There are numerous articles and videos available online that explain how to start a blog. Many go on to explain all of the potential benefits, such as an online following, financial freedom, becoming your own boss, and so on.
Everything sounds exciting, and it can be. However, what is sometimes overlooked is the high rate of failure within the blogging community.
In recent months, I've seen a number of business owners who haven't gotten a single client despite regularly updating their blogs with useful content.
At first, their arguments about blogging's ineffectiveness appeared to be persuasive. However, a closer examination revealed certain patterns underlying the failure of all those business blogs.
Part of the reason blogs fail is that many bloggers do not understand what it takes to grow a blog over time. They frequently fail to do the necessary work and research, and they disregard best practices.
Putting yourself in the best position for blogging success, then, requires a thorough examination of the reasons why many blogs fail.
Successful bloggers follow a simple formula that includes high-quality content, consistent and regular posting, and content promotion. That being said,
here are 5 of the most common reasons why blogs fail.
#1. Your blog lacks a clear purpose.
Many new bloggers begin with the intention of treating it as a hobby or a side project.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, a mischievous approach can be a formula for disaster if you also expect to make money or build an audience with your blog in the future.
Making advances, like any other type of business, often necessitates being deliberate. Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goals and work toward them.
Another mistake made when there is a lack of clear intent is not focusing on a specific problem.
For example, your blog is supposed to be about food recipes, but it appears that every other blog post is about something completely unrelated, such as pet care or app development.
People will be confused about what to expect in this case and will avoid your blog.
If you have multiple interests and want to blog about them, it is best to create a separate website for each. Otherwise, you risk alienating your readers, and your blog will most likely fail.
#2. Inadequate High-Quality Content
Perhaps you believe that your blog should not be about your products. The next error is creating content that people do not find valuable.
The goal of starting a blog may be to publish a large amount of content. That is understandable given that studies have shown that publishing blog posts 10 or more times per month can result in businesses receiving 2-4 times more traffic than those who publish less frequently.
However, as a new blogger, your initial focus should be on quality rather than quantity. It is preferable to have one or two high-quality blog posts per week rather than daily posts that are poorly written.
With so many other blogs out there, how do you provide high-quality and engaging content that will help you stand out? Focus on the elements that contribute to great content.
A high-quality post includes information that is both valuable and useful, as well as an emotional connection with the reader. Great content tells a story and assists readers in solving problems.
The more you understand about your field, the easier it will be to find opportunities to explain difficult topics and provide workable solutions.
If you know what your readers want to learn from your blog, you can package your content accordingly, making readers feel justified in visiting your blog and compelled to share your posts.
Even as you work to improve your craft, showing readers great value is usually enough to keep them coming back.
#3. Instability
Consistency must be the key to reaping any benefits from blogging. Bloggers frequently post infrequently, with articles spaced widely apart.
The average reader is unlikely to keep up with an unpredictable publication pattern in which one blog post is followed by another weeks or months later. Readers value consistency and will anticipate your posts if they know you will publish content on a regular basis.
It's like watching a TV show. If you know that a new episode airs every Friday at 8 p.m., you will most likely plan your week around that time. The same is true for your readers.
#4. You're not interacting with people.
When visitors leave comments on your blog, you should respond to them.
Try responding to nearly every comment left on your blog post and see how quickly you build a following.
Make sure that each post on your business blog prompts your readers to take action. For example, if you have a product that can genuinely solve your readers' problems, there's no harm in including a link to the product page at the end of your post.
Similarly, never forget to leave hints in your content to your readers about how you can solve their problems.
#5. You aren't giving people a reason to come back.
According to recent research, 80% of people who visit your blog for the first time are first-timers. That means only 20% will return!
You must encourage people to return if you want them to.
So don't be concerned; it happens to everyone. Your blog could become a top blog with a few of the fixes mentioned above.
Conclusion
In this post, you learned the 5 top reasons why blogs fail. Keep this in mind as you kick-start your business blog. If you're already blogging, I would love to hear about your blogging journey, and what you think is standing between you and success.
Leave your comments below.
