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The past few years I’ve continued to shift more of my time and attention to helping others create successful blogs. I just wish there was more time in the day so that I could help more people start and grow their blogs. Along with our free and premium courses, I’ve also offered direct support in the past. Since I’m no longer able to offer that level of support, I’m always looking for new ways to help so I put together this list of the most common (and simple to fix) things that hold bloggers back from success!
- You don’t have links to your social media accounts on every page of your blog. Readers like to “vet” the advice they are getting. Checking you out on social media is a start. Or maybe they just want to follow you for updates on their favorite social media platforms. Don’t make them search high and low for you or a link. Most won’t put in the extra effort. Make it easy by having a link to your social media accounts on every page of your blog.
- You don’t have an about me section on your sidebar. You got a new visitor to your blog. That is the hard part. Now hook them in. Let them know who you are, what they will learn from your blog, and help them make the personal connection to convert them to a lifelong reader. An about me section on your sidebar can quickly do this. It is a supplement to your extended about me page.
- You are not highlighting your unique talents, successes, and advanced degrees or qualifications on your blog and social media accounts. Are you a mental health professional? Maybe a veterinarian? Have you studied or have extensive real-world experience in a specialized area or a talent that makes you an expert? Let the world know. This should be all over your blog, on every social media platform and anywhere else you need to build credibility.
- There is needless “junk” on your sidebar. Some themes come with random widgets on your sidebar. Ask yourself if this is something that your readers need? Will they use this information or could the space be better used? When in doubt, check out what other bloggers have on their sidebars that you yourself as a reader find beneficial.
- Your blog doesn’t have the current year in your footer. Super simple but super important. Having the current year in your footer area shows a reader that your blog is current and still being updated.
- You have forgotten the goal of your blog? You have lost focus on what you are sharing. Are you staying focused on your monetization plan? Are you considering what your readers want and need from you? If you have another website that you are using in conjunction with your blog are you linking between the two? Are you using your blog to properly promote yourself? Are you making sure that your blog posts are working towards your long-term goals?
- You are not treating your sidebar and cover area as the valuable space that it is. Are you making sure that your cover area (at the very top of your blog) isn’t taking over huge amounts of your content area? Although you won’t be using your sidebar for needless junk, you’ll want to make sure that you have everything in your sidebar that your readers want and need to make navigating your blog as easy as possible.
- Your blog isn’t easy to read. Do you have strange fonts or colors that make your text hard to read? This is not the place to have a “dark mode”. You should have a white background with black text and the font should be very easy to read. No script or funky text is allowed.
- You don’t have a newsletter sign up or it doesn’t specifically say what they are signing up for. It says a generic phrase like “get updates”. You only have one chance to make a first impression and you often only have one chance to make someone a long-term reader. The best way to do this is to offer them an option to sign up for your newsletter. Even if they forget the name of your blog, you can get them coming back for more by emailing them new blog post links and use your list to make money. Read: Why Email Lists Are So Important For Bloggers.
- Your blog isn’t filled out and all the starter text customizations that might have come with your theme are still there. Go through your blog in great detail and make sure that you have customized every single thing you can in your theme where it is obvious it was a starter option. We are talking random text, pictures you might not own, and adding specific information to maximize your SEO success. Read: How To Get More Traffic To Your Website and Blog.
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