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As internet marketers many of us maintain blogs in order to appeal to our target audience as well as to the search engines. We certainly love what we’re writing about, but we’re also hoping that our hard work will be rewarded with increased sales and a better standing in the search engines. Therefore it’s important to avoid some of the common pitfalls bloggers fall into when managing their website. Here are 5 common mistakes and how to avoid them when managing your blog:

2. Half hearted writing- This one should be a no-brainer, but sometimes when I come across a potentially entertaining blog it reads like it was written by a 10 year old. When reader’s come across bad spelling, grammar mistakes, and sentences that just don’t flow they are going to look elsewhere for entertainment. If you can’t write well then it may be worth the investment to hire someone who can. Decent writers won’t break the bank, and the small investment will pay off with a loyal readership.

3. Not interacting correctly with your readers with conversational writing- Your readers want to be spoken to, not spoken at. Rather than given unsolicited advice or rambling off “interesting” facts, try to make your blogs more conversational. Ask questions, state opinions, and present subjects that will entice comments and perhaps even start a heated conversation between users.

4. Putting your product before your readers- Nothing is worse than a service that gives too much sales pitch. Not unlike like pop-up windows on websites or blogs that are cluttered with ads, your readers will literally resent you if you hit them with too much sales pitch. The key is to give more value than you ask for in return and only pitch your product or service at the bottom of your post. If you respect your users they will respect you back, and be far more inclined to buy your product.

5. Lack of direction with your posts- Your readers come to your blog to read about your subject, so if your posts don’t stay consistent to a certain theme your readers will no longer see you as an authority in your respective field. They will feel like they don’t know what they’re going to get, and while this may be good for some things, for blog posts you want to stay consistent.

6. Being stuck in the past- Even if you have the best writing in the world your old website will eventually hurt you. It’s important to make sure that your entire presentation matches the quality of your written content. Use RSS feeds, Facebook, and all the sharing tools you can conjure. You should also use software like Livezilla and Google analytics to track which blog posts perform well then attempt to duplicate the results. Technology is there to help you, so use it for all it’s worth.

When you avoid these common pitfalls your readers will really respect you for it. Your blog following will increase and so will your sales.

Tags: Blogging, tips & tricks