How to make your blog successful? Do not follow these blogging tips.
If you’re aiming for your blog to tank, just follow one of these misguided pieces of advice. I understand you’re putting in the effort to transform your life through your blog, but it takes just one misstep to derail everything.
The internet is brimming with terrible blogging advice, and I’m here to make sure you don’t fall into that trap. My goal is to help you thrive with your blog.
Believe it or not, not every piece of advice from fellow bloggers is reliable, and especially in the beginning, it’s challenging to discern the good from the bad.
For instance, take the common notion that amassing a large number of followers is the key to social media success. But is that really the case? Keep reading to find out whether you should follow or discard this advice.
Because navigating this landscape can be tricky, I’ve compiled a list of the worst blogging advice I’ve encountered in my seven years of blogging experience.
Actually I made two! Unfortunately there is so much bad advice out there one post wasn’t enough. I leave the link to the other one in the related post section at the end.
But for now, let’s look into some of the most detrimental advice you might stumble upon online. Curious? Let’s dive in.
But before we get started, let me clarify a couple of things.
Although I have worked as a lawyer specializing in International and EU Law (LLB, LLM, PhD) for over 15 years and helped more than 30,000 bloggers and online entrepreneurs create their blog legal pages and policies with my plug-and-play legal templates, free legal templates, online courses, an affordable legal bundle for bloggers, and an affordable legal bundle for online business owners, this article is meant for informational and educational purposes only.
It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. I will not be held liable for any damages or losses caused by acting or failing to act on the grounds of the content of this article. Should your circumstances require, I encourage you to seek legal advice through other avenues. Please read my full disclaimer for further information.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information. If not otherwise stated, all prices are intended in US$.
If you’re in a rush at the moment, don’t sweat it! You can always download this post as a PDF and come back to these tips on blogging tips to avoid later.
First up…
Terrible Blogging Tip #1: Use creative headlines or clickbait
Oh no, please don’t do this. It’s a surefire way to sabotage all your SEO efforts and lose your audience’s trust.
Let’s address the issue of creative headlines first.
How many times have you heard the advice to “stand out with a creative headline” or “grab attention with something witty”? While it’s true that a dull headline won’t get you far, you need to tread carefully. Don’t get too clever with your headlines.
The most effective way to drive traffic to your blog is through search engines, so your headline should be easily searchable.
Take, for instance, a blog post titled “I’ve Got You Covered” about bedding. Sounds creative, right? Wrong!
Firstly, I had to click on the post to figure out what it was about— “I’ve Got You Covered” could mean anything. And let me tell you, once I realized it was about bedding, I promptly exited the page (not great for Google).
Secondly, and most importantly, nobody searching for bedding ideas will type in “I’ve Got You Covered.” NOBODY.
So, if you want to inject some wit into your headlines, find a balance by incorporating keywords and ensuring the topic of the post is clear. By all means, use curiosity, urgency, and emotion in your headlines, but strike a balance with SEO and provide context.
Now, let’s address clickbait. Really? Do I need to tell you it’s a big no-no?
Promising something in your headline that doesn’t deliver in your blog post is completely unethical. What’s the result? Sure, you might get some clicks initially, but as soon as readers realize they’ve been duped, they’ll bounce back. And let me tell you, bounce rate is a crucial factor for your SEO, not to mention you’ll quickly lose the trust of your audience.
So, just don’t do it. Seriously, don’t.
Next bad piece of blogging advice…
Terrible Blogging Tip #2: Do not spend money on something you can do yourself
Oh this advice is even worse than the relentless hustle mentality we discussed in this post. This is precisely why so many blogs fail to thrive.
There are countless reasons why this approach is flawed.
Firstly, you’ll quickly burn out. Blogging involves so many tasks. When you run your own blog, you’re not just a writer; you’re also a website developer, graphic designer, customer service representative, salesperson, marketing manager, social media manager, and so much more.
To achieve great results and maintain a balanced life, you need to prioritize and delegate as soon as possible.
If you’re not ready to delegate your blogging stuff yet, you can start by delegating some other tasks like cleaning for example.
