go to your blog, if you post the same things every week, same thing as every other blog.
The Lack of SEO
What is SEO you ask, it’s Search Engine Optimization. If you’re using WordPress, I suggest this plugin. By far the easiest SEO tool for your blog/website. When I first started blogging, I didn’t bother looking up what it meant, I just did what I thought was right. When I went back to fix images to older post after I switched over, I saw that none of my post had good SEO or any at all. Here’s simple steps to better SEO on your blog.
No Readers Interaction
Your blog will not be successful unless you bring the people to your blog and make them want to keep coming back. You have to keep them entertained or they will just replace you. I took this e-course the other day about building your subscribers, but it could be about your blog as well. Offer something to your readers, return comments to your readers who do comment. Get active in Facebook groups to bring new readers.
Not Active, No Traffic
Yep, I’m not talking posting every day. Depending on how serious you are about your blog and how much free time you’re able to put into your blog. Really is the deciding matter on how much you’re posting. I try to post 2-3 times a week. But my life is also so insanely crazy right now, so it’s more like once a week or 2-3 post every other week. Some easy ways to bring more traffic to your blog include sharing on social media platforms, write catchy headlines, advertise. If you have a crazy month or two. I see a lot of people doing guest posts, I have yet to try this. I am going to do this with a series I am going to do this summer.
Courtneylynne says
Omg yes!!! I’m not even that great of a writer, I’m more of a storyteller, and I have had people steal blog post several times! Craziness!
Robin Masshole Mommy says
It is all about the SEO. If any blogger doesn’t know about it, they should learn QUICK!
Shann says
Great tips! I was so good about following up on every comment, but I’ve been slacking lately. That interaction is so important. Thanks for the reminder.
Cindy Ingalls says
I don’t understand why people steal others work. If you like someone said or did, you should absolutely give them credit. Whenever I’ve written a post and I’ve discovered something because of another blogger or Youtuber, I always give them a shout out and a link to their site. We should support each other.
Elizabeth O. says
Those are all accurate. Reader engagement is important if you want your blog to be known, it’s important to interact and respond. Being active is of course the number one reason, but also, make sure to never copy posts from other websites.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
I think interacting with your readers is the best way to keep them coming back. Blogging is hard work and for us to keep on top of our game, we must really learn the ropes. Thanks for sharing these tips.
Karlaroundtheworld | Karla says
I agree with the signs, especially when it comes to the “just another mom blog”. These are some great reminders that tells us not to give up and just lower our standards.
Aprill says
Bloggers just dont understand how important SEO is. Thanks for sharing!
Travel Blogger says
Great tips! They’re great for boosting your blog but also important to keep in mind for someone just starting out. Do it right the first time and they wont have to go back and correct their mistakes!
Kathy says
Wonderful tips! I’m always looking for ways to get more traffic. I try to post something each day of the week days and I usually don’t on the weekends. That way I get some time off as well, but still have about five posts during the week.
Cara (@StylishGeek) says
Natalie your list is very helpful and so true, especially the part about being active in your social community, such as FB groups. You reap what you sow, so the more you interact with other bloggers, the same amount of interaction is also reciprocated to you. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says
Plagiarism is definitely a no-no. I can’t believe people do this still! Great post!
Christine - The Choosy Mommy says
The blogging world is tough! You really have to stay active to stay alive. With little kids around, it is so hard, but I just look at it for the fun part. Numbers don’t matter to me right now 🙂
Ronda says
It’s crazy when you work hard coming up with a post and find it on someone else’s site. That has happened to me before and my pictures were stolen. Ughhhhh makes me mad thinking about it!
Danne Reed says
Oh, you’ve got a very informative post here! I hate to see people doing plagiarism just to have traffic on their site. SEO is definitely one of the keys!
Dora Clemons says
Building a blog is definitely hard work, but if you make sure to “follow the rules and guidelines” even the unspoken ones, you can be successful.
Jaclyn Anne says
As I have been upping my SEO game I have been slowly getting more and more organic search traffic – boosting your SEO is well worth the time!
Sam says
It is so frustrating when people steal your work or pictures without permission. Grrr!!! I do pretty well with SEO for a newbie, but I think a lot of your other points contribute to bad SEO (plagiarism, not having original voice or content, lack of engagement, not posting often enough). Great post!
Judy Cox says
Someone who is thinking about starting a new blog need to read this, since I know building a blog is not easy and everyone needs advice on many things.
Jennifer Clay says
These are some great tips. I use to put in a lot of time into my site, and since I had to start working full time after my divorce, I have seen some differences in my traffic. It makes so sad because I love my site and running it! I have been trying to focus more on it.
Laura says
These are great tips of things to avoid while blogging. I don’t blog myself, but enjoy visiting various blog sites. 🙂
Laurie Nykaza says
Good information to help people to run their blogs.
Margaret Sarsfield says
im thinking of starting a blog. thanks for the great tips!
Sandy Klocinski says
Awesome post! If you want your blog to be seen, SEO is a must. And interaction with your readers is all important as well
Nova S says
interesting to read about some of the behind the scenes!
Shannon Victoria Holmes says
These are great tips. Thanks for sharing with us.