When you first start a business blog, it’s easy to make a few blogging mistakes. While it seems like nearly every business already has a blog, new blogs are popping up every day. If you’re just getting your blog up and running, here are a few common mistakes that can be detrimental before it gets off of the ground.
Seasoned bloggers are wise to take note of these tips as well; even the most professional of us can use a reminder every now and then!
Here are a few things not to do with your blog:
- Not making sure all of your content is original. While most of us understand the ramifications of plagiarism when it comes to writing papers in college, it can be more of a grey area when it comes to blogging. It is possible to get into legal trouble for stealing someone’s ideas and re-printing them word for word. Just be careful to keep your blogging original, even if you are taking inspiration from something that someone else wrote.
- Using recycled content. Many blogs do use the content of others, with due credit given. This is particularly true of things like news articles or announcements. While it’s fine to include things like this from time to time, don’t fill your site with outside content. Your readers will get bored quickly and abandon your blog for something better.
- Not writing about something you know. Picking a blog topic that is completely outside of your realm of expertise is unwise. Writing about something that you are interested in and are familiar with will come across to your readers as more natural. That’s not to say that you can’t explore new topics, just make sure that you understand that your blog readers want to see you as an expert.
- Not researching what you’re writing about. In addition to checking out your competitors, you can also see what topics in your planned area of expertise have already been beaten to death, so to speak. Coming up with a new spin on an old topic or touching on an issue in your field that hasn’t been covered much is more likely to gain readers for your blog.
- Not making sure your blog is visually interesting. A good layout is key to get people to come back and keep reading. Seasoned bloggers are wise to evaluate their visual interest occasionally as well. Another way to keep people interested is to use lots of images, graphics, and infographics.
About our Guest Author:
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.
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