Secondly, let’s face it: you can’t excel at everything. If you truly want your blog to grow, it’s wise to enlist the help of experts. You’ll undoubtedly get a better return on investment (ROI).
Plus, focusing on what you’re genuinely great at and passionate about while delegating day-to-day administrative tasks to a virtual assistant will free up more time for strategic thinking. Your blog will benefit immensely from this approach.
Try this: Assign yourself a virtual hourly rate, starting modestly at first and gradually increasing as your skills improve. Anything you can acquire for a price below your hourly rate should be delegated as soon as possible.
I understand that starting out, you may not have a great budget or you won’t feel ready to get help. That’s perfectly fine. It’s an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of blogging, identify your strengths, and pinpoint areas with the most significant impact on your blog.
But, as soon as you’re able to reinvest in your blog, prioritize delegating tasks that aren’t particularly meaningful or tasks you’re not proficient in executing.
A helpful tip is to document procedures as you perform tasks, detailing each step and even recording videos of yourself for reference when delegating to others.
While it’s tempting to try and handle everything initially, there are two tasks I strongly recommend delegating from the outset, as any mistake could get you major trouble: legal protection for your blog (more on this later, as I’ve heard some truly dreadful advice in this area) and accounting.
Last thing, when you are learning how to blog, don’t trust all the advice you encounter online. This post is the perfect example of how not all advice is created equal. Investing in courses is often the best approach. After all, in every facet of life, success comes from understanding what you’re doing. Blogging is no exception.
You need to invest in your education! If you aspire to become a successful surgeon, wouldn’t you invest in your education? The same principle applies to blogging!
Unfortunately, lots of new bloggers waste lots of time surfing the web for free information.
Here’s the truth: you won’t find all the necessary information for free, and even what you do find will likely be fragmented and incomplete. If you’re serious about taking your blog to the next level, invest in a course from someone more experienced. You’ll achieve better results and have more time to focus on your blog’s growth.
Before I move on to the next bad piece of advice, if you want to learn more about how to start a blog and make money blogging then make sure you click the image below because I have a free guide that will dive deeper into how to create your own blog and get you started.
This guide will walk you through the blueprint I used to start my blog that turned into a multiple six-figure business, and comes with in-depth strategies, assignments, and tons of actionable tips, so you don’t want to miss out. You can check it out for free here.
Back to the next piece of misguided blogging advice.
Terrible Blogging Tip #3: Ask everyone to follow you on social media
No, no, no. Numbers aren’t everything. Just like your email list, if your social media followers aren’t engaged, they’re essentially useless and could even sabotage your strategy. I understand that when you’re starting out, seeing a low follower count on your social profiles can sting, but focusing solely on numbers is falling for a vanity metric trap.
Please, refrain from asking everyone and their pet to follow you on Instagram. If they’re not genuinely interested in your content, they won’t engage with it. And you know what happens then? The algorithm deems your content unworthy of visibility, reducing your reach even further.
Sure, having a large following might stroke your ego, but if they’re not the right followers, they can spell disaster for your efforts. Every algorithm is designed to cater to user preferences. If Instagram (or any other platform) notices that your followers—those who should be most interested in your content—are disengaged, it won’t bother showing your content to potential new followers.
Instagram doesn’t know that your 80-year-old grandma followed you out of love but isn’t really into fitness. It interprets her follow as an interest in fitness content, yet she’s never interacted with your posts. So, why would Instagram risk disappointing a larger audience by showcasing your content to them?
Therefore, if you truly want success on social media, let your followers grow organically. It might take longer, but having engaged followers is the real key to your success.
Terrible Blogging Tip #4: Ignore the legal side of your blog
Oh, this one really hits hard! I’ve encountered so much misguided advice about legal protection for blogs, and it’s alarming how many bloggers underestimate its importance. The worst advice often revolves around delaying or neglecting the legal aspects of blogging.
Many bloggers lack a legal background and mistakenly believe that legal requirements don’t apply to new blogs. They may push the legal side aside, thinking it’s a concern only for larger, established websites. But that’s a dangerous misconception.
