There are some blogging practices that instead of making us grow, have a negative effect on our blogging journey. If you are doing the following, chances are that you are limiting your blog and killing its potential:
1. You are adding links that open on the same tab
When adding a link to your post, you should check the box to enable the link to open in a new tab. This helps your readers stay on your page by not navigating away to another page. If you have not been checking this box, you have been sending away your readers before they can check out your other posts, or even before they can finish reading the post that they were trying to read.
2. You are protecting your content
You might be skeptical about your content being plagiarized – it is a valid fear that every blogger has. You must however realize that doing this restricts your readers from sharing your posts. It is made worse if your blog has no social media share buttons. Don’t let your fear get in the way of sharing your content.
3. You are not providing your contacts
This is not really killing your blog per se, but killing your career as a blogger. Can you make it slightly easier for someone who visits your blog to get in touch with you? Well, we know that we can get pretty protective of our phone numbers but some of you don’t even put an email address. Why? By doing this, you are making sure that nobody can reach you. Yes,, not even that someone who would love an opportunity to work with you.
4. You are using a dark background or/and Colourful font.
The human eye is accustomed to reading black font against a white background. Using a dark background for your blog makes it difficult to read. Having a dark background or playing around with colourful fonts is not helping your blog look professional.
5. You are not niching
What do you blog about? If you cannot answer this question without going into a lengthy explanation, you are not doing yourself any justice as a blogger. Granted, while starting out you might still be skirting around many topics but as you grow you should be able to create a niche for your blog. Having a niche will help you to easily identify and define your audience and create content that suites them.
6. You have no ‘search’ widget
If there is nowhere for your readers to search your blog for specific posts, it will be difficult for them to read anything beyond your home page. Some people may visit your blog with the intention of finding a specific post whose title they remember. Make it easy for them to find it by adding a ‘search’ widget on your homepage.
7. You silently move to a new domain
You don’t do that. You do not just up and leave, abandoning your readers. This is especially when you move away from WordPress or Blogspot to your own domain – don’t assume they will find you. Make sure to leave behind a link to your new home so that your readers may know where to follow you to.
8. You are doing what so and so is doing.
Your blog will stand out only if it is unique. If you start out blogging with the intention of doing it the way another blogger is doing it, what is the point? Before you start blogging, ask yourself what value you are adding to the space. How is your blog unique from the many blogs that are out there?