Top 5 Blogging Mistakes that’s Frustrating Your Efforts (and How to Fix Them)

When I started this blog back in 2009 the subject of making money blogging was just at its infancy. A lot of people back then were jumping in and starting their own blogs.

Many of these bloggers became overnight gurus dishing out how to make money blogging tips. Every where you turn there was a blog on how to make money blogging. A lot of times the same tips were just being tweaked and re-posted on different blogs.

On the surface it does appear that most of these bloggers were really making a ton of money from their efforts. However, over the years I have observed a lot of these “guru bloggers” drop by the wayside!

I can attest to this fact because every time I do a general review of this blog I've always seen a huge number of broken links. Most of these broken links are mostly from blogs that I have linked to over the years.

But why would someone who have always shown that they are making money from their blogs and have taken it upon themselves to teach others how to make money blogging suddenly abandon their blog?

The answer to that question is not far fetched. The truth is most of those guru bloggers were only putting up a front. While they may appear to be successful on the surface the truth is most of them were making next to nothing from their blogs.

For example, while a recent report indicated that about 67.5% of bloggers blog to make money online only about 5% of bloggers are actually making a full income from their blogs!

This is why a lot of bloggers after struggling for years trying to scrap a living from their blog end up throwing in the trowel. Of course, it's  frustrating to put in so much and yet get nothing out.

In this post I want to share with you the top five mistakes that I have found, over these years, to be main reason why many bloggers fail. Matter of fact is, if you're presently struggling with your blog, one of these mistakes might just be the culprit!

Recommended: The Beginners Complete Guide to Making Money Blogging

Why Seemly Hard -Working Bloggers Fail!

Mistake #1: Blogging without a Definite Purpose

Do you have a purpose for your blog?

What is your motivation for starting the blog?

Do you have a story to tell?

It’s unfortunate that many of the blogs out there are nothing but “just another blog!” From design to content; and tactics, there's really nothing that separates them from other blogs.

In fact, many of these blogs were started because the blogger was impressed by the results being posted by other probloggers out there.

The truth is, if you want to make money with your blog it is important that you have a definite purpose for the blog. You must be able to answer the question, WHY this blog? Not taking care of this before you start will put a whole lot of boulders on your way. 

So, if you are in this boat right now it's important that you take some time off and settle this issue. Ask yourself questions like: 

• Why am I really blogging?
• I’m I here just to share my thoughts and opinions or to make a living?
• If I’m here to make money how do I do that?
• Should I be promoting affiliate products or selling my own product/service?
• And what do I need to do to accomplish this?

Doing this right now will help you get a clearer picture and the focus of your blog.

Mistake #2: Blogging without a Plan

It’s unfortunate that many bloggers do not have a plan and worst still they never care to have one.

As the common saying goes, when you fail to plan you're planning to fail. Unfortunately, not many bloggers who want to make money blogging really care to take this to heart.

I encourage you to read this post on how to set SMART goals for your blog.

Once you have decided on the purpose of your blog, designing a plan on how to achieve that purpose will greatly help on your journey. A blogging plan should answer the question of how you expect to make money with your blog and what you must do to achieve that goal.

Your plan for making money from your blog will determine the type of content you showcase on your blog. It's definite that a blog that is designed to sell advertising space would be different content-wise from the one that is focused on selling your consulting practice!

Mistake #3: Not Building a List

This is really a big one.

Despite hearing it over and over again that the money is in the lists, many bloggers have not seen the need to start an email list. They are content with just writing content, interacting with other bloggers in the comment section of their blogs and connecting on social media sites.

As much as these things are good, you must know that an email list is your greatest asset when it comes to marketing online. Let no one deceive you with talk about email being a dead online marketing tactic. Indeed, many internet marketers may have put a bad name on this because of their spammy email promotions but don’t let that put you off.

Offering email subscription on your blog is the easiest way of turning your blog into a money making machine. Remember, not everyone who visits your blog will return except you have a system to bring them back. Capturing their contact info and adding them to your email contact list is the best way to do that.

You may have an RSS feed subscription on your blog but that has many limitations which an email list will help you overcome.

Here are some industry recognized autoresponder services that will help you build a list:

1. GetResponse.com – Widely used by internet marketers
2. MailerLite.com – High-quality service for an incredibly low price. You can use the system for FREE if you only have 1,000 subscribers or less. (Highly Recommended)
3. RapidMailer.com – Your best choice if you want to run your own autoresponder. It's a one-time payment.

Mistake #4: Choosing the Wrong Market

I did a post some time ago on spooky business start up tips where I clearly stated that if you start a business just based on what you love without carefully checking for profitability, you're bound to struggle.

This is more so when blogging to make money!

Of course, it is important that you choose your blog topic based on what you know and you're interested in as this will help you greatly in writing content and showing your expertise. However, except your desire is to share your thoughts with your family and friends, it is important that you research the profitability of your target niche before you jump in.

That being said, it will be an uphill task if you choose a blogging niche simply because of the money. Focusing only on the money will ultimately lead to frustration.

So, what to do?

Choose your blog niche based on market profitability and your passion.

The good news is, if you know little to nothing about a niche you can spend a few weeks to research the topic online. Doing this will set you on the path of becoming an expert in that field in no distant time.

There are thousands of online tools available that you can use. If you're already blogging and you discover you are having problems with this, take some time off, do the necessary research and then reposition your blog.

Mistake #5: Not Driving the Right Traffic

I must say that this is one problem that many bloggers are having without really knowing it. Over these years I've come across very wonderful and passionate bloggers. From all indications they appear to be doing great with their blogs. Superb blog posts, impressive blog comment sections, social buttons displaying the envious number of shares, etc.

But, when you ask how much they are making from their blogs the responses are a nothing to write about!

Many of these bloggers cover up with things like: blogging is not about making money but connecting with like minds! But I don't really think these bloggers love working their butts off just because they want to be known as a blogger. Or, do you?

But, what is really the problem here?

It is this: these bloggers are simply driving the wrong type of traffic to their blogs!

Like we have seen above your blog exist for a specific purpose. In the same way, your blog should be targeted at a specific group. If you have clearly defined the purpose of your blog from the beginning knowing your blogs target audience will not be a problem.  And this will determine your promotional tactics.

When you have these sorted out you wouldn't waste your time running round other blogs, commenting and interacting with other bloggers, except they are your targeted audience.

To drive the right type of traffic to your blog, go where your target audience is and then entice them to your blog. This way monetizing your blog traffic will become easy.

Conclusion

I don’t know which of these blogging mistakes is holding your back from making money with your blog. But the truth is if you will take the time and work on these ones you will soon begin to see a change in your blogging success.

Feel free to share your thoughts on these blogging mistakes in the comments below. Is there any of these mistakes that you are presently making with your blog? Is there any one you will want to add?

Let's connect in the comments section.