Top 10 Blogging Tips and dumb mistakes to avoid for beginner

by Piyush Bhukar | Jun 17, 2020 | 4 comments

What are the ulitmate blogging tips that can help you to rank higher and earn money from blogs?

Alert! We will also talk about the dumb blogging mistakes that I made one year ago and every beginner makes.

Every beginner makes the same mistakes and has the same story – ” I don’t know what is SEO, keyword research, quality content, I was just writing like fools and publishing”.

So, let’s change this story and hack blogging now.

Your story after reading this article- “ Now I know about seo, content, research and the dumb mistakes I was making, my ranking boosts up after using these blogging tips”.

Enjoy the blogging journey!!!

Start a blog

If you haven’t start a blog then let’s first setup your blog in 5 minutes.

See- How to start a blog from scratch

Niche

Choose a niche in which you have experience and want to learn about it. Only one niche per site. It can be related to health, travel, food, blogging, fashion, etc.

Niche= Profitable+Passionate ( apply this formula and choose your niche).

Blogging mistakes #1

Before starting to write a blog I was not sure about my niche ( I also don’t know what is a niche?). I just write about health, study, life, etc and I keep on writing up to 9 months.

When someone asks “What is your niche?”- I just reply “poly niche”. ( means many niches in one website).

Domain

Choose a domain name related to your niche. Like if my niche is related to blogging then my domain name is hackblogging.com

Choosing a short domain name with simple words helps people to memorize it easily. People get an idea of what your site is about. Don’t overthink just choose.

Don’t start with Free domain. Buy domain now from Siteground ( 70% off).

Blogging mistakes #2

One year before I choose a domain name- smartway2live.com. Now, it’s good but it’s not easily memorable.

When I tell someone about this domain name to search in Google, I have to specify that its “2” not “to” and they forget it easily after 1 hour.

Then again I decided to start a new website ( on which you are reading this article). I buy a domain name “rushblogs.com”.

Now, this name is short but doesn’t have any meaning, so I decided to change this name to hackblogging.com ( Hack now)

Hosting and Platform

Choose cheap and reliable web hosting. Choose Siteground hosting. But Why?

It’s cheap and your site speed increases by 70% ( a massive change) because siteground provides many premium features for FREE.

Click on this special link to get 70% off on Siteground Hosting

I suggest you to choose WordPress platform. But Why?

Includes many features and maintains good flow of traffic ( user-friendly)

If you first only want to take the experience or not want to invest money then you can start writing blogs for free with medium.com, wordpress.com, blogger.com, etc.

But, if you are really serious then invest some money.

Blogging Mistakes #3

I didn’t buy hosting from a good hosting provider ( no features and no SSL certificate) ( my 3rd big mistake). Then after few months, I buy Siteground hosting and now I am enjoying it.

Congrats, now you are ready to write a blog post; but wait have you customized your blog post and do you know how to write a ultimate blog post.

So, let’s go more deep.

Blogging Tips #1 Blog Theme

Choosing the right theme and designing your website is the first step before you publish any post.

Why I recommend to buy a premium theme

• Premium themes are mobile-friendly.
• Good SEO optimization.
• Proper user interface.
• Boost site speed.
• The site looks great when you design it.
• Great customer support

The first step to make site mobile friendly is the website architecture and with free themes, you can’t have a good website architecture.

Make some budget to buy a theme and make your websitve responsive.

If you really want value for money theme than I suggest you to choose Elegant themes. Why this?

It is becuase of its features and low cost.

In less investment you get Divi theme, divi builder, monarch, bloom and many other features for unlimited websites.

Some alternatives of Elegant themes are- Thrive themes, Generate Press and Astra Pro.

Get 20% instant discount on Divi

Blogging mistakes #4

What big mistake I did was choosing a free theme; my site got hacked easily, not mobile friendly, no features and site speed was low.

Then after searching and making a small budget I decided to buy a premium theme ( Elegant ) and now I can design it in my way.

I am enjoying premium theme. What about you? Have you made a decision?

Blogging Tips #2 Research

The first and important step before writing a blog post is research.

Understand your Audience

Firstly understand your audience. It means what audience is looking for in your niche. Know the audience problems.

If your content can solve the arising audience problems then your content is going to boom.

So, to understand your audience see what question they are asking on quora, you tube and other social platforms, communities etc.

Searcher’s

Keyword Research

When you understand your audience, now you know about what topics to write about but not right keywords.