And even if they know that every single website that is public needs to comply with several laws and regulations that oversee online activities, they think “Yeah, but they’re going after the big fish, not a small blog with 200 subscribers”, well that’s completely wrong.
Even small blogs may get fined and under some regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), your users have the right to lodge a complaint to the supervisory authorities against you or sue you.
It takes one unhappy subscriber to get you in trouble.
So you need to get your legals in order before you even hit publish, especially if you are a small blog. In fact, if large companies like Facebook or Google may survive hefty fines in the range of millions, the same can’t be said for small bloggers.
Imagine getting hit with a fine for a few thousand dollars when you’re just starting out or facing the risk of lawsuits. That could seriously set you back and even force you to shut down your blog.
Plus, they don’t understand that when you have all your legals in order, you’re not just protecting yourself and your hard work, you’re also unlocking doors to more opportunities and monetization channels.
So besides the peace of mind of being legally protected, having all your legal ducks in a row makes you look legit and trustworthy in the eyes of clients, potential affiliates, and partners.
Many monetization opportunities, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and advertising networks, require compliance with specific legal requirements as a prerequisite for joining. Without the necessary legal pages and disclosures, you may be ineligible to participate in such programs, limiting your revenue potential.
Plus, you will build trust with your audience and convert them into repeat customers. People buy from people they trust. When you show your audience that you’re transparent with them and respect their rights and privacy, they will trust you and be more likely to buy from you.
And as an extra bonus: search engines love websites that are legally compliant. By having your legal pages set up, you’re signaling to search engines like Google that you’re a trustworthy site. This can boost your rankings, driving more traffic to your blog and giving you even more opportunities to make money blogging.
So, staying on top of the legal stuff is not just about avoiding trouble—it’s about seizing opportunities, building credibility, and taking your blog to the next level.
Now, here comes an even worse tip about protecting your blog legally…
Terrible Blogging Tip #5: Use free legal templates and privacy policy generators
As tempting as they may sound, my advice is to steer well clear of free templates or free generators for legal pages.
In fact, you should never rely on free templates and generators because they’re not complete, they’re too generic, they’re definitely not comprehensive, and they don’t meet all the legal requirements.
You won’t even know who has drafted these free templates in the first place. Were they drafted by reputable lawyers?
If there is one thing you don’t want to skimp on is the legal side of blogging as you must make sure that you and your blog are protected legally.
Obviously, it all depends on the level of risk you’re willing and comfortable to take. And I know some people may think free templates are fine. But they’re fine until they’re not.
And that’s not all. Another really terrible piece of advice is to create your legal pages by “getting inspired” or, even worse, copying the legal pages from other blogs or websites and suggesting you do the same.
DO NOT, under any circumstances, – I repeat – DO NOT DO THAT!
This is copyright infringement and you can get sued over this. You have no idea how many people get busted!
But that’s not the main reason why I discourage this practice. The main reason is that you don’t know what legislation applies to them specifically and whether it’s the same that applies to you too.
So, let’s say for example, another blogger from the US uses your legal pages. For the sake of this example we will say that this US blogger doesn’t need to comply with the GDPR because their blog doesn’t meet the requirements for it to apply to their blog.
But you’re in Europe and the GDPR applies to you so you have GDPR clauses addressing your visitors from the EU in your legal pages.
Now, by using your legal pages, the US blogger has just unknowingly made the GDPR apply to them.
But compliance with the GDPR requires way more than legal pages. So, now they’re exposing their blog to further risks of fines, complaints and lawsuits because they’re not fully compliant with the GDPR.
That’s just an example but this can happen in relation to so many clauses and regulations.
Just don’t do it. If you do, you’re really asking for trouble.
So getting all your legals in order is totally worth the effort. And if you want to save time and make sure you meet all the legal requirements, you can get my Legal Bundle Value Pack which comes with legal templates to get all your legal pages done in less than 10 minutes.
Learn more here and get your legal pages looked after in minutes!
Now, it’s evident that there’s no shortage of bad blogging advice out there, some of which could potentially harm your blog. If you’re determined to start your blog on the right foot, I highly recommend reading this post next where I provide a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to start your blog, ensuring you lay a solid foundation for your blogging success.
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