7 Blogging Mistakes You Must Not Make as a Beginner

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Are you new to the world of blogging and feeling anxious about making mistakes? Well, you’re not alone! 

Even seasoned bloggers have made their fair share of missteps along the way. Speaking for myself, I’ve made so many mistakes that it took me two tries to finally get it right.

Luckily for you, I’m here to make your journey easier and share the most common pitfalls you might make as a beginner blogger.

In this post, we’ll dive into the top blogging mistakes to avoid if you want to turn your blog into a successful one – and do it faster!

Are you ready? Then, let’s get started!

1. NOT BATCHING TASKS

If you’re not batching your content, you’re working harder (not smarter!).

I also made this mistake. Why was I not batching content? Well, there were different reasons:

• I thought that my brain was too tired to produce many pieces of good content at once
• I was letting distractions come my way, so creating would take me twice the time
• I was always running behind, so I had to accomplish what felt urgent at that moment

If any of these reasons sound familiar to you, then you found your solution.

Batching content will save your time, your energy, and…your blog! 

Even though some tasks should be practiced daily – such as writing and engaging with your audience -, batching content is essential for bigger and more complex tasks.

You should put all the tasks that require a lot of time and energy to fit into a certain day or block of time. To give you some more context, I will tell you how I batch my content:

• Written content creation day → On this day, I write:
  • social media captions
  • blog posts
  • emails for the newsletter
  • new ideas
• Research day → On this day, I would do:
  • keyword research on Google and Pinterest
  • write keywords to use for my posts
  • read other bloggers’ posts to get inspired
• Video production day → On this day, I:
  • record TikTok videos for the week
  • film B-rolls for Pinterest
  • edit all the videos
• Engagement focus day → On this day, I usually:
  • answer emails
  • reply to comments
  • comment on other blogger’s blog posts
  • do networking

As I mentioned above, some tasks still have to be done daily. So for example, every day I would answer any urgent email or write something (maybe more personal) just to keep my creativity high.

Batching tasks helped me in being more productive: my brain doesn’t have to do many content switches, and in a couple of hours I have all the content to use for the following weeks.

To help you stay on top of your blogging tasks, you can grab my FREE Daily Planners!

2. NOT TREATING BLOGGING AS A BUSINESS

One of the most common blogging mistakes new bloggers make is not treating blogging as a business.

So, you want to earn money through your blog but you’re not willing to treat it as a business, am I right?

Let me ask you some questions:

• Would you not show up to the office for several days?
• Or, would you work for only 1 hour and then leave?
• Would you not go to work because you have something better to do?

Of course not!

I know, I know. You want the flexibility that comes with being a blogger; but, here is the hard truth: to have that flexibility and freedom, you need to put a lot of work in first.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want you to stop taking care of yourself, not having a social life, or functioning on 4 cups of coffee. I don’t want any of this. We all know what the conclusion would be: burnout. 

The thing is that, especially at the beginning of your blogging journey, you will have to make some choices. The choices you make will all depend on the priorities you have. 

Take me as an example: it’s a Friday night in February, and the new season of OBX has just come out. I could be here lying in bed binge-watching it, but I’m not. I’m lying on the bed writing this blog post, instead. 

Why? For me, working on my blog is way more important than consuming content on Netflix. Will that mean that I won’t ever watch it? Of course not!

It’s just that, you see, yesterday I set a goal for myself: to write 4 blog posts. I haven’t achieved my goal yet.

So why would I allow myself to watch something I enjoy if first I haven’t worked on what’s more important and relevant to me?

This is what I mean when I say that you should consider your blog as your business. 

If you’re 100% invested in your business, you will give your 100% to make it thrive and strive.

3. AVOIDING GOOGLE ANALYTICS

To be honest, in my first two attempts at blogging, I didn’t even try to understand Google Analytics. Too many numbers. Too many lines in those graphs (I’m a creative gal!).

Well, little did I know…

Google Analytics is an amazing tool if used properly. The best part? They offer FREE courses for beginners! 

Google is on your side: it’s breaking down for you the information you should focus on and giving you insights on what’s working and what isn’t. 

You? All you need to do is to put enough effort into understanding what the parameters mean.

So yeah, if I had a magic wand and could go back in time, I would start learning earlier about Google Analytics. 

I mean, it’s not even that bad. But I get it: when you’re new to blogging you take in so much information in so little time that everything seems harder than it is. 

If you’re only producing content, though, and not checking its performance…how do you even know you’re moving in the right direction?

4. TOO MANY SOCIAL MEDIA

Another of the many mistakes I made when blogging as a beginner was wanting to be present everywhere. 