For doing deep keyword analytics , I suggest you to use SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool.

Why Keyword Research is necessary- Right keywords shape your content and tell search engine crawler what your content is about.

When any user types the target keyword ( your main keyword) in search engine (query) , Google shows the SERPs related to that keyword.

How to choose right keywords?

• Choose average volume keywords ( 100-400)
• Low-competition
• Still trending or not.
• Target Long-tail Keywords more.

From there look what your competitors had written ( competitive research); how they have written, content length, and what is unique in their content.

Choose 3-4 keywords in which one is your focus keywords ( primary main keyword).

Blogging Mistakes #5

I think every newbie makes this mistake of not doing research and obviously I was not rare.

I just keep on writing the content without understanding my audience, without doing any research just keep on writing like fools.

And one interesting thing is that; ‘I wander why my blog posts are not ranking’.

So, don’t make this dumb mistake and research before your write.

Congrats, now you are ready to write a ultimate blog post. Appreciate yourself.

Blogging Tips #3 Content writing

Keep this thing in your mind that “Content is king”. So, Let’s hack content writing.

Write unique, simple, deep and high-quality content. Don’t write content for search engine or yourself write for audience.

Title

Give some time for writing titles. If you have no idea then you can use site title generator.

Write catchy titles. Use power emotional and questionable words like- hacks, ultimate, dumb, quick, best, top 10, how to etc.

Introduction

• Start with a question.
• Connect emotionally with the audience (humor is best). Use power words.
• Tell a fact or write a quote.
• Don’t waste too much time on thinking just give a simple start.

Ultimate Main body Content hacks

• Your content length should be at least 1500 words ( valuable information).
• Solve the audience problem through your content. ( provide value)
• Include ‘you’ and ‘I’ words more.
• Don’t forget to tell the audience about your experience. ( Connection is important).
• Give facts, examples, and statistics.
• Include images, videos, and infographics. ( don’t cross limit)
• Follow simple AIDA formula
• Attention- The first step is to grab the attention of the user. Attract the right customers
• Interest- Create interest.
• Desire- Solve audience problem. Connect with them.
• Action- Force them to take action ( buy, comment, etc.). Include Call to Action words.

Conclusion

Don’t get confuse with the word conclusion; it’s not the end of the article.

• Write a short conclusion.
• Give your opinion.
• Include infographic in your conclusion.
• End conclusion with a question or call to action.

Keep your content fresh. I request you to not copy/paste content ( mistake every newbie makes once) otherwise your site will get banned with few days ( Google is smarter than you). Plagiarism should not be more than 5%

So, this was the whole structure of content writing.

Blogging Mistakes #6

Now, the biggest mistake while writing a content was that I was writing for myself not for audience.

As, a newbie I was not aware of the content length and keep my content as concise as possible ( max 1000 words).

No structure of content was there. No catchy titles, no introduction and there was no conclusion ( only small body content).

Also at first I didn’t include any heading and subheading in my content.

I was not aware what power words are, which type of content audience wants, just keep on writing like fools.

So, don’t make these mistakes and write valuable and relevant content.

Congrats, you have written an awesome blog post but wait it’s not ready to be published.

Blogging Tips #4 SEO

What is SEO? SEO stand for Search Engine Optimization. It is a process of bringing quality and quantity traffic to your website and rank in organic search page results.

Do the basic On-Page SEO

• Title- Include focus keyword at the beginning of Title. Include power words and numbers in your title. (max 60 characters).
• Meta Description- Like title write an engaging meta description. Use your focus keyword and give a great overview. ( max 160 characters).
• URL– Permalink of your post. Keep it short; only write focus keyword in it.
• Content– Include all your keywords in the content. ( especially in your introduction). Keep ideal keyword density, don’t overoptimize. Write a long length of content. Use short paragraphs ( 3-4 sentences max).
• Subheads– Include focus keyword in your subheadings. Include only 1 <H1> tag ( title).
• Alt text- Image description (a necessary part). Keep it short and use your focus keyword.
• Linking- Use at least 3-4 internal and external links. Externally link to high authority websites.
• Site health– Optimize images, browser cache, Https secure connection, mobile-friendly site, sitemaps, check redirects, and errors. Audit your site weekly by the best SEMrush Site Audit Tool out there.

To manage and for doing the basic On-page SEO , I suggest you to use Rank Math or Yoast SEO plugin.

