11 Blogging Mistakes (that kept my blog from growing)
I started blogging in 2019. I stumbled into it after researching ways I could promote myself as a musician and build out my brand (beyond social media).
Long story short, I fell in love with writing online. And I never looked back.
But damn, I made a lot of blogging mistakes. So I’m here to help you avoid some of my top ones.
Just rest easy knowing that this is totally normal. I’m still learning and improving, that journey never ends.
Now let’s do this!
Why Do Blogs Fail?
“You learn nothing from success. Nothing. You learn everything from the failures.”
Failing isn’t bad — I freaking love a good fail. It’s how I learn. It’s a stepping stone. The only true failure is in giving up.
So why do some blogs not make it? Here are a few reasons:
Need more skills
Not working on it enough
Not having enough content
Poor UX
Poor keyword choice/use
The wrong mindset
Giving up too soon
Not learning from mistakes
My Top 11 Blogging Mistakes (that you can avoid)
1. Going Too Broad
This was my greatest struggle. Part of the reason I love personal blogging so much is because I can get away with a multi-niche site. It’s almost expected.
But I went too broad.
I talked about lifestyle, creativity, travel…and songwriting and music production…also entrepreneurship and blogging.
(and art…art too…)
I couldn’t grow real topical authority in any one niche. I couldn’t create cohesive offers that suited all my audiences and I couldn’t grow an email list.
“All of my niches are layers that represent me and build my personal brand. But that doesn’t mean they all need content.”
So here’s my advice to avoid this mistake: use your uniqueness and multi-niche experiences, but not every passion needs to be a content pillar.
You can add new pillars down the road, but start with just one and build your authority there first.
And if you still want to cover multiple domains for your personal brand — but they’re super unrelated — consider a multibranding approach (this is what I’m doing).
Explore more:
➤ How to Grow a Multi-Niche Blog
2. Poor Keyword Choice
Keywords are how you drive traffic and create awesome content for your blog. And choosing the right ones is both a skill and an art.
When I first started, I chose awful keywords. This is normal, so don’t feel bad if you’re in that boat. Let me tow you to shore.
I used to think a good keyword meant high search volume and low competition. That’s it.
But actually, solid keyword selection is way more nuanced. You need to consider things like:
The search intent
Doing a SERP analysis
Your content strategy
Your brand
Secondary and semantic keywords
Your current content (any similar, competing terms?)
Some of this stuff comes with experience and blog growth. But the sooner you pay attention, the better.
Explore more:
➤ How to Find Good Keywords
3. Chaotic Content Strategy
My content strategy was chaotic. I lacked direction, strategy and clarity.
My posts didn’t link together well and I never built out my pillars in a logical way. My topic selection was very willy-nilly.
So now, I organize and choose my blogs more strategically. Here’s how:
Organize keywords into pillar content silos
Create topic clusters to cover subjects in full
Have a good mixture of informational vs. transactional content
Have strong pillar content to link back to
Create and follow a content funnel
Choose topics with intention and purpose
4. Too Fluffy
Learning to say less is an art form. But it’s also good writing.
Long, winding sentences of over-explained topics — no one got time for that!
Short-from content is trending. And easy-to-ready, scannable blogs are expected. Otherwise, expect a high bounce rate.
Here’s a quick litmus test:
“If it takes multiple scrolls to get to your point, you can probably cut some fluff.”
It’s a balancing act of creativity, audience awareness, keyword intent and brand tone.
But just keep in mind that conciseness is a skill. So keep practicing — you’ll get better. I still need to check myself.
5. Lazy Proofreading
After starting my blog, I fell into a bad habit of not proofreading.
I was on a publishing marathon and putting out fresh content almost daily. And my proofreading routine was more like skimming (or nothing at all).
Now, it’s a big part in my content creation process.
So here are some tips to improve and speed up your proofreading:
Use Grammarly or Hemmingway
Use AI
Have a friend read it over
Step away and come back with fresh eyes
6. Image Probs
My images used to be an afterthought. I would write an article and just choose the first generic stock photos that looked relevant enough.
