Top 10 Things to Avoid When Writing a Blog Post

Top 10 Things to Avoid When Writing a Blog Post

Do your blog posts feel a bit samey? Do they sometimes fail to engage the reader? Travel Blogger Zoe Dawes helps you navigate your way through the noise with a list of Top Ten things to avoid when writing a blog post…

Don’t be a blah, blah, blah blogger. There is enough blah out there in the Bloggersphere without you adding to it. Over 2 million blog posts (articles) are published DAILY (according to Worldometers.com) Here are some tips for things to avoid when writing a blog post and help you reduce your blah content. I write for my own blog www.thequirkytraveller.com and also for clients’ blogs, websites and online magazines. Over the years, I’ve learnt what works, and more importantly, what doesn’t…

1. Don’t write for Google

If you compose a post for Google ranking your article won’t sound REAL. Being genuine is the secret to good blogging. Don’t overload your article with key-words for better SEO hoping it will rank higher on Google. Write for yourself and/or the readers you want to attract.

2. Don’t be afraid of catchy headlines

An attention-grabbing title is a great way to get the eye of the busy surfer. Be creative, intriguing, exciting, engaging. It may be the classic ‘Top 10 Tips’ like this one (which got your attention so it must work, right?) but could be much more challenging, such as ‘Why people can’t be bothered to read your blog post’. Your title may be different from your URL which might be more key-word rich.

3. Don’t start your post with the obvious

Getting someone’s attention when they click on your post is the secret to keeping them reading. I started this post with the third sentence, then added the previous two sentences in the hope that you’d be hooked and would want to read more …

4. Don’t be boring

How do you say something new about Venice? Use your own perspective, personal stories, case studies and amusing anecdotes which make your post more interesting. Ask yourself WHY anyone would want to read your post. If you can’t answer it, then you need to either make it more engaging or choose another topic.

5. Don’t worry about the length of your post

Some say ‘keep it brief’ ie 300-400 because people have a shorter attention span today. That’s true, but once you have got someone’s attention (see previous points), you need to write as much as you need, to get your message across. If you’ve a tendency to verbosity (not a ‘readability-friendly word), edit yourself or get someone else to. Although the average post length is 500-600 words, some of the best articles run to 1000+.

6. Don’t write about what you don’t know

Credibility is a key element of being a blogger so don’t make claims you can’t support, or set yourself up as an expert in area you know little about. The maxim, ‘Write about what you know’ holds very true in blogging.

7. Don’t let bad writing spoil your message

If you make a spelling mistake or grammatical error, you can be assured someone will pick it up very quickly. Nothing is guaranteed to get you more notice than the misuse of an apostrophe. Use the Spell and Grammar checkers and double-check when you publish your post

8. Don’t forget to include images

A friend of mine writes great articles but seldom uses photos or video to support his writing, which makes for a rather dull read. Successful bloggers use images to illustrate their articles. Make sure you use your own or have permission to use a photo and always credit the creator unless it’s not required.

9. Don’t keep your post to yourself

You mustn’t expect people to find your blog post just because you’ve followed all the guidelines. With so much competition for the reader’s attention, you MUST promote it. Make sure your blog post has got all the Share Buttons for Social Media and collaboration sites and ask colleagues, friends and clients to share it far and wide.

10. Don’t blog unless you’re enjoying it

Enthusiasm is contagious and the best blog posts manage to transmit the blogger’s interests and passion for the topic. If you find yourself getting into ‘Blah, blah, Blah’ mode, stop and ask yourself why you are doing it. Enjoy it and others will too.