See- 9+ Ultimate Hacks to Write SEO friendly content

Link Building ( off Page SEO)

Getting quality do follow backlinks is necessary to boost traffic, improve domain and page authority and build connections.

But don’t make a mistake of focusing on link building in the start. Focus on producing high-quality content. (because you will get backlinks only if your site has traffic, and high DA)

Minimum articles limit to start link building is 25. It means when you published 25-50 articles on your site, it is the best time to start link building. Some hacks are-

• Write high-quality content.
• Guest Blogging- Build a connection with other bloggers in your niche.
• Skyscraper technique.
• Comment on your competitor’s blog posts.

Blogging mistakes #7

In the starting no one knows what SEO is ? SEO is very important for ranking higher on SERPs.

What I did was just write one post, then next , then next…. Keep on publishing the post but not doing SEO on it.

Good news was that I have installed SEO plugin but bad news was that I don’t know how to use it.

I was just wondering- What is this focus keyword, alt text, URLs, meta description…..And the funny thing is that “I never external link to any website” ( a very big mistake)( I think why I add another site name on my website).

I came to know after completing a online SEO course. But don’t worry for you it’s FREE- SEO Ultimate Guide 2020.

Blogging tips #5 E-mail list

Now, building an e-mail list is an important step towards growing your brand or you can say building trust and connection with people.

Without a e-mail list there is no meaning of monetization

Keep in mind that 1 e-mail subscriber= $1

• Lead magnet- Attract audience. Give e-books, pdfs, webinars, or courses for FREE.
• E-mail opt-in- Build an e-mail opt-in. So, that people can give their e-mail address to you and take the material ( lead magnet). Build an exit popup.
• Send e-mails- Now, send e-mails to the subscribers related to your new posts, products, or any new update. Build campaigns. The best day for conversions is Saturday.
• Top e-mail marketing tools – AWeber, ConvertKit, Drip, Thrive Leads, and Mailchimp.

Blogging Mistakes #8

In, starting what I did was just open my account with Mailchimp and put a small opt-in on the side of the page ( where people can’t see).

But when I build a pop-up and create a lead magnet ( a free e-book), my e-mail list start growing.

As a beginner it’s normal for everyone. No, one knows about e-mail list building.

But it’s the most important part to boost your traffic, earn money, build trust and connection with people.

Blogging tips #6 Monetization

Hey, now it’s the time to earn some money from blogs. Because for many the last main goal of blogging is money.

Make Money Blogging

• When traffic starts coming join a premium ad network. Write sponsored posts if you love and have time to write.
• Affiliate marketing- The main earning source for many bloggers ( including me). Join Affiliate network, find and promote products, track sales, and earn a commission.
• Products– Sell e-books, online courses, Softwares, and professional services. You can also sell physical products.
• Conferences- Don’t miss any interviews or conferences. Meet and speak in front of people. Build trust and grow your network.
• Scaling and optimizing– Track everything, build testimonials, and go a level up every day.

Blogging Mistakes #9

In the starting for few months my site traffic was very low and I was not aware of any type of monetization.

Good news- I was so happy that I got Google Adsense approval but again a bad news- I made only $1 in two weeks.

So, Google Adsense is just a motivation for beginners but not the primary way of monetization.

What i recommend is don’t fill your whole site and pages with ads ( bad user interface).

Then I came to know about affiliate marketing and it’s working , then my real earning starts.

Money Blogging is a broad topic. There are many ways you can make money out there, its all about exploring.

Blogging Tips #7 Content Promotion

Okay, now you have written high -quality content, done SEO and published it. But “How will people know?” about your new post.

Google takes social signals as a important ranking factor.

Now, here comes the word Content Promotion. How to promote-

• Facebook– Make a Facebook page and group. Post daily on your page. Use memes and run ads. ( invest some money and get quality traffic). Join other groups and make a connection with them.
• Quora- Most of the traffic comes from Facebook and Quora. Answer deeply at least 1-2 questions daily ( make it a habit) and provide links to your website.
• Pinterest– Many Bloggers drive massive traffic from Pinterest ( it’s like a search engine). Create different boards and make a habit of pinning at least 1 pin a day.
• Youtube- Now, people loving watching videos rather than reading articles, so you can make a channel on youtube; post quality videos and drive traffic to your website.
• E-mail- Send e-mail to all your subscribers related to your content. You can also prefer to send an outreach e-mail ( e-mail to build backlinks).
• Instagram- Visual world. Add Instagram story daily. Use IGTV. Add great visuals Instagram posts ( don’t forget to include hashtags).
• Linked In- Post on Linked In, meet with people, and create your own group. Create a great profile.

