Have you recently launched your own blog? If so, then it is important to take steps to ensure that your blog is a success and delivers the results you want. This is particularly important if you want to make the greatest impact and potentially profit from your blog. But there are several common issues that bloggers can have.
Running a blog that is successful and resonates with an audience isn’t as easy as you might think. It takes a lot of effort to ensure that your blog hits the right mark from day one. This includes everything from the design to the tech that you are using and of course, your content. Here is how to avoid some of the common issues that bloggers can have.
Tech Trouble
First, it’s important to have the right tech as a blogger and you need to make sure that your tech is functioning the right way. Ideally, you should be posting content to your blog regularly. A couple of pieces of great content each week will ensure that your audience is going to keep up with your blog and keep checking back. This means that you need electronics that you can rely on. If there are tech issues, then you’ll need to make sure that you resolve them as quickly as possible. If you use a Mac for blogging, look here to discover the best way to fix issues with Mac which could be causing it to run more slowly than usual or that might stop your system from running at all. I discovered this a few years ago and it has helped so much!
But this isn’t the only issue that you can have as a blogger of course. You also need to think about ensuring that your system is safe and secure. Bloggers are often targeted by hackers because they, often correctly, assume that they won’t have the right security systems in place.
At the very least, you should ensure that you do have antivirus software running in the background of your system. The right antivirus software will protect you from the majority of hacks that could bring your blog crashing down. It’s always best to check the reviews of any software like this that you are thinking about using. You need to make sure that you get the right option that will deliver the best support.
People are often under the assumption that downloading antivirus software will actually add viruses to your computer. This is a fallacy and there is no proof to support these claims.
The Wrong SEO
SEO or search engine optimization is a crucial element of running a blog. It’s how you will guarantee that your blog is found by a large target audience online. Now, you might think that you can get away with simply tagging your articles. This is just one piece of the puzzle though and it will only attract the interest of people who use blogs themselves. You need to reach a larger audience and for that, you need a real SEO solution.
It’s worth noting that the majority of professional bloggers do not DIY SEO. Instead, they choose to use a marketing agency to promote their website online. If you are serious about reaching a large audience, this is what you may want to consider. But not all marketing agencies are equal. So, you must make sure that you do choose a quality service. You should check the reviews of any service that you are thinking about using. The best marketing teams will have a portfolio of happy clients willing to vouch for the service that they have offered.
You must avoid blackhat SEO tactics. Blackhat SEO will earn your blog a Google penalty. This will cause your ranking to drop through the floor and lead to a difficult, long road to recovery. Black hat SEO solutions will often be able to quote a price before they have even looked at your blog. This should be seen as a massive red flag that they are delivering a cookie-cutter solution that you can’t trust.
SEO is also more expansive than you realize these days. It’s a massive umbrella term that covers a wide range of different tactics. This includes more than just on-page SEO. For instance, one of the best ways to increase the domain authority of your website will always be by linking it to other popular websites online. This can be accomplished by seeking out guest post opportunities.
Slow Website
Your blog needs to load quickly. Research suggests that if a page takes more than a few seconds to load, the majority of users will click away to another website online. Essentially, you will lose them to your competition. Don’t forget there are millions of blogs online. If your blog doesn’t provide the speeds that users are accustomed to, they always have other options. So, how can you speed up your blog?
Well, first think about the hosting services that are available to you. Look at a professional hosting solution. The right hosting solution will mean that you don’t have to worry about your blog pages loading at snail pace. This will come at a cost but it’s one worth fitting into your budget. Particularly, if you are serious about making sure that your blog is a success.
Another way to speed up your website is to think about the files that you are adding to it. You need to make sure that your files aren’t too large. If you are adding photos and videos you should use compressing software to ensure that they don’t take up too much space. Do be aware that the majority of your traffic will be looking at your blog using a phone or a tablet. So, there’s no reason to make them massive. It is a waste of data.
Since we mentioned mobile devices, you also need to make sure that your blog provides the same user-friendly experience regardless of the device that you are using. As such, you should think about ensuring that your blog is mobile responsive. Most of the classic blog builders have this capability built-in. But it’s always worth checking that your blog looks great on various mobile devices as you build and design it from the ground up.
Boring Design
It is important that the design of your blog stands out. If your design doesn’t stand out and looks plain or boring then you are always going to struggle to get the attention that you need and deserve. Remember, a user is always going to notice the design of your blog before they start reading the content. This means that you can have fantastic content and your audience still won’t be interested resulting in a high bounce rate. To rectify this, you should make sure that you avoid using templates that you can find online. Since they are free, everyone uses these and your blog isn’t as unique as it should be. It doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Instead, you should make sure that you hire a professional web designer. They can build a website that looks fantastic and fits in with your identity or goals as a blogger.
Be aware that your design can impact how user-friendly your website is. It’s important to make sure that your website is easy to read and navigate. Again, issues here can lead to a significantly higher bounce rate and cause you to lose the interest of your audience. No one wants to squint at a screen when they are trying to read content on a blog.
Lack Of Productivity
Finally, you could find that your main issue is simply remaining productive when you are writing your blog. It’s possible that you often find that you just don’t have the time or energy to add the content to your website. There are a few ways to deal with this. First, make sure that you have a space set up in your home specifically for working on your blog. You’ll find that you get a lot more done this way compared to working in random places such as on your bed or on the sofa. It’s particularly important to choose a place where there are fewer distractions.
You might also want to use a screen tracking usage tool. This will show you exactly how much time you are wasting on websites and apps that aren’t relevant to your blog. You could be spending hours each day browsing random social media pages.
Hopefully this helps to understand some of the key issues that you can have when you are running a professional blog and the steps you can take to correct the problems here. If you make the right moves, then you will be able to guarantee that you do see the right level of success with your blog online. Then you can reach the traffic levels you hoped for and build up a brand identity.