I would launch my blog, and on the same day open an Instagram and Pinterest accounts, backed up with a Facebook page. Oh, and I was also running the newsletter.

I was just trying to be present on all platforms so that…I ended up being consistent in none.

Since I made this mistake twice, I want to give you a piece of advice that I wish I had known sooner: if you’re just starting as a beginner blogger, focus on 1 or a maximum of 2 social media platforms. 

If I can give you another tip, this platform should be Pinterest. I mean, it’s not a secret that Pinterest is the best social media to grow your blog traffic. 

So yeah, start simple. Start by creating appealing Pins, and scheduling new Pins daily. 

Trust me: being consistent on one social media gives you way better results than trying to be everywhere at the same time – and ending up being nowhere.

5. ZERO PROMOTION

“What is the point of writing amazing content if nobody is there to read it?”. I wish I asked myself this question way earlier. 

For so long, I was caught up in researching and writing high-quality posts, that I forgot about an essential element for every business: promotion!

I thought that my job was done once I hit “Publish” – but it had only started.

Of course, having a good amount of high-quality content is important, so that your readers can get some added value from reading your blog posts. 

The problem is that readers won’t easily find you. You have to make yourself visible to them. You have to put in the effort to promote your blog – without being spammy.

What are some ways in which you can promote your content?

• Pinterest, of course
• TikTok (if it works with your audience)
• Reading and commenting on other bloggers’ posts
• Reaching out for guest-blogging opportunities
• Answering Facebook groups’ questions and discussion

Try to get your blog’s name out there. But make sure that every place you choose, it’s of high interest and relevance for your blog. 

Don’t waste your time in places where your message won’t reach your ideal readers.

Remember: you’re looking for people who can truly benefit from your blog – you’re not just trying to get 1 more view.

6. LOW ROI TASKS

In my “Blogging Schedule for Beginner Bloggers” post, I talked a lot about high-ROI tasks.

To give you a brief definition: those are the tasks that generate the greatest output with the minimum effort. Depending on your goal and your point in the blogging journey, your highest ROI tasks might be:

• Reaching out to sponsors – if that’s a stream of income
• Writing posts that fit affiliate programs – if you earn from affiliate marketing
• Creating attractive freebies – if you’re trying to attract engaged readers
• Designing appealing Pins – if you want to increase your blog traffic

On the other hand, many blogging tasks can be much more time-consuming, but don’t lead to big results. 

One of the blogging mistakes many beginner bloggers fall for is focusing too much on low-ROI tasks. That could look like this:

• Tweaking your WordPress theme every day
• Spending hours on writing the perfect “About me” page
• Reading other bloggers’ posts for hours without writing anything
• Wasting hours replying to comments on social media

Yes, those are some important tasks that – now and then – need to be accomplished. But what direct value do they give you or your blog? None! 

That’s why you should work on these activities only when it’s late afternoon and don’t have enough mental energy to do something more challenging, or don’t have any other higher ROI task to do. 

Focus on what can help you grow your blog first; the rest doesn’t matter – at least in the beginning. 

It doesn’t have to be perfect; it has to be good enough.

7. WRONG MINDSET

You probably have noticed that, on my blog, I often write about mindset.

Well, you have to know that my mindset was, for a long time, what held me back from running a successful blog. 

The thing is that I didn’t even know that, unconsciously, I was self-sabotaging myself and my dream.

One of the worst blogging mistakes you could make is not believing in it enough. Not believing in yourself. Not believing in your blog.

You can try and sweat to make your boat reach the shore, but if you’re moving against the wind, it will never work. 

Mindset and actions need to be in alignment. Only when those two are aligned, you will have real results. 

One of my favorite quotes ever, which I also mentioned in the post “100 Best Motivational quotes of all times” is:

“Whether you believe you can or can’t, you’re both right”

– Henry Ford

So, if you’re serious about turning your new blog into a real business, I suggest you start with your mindset. That’s where success starts. 

PS. If you’re looking for ways to develop a more successful mindset, don’t panic because I have a whole blog post on the topic: “7 Proven Mindset Shifts for your Business Success”!

Blogging isn’t a smooth ride. You will screw up things. Many times. 

Along the journey, you will make many blogging mistakes – no matter if I warned you.

If it were easy, then everyone would be a blogger.

The fact that you’ve made it here, to the end of this post, tells me that you’re serious about blogging.

I’m sure you have what it takes to be a successful blogger. I believe in you! 

I hope that, by knowing the blogging mistakes I made along the way, you will shorten your path to success.

You’ve got this!

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