There are many other social platforms out there. Don’t think to be everywhere and use all platforms at the same time.

Master one and then next. Find that 20 % platforms that can give you 80% results.

Blogging Mistakes #10

In starting I just use Quora platform but didn’t know how to use it to drive traffic.

My questions get deleted by Quora Moderation ( face many issues in starting) but with time I learned it.

I also made a facebook page, instagram and pinterest profile ( but no activity on these platforms) that was my big mistake.

So, now my main focus is on facebook, quora and Pinterest for content promotion.

See, use a simple strategy ‘write less and promote more’.

Blogging Tips #8 Images, videos, and infographics

• Use 5-6 images in your post.
• Using more than that can decrease your page loading time and impact ranking.
• Include images with faces.
• Include meme images.
• Include screenshots and diagrams.
• Don’t forget to include the featured image.
• Include a video if you want ( it’s best to include your own youtube video). ( decreases bounce rate)
• Make it a habit to include an infographic in a post ( increase link building and 3X sharing). Make Infographic conclusion
• Use Canva to build charts and high-quality images.
• Use Visme, Venngage to build high-quality infographics.
• Download free photos from Pixabay, Shutterstock, etc.

Blogging mistake #11

When I started blogging , my some post were without images. And what I do was just copy the images from Google and use it in the post.

Then I think “What about Copyright”. After that, I started using the Canva tool to build my own images and use free images from pixabay.

Also I didn’t write any alt text and not include any feature images.

What about infographics? In beginning I didn’t know “what infographic is?”, but now I had made a habit of making one infographic per post.

Blogging Tips #9 Tools and plugins

Ultimate Tools that I use are-

• SEMrush- The All in One SEO Suite. Provide a deep analysis of keywords, competitors, SEO, and a great site audit tool.
• Grammarly– It is the best Free tool I like. Use it and correct your grammar and spelling mistakes.
• Keyword Density checker– Check competitor’s posts keyword density.
• Canva– I use this tool to built high-quality images, charts, and infographics.
• Plagiarism Checker– Before publishing my post I check if my content is unique or not.
• Check your readability with the readability tool.

Plugins that I use-

• W3 cache plugin- Very important to increase your page speed.
• Shortpixel- Optimizing image size.
• Bloom- Elegant themes bloom as a social sharing plugin.
• Divi builder– Divi theme builder.
• Rank Math SEO plugin

Blogging Mistakes # 12

When I started blogging I don’t know about some of these tools and plugins ( but don’t know how to use them).

I use to call my friend and ask him to read my content and tell any spelling and grammar mistakes ( I was not aware of grammarly tool)

When I started tracking my competitors with the SEMrush tool, use Canva to build images and Grammarly to check spelling and grammar mistakes, my traffic boosts up.

And obviously theme builder and SEO plugin has a large impact on my site.

I was just using the free theme and a SEO plugin which I don’t know how to use.

Blogging Tips # 10 Consistency

Consistency is the most important factor. Publish high-quality blog posts consistently.

Set different dates- publishing date, promotion day, writing day etc.

Making a calendar or time table helps you; to be focused and consistent.

If you make any task a goal and visualize it then no one can stop you to achieve that.

Don’t multitask, make a schedule, set small goals daily and take breaks.

Blogging Mistakes # 13

What mistake I made was, I just keep on writing the posts and I wrote about 35 posts in a month.( advance work).

The price that I pay for this was that after a month there was back and neck pain.

But what if I only write 4-5 articles every month, optimizing them and publishing.( giving time to every article).

And, the last big mistake that the blogger makes is – losing patience. But I didn’t make this mistake and hope you also.

When beginner bloggers didn’t get the result they leave or switch to a different niche. But here’s the fact, that they can never succeed in any field.

If you want success in any field then consistency and patience are the most important factors.

Don’t work hard, work smart.

Bonus Tips on Blogging

• Set up Google Analytics from starting
• Set up Google Alerts.
• Before publishing read yourself the whole blog post ( keep yourself in audience shoes).
• Know Your ‘Why?’ ( purpose). A great Why can be like this-

FAQs related to blogging tips and blogging mistakes

Conclusion