I also never added alt text, didn’t compress my files and rarely used more than one main hero image per post (so my blogs were just all text).
This is not a good blog structure.
Now, my images are all custom-made edits and have clear branding. I use Canva, but you can also use AI or your own photos.
I also make sure to add alt text, include multiple images per post and try to make them engaging or interesting for readers.
Sometimes, I even create infographics (if it makes sense).
It takes some extra time, but try to get into the habit of better photos. You’ll stand out and look more professional and authentic.
7. Ignored the Data
For the first year(ish) of writing online, I ignored my blog’s data.
I barely looked at it. And if I did, I definitely didn’t use the insights to make better decisions.
That was a mistake.
For example, I created a couple of city-specific travel articles for my other blog a while back. But then I sort of just forgot about them.
(this goes back to my chaotic content planning problem from above)
Still, I ended up with a small cluster of travel blogs written. This pillar was far from strong, but while reviewing my site data in Google Analytics (GA4), I saw these travel articles were ranking and performing really well.
“I was getting thousands of visits and my average engagement time was almost double my overall blog average.”
This was a bit surprising — but it also a big hint: I should probably double down on this travel niche!
So I did. And now, that blog is a travel blog, which I love. I just thought the niche was too saturated (I was wrong).
So read your data. And make better decisions.
8. No Updates
Question — is writing new content or updating the old stuff better?
Annoyingly, both are important. BUT, I’ve been focusing most of my attention on updating old posts recently, and my site has been doing awesome.
I had recent traffic losses (from Google’s March 2024 core update), but it’s all come back, even stronger.
There was a subsequent summer update by Google, which may be helping my site bounce back, but I believe my updates are playing the biggest role here.
“My blog’s first articles lacked clarity, direction and brand voice.”
Old blogs have old information. Plus, I have more experience and knowledge compared to two years ago.
Updates make your site look more active (both to readers and to Google), stronger and more cohesive.
I try to do major updates at least once a year, and I prioritize blogs that either receive a lot of traffic or are key pillar posts for my brand.
So remember, updating old article is just as important as publishing new ones.
9. Poor UX / Design
UX (user experience) is how well your blog is structured and designed. Good UX can make a reader stay and remember your brand.
But bad UX will make them just want to leave.
Luckily, if you just get a few things right, you should be good to go. Here’s what I do:
Quote boxes
Make things scannable
Bolded and italic text
Bullet points
Blank space
Shorter paragraphs
Always check mobile
Clear headings
Different colors
Images
10. No Clear Branding
When I launched my first blog, I didn’t know what my brand was. I had ideas, but I was still testing things and learning.
This is normal.
So don’t feel behind if you’re in the same boat. Keep going and you’ll find your authenticity and blog identity eventually.
But if you can, try to think about your brand goals as early as possible.
Choose colors and font style that match your vibe. Write authentically using your personality and firsthand experiences.
Craft your image with intention.
You can always tweak things as you go, but the quicker you get into the habit of brand blogging, the better.
Explore more:
➤ Branding for Creatives + Creators
11. Unrealistic Expectations
“Think in years, not months.”
SEO takes time. This is one of the potential downsides when comparing blogging vs vlogging or social media.
But the payoff is huge! Your blog content can last for years.
If you keep things updated, your blog content can be permanent assets for your brand — consistently bring you traffic and authority.
But you’ll still need to manage your expectations.
Unless you have extensive experience or a big budget to outsource things, growing a blog from scratch takes time.
So stay the course and commit to a regular publishing schedule.
You’re building a business and a brand. Great things take great work and a great amount of time.
But it’s so worth it.
Later ✌️
Blogging is a skill. And I’m always learning new things. But these were my top mistakes that had the biggest impact.
Things like choosing bad keywords, poor planning, subpar writing and bad UX slowed my blog’s growth. It’s my hope that you can avoid at least some of my missteps.
But remember, it’s a journey and the learning never ends.
So enjoy the ride and stumble with a smile! You got this.
