Blogging can be a boon for authors. A good blog can build an audience, create life-long fans, and increase book sales.
But too many authors aren’t aware of what they need to do in order to create and maintain a good, successful blog.
With that in mind, here are the five most common blogging mistakes I’ve seen authors make…
1. Blogging to the wrong audience. Who is your readership? Are you writing books for teenage girls? Middle-agers interested in world travel? That’s who you need to be blogging to. Too many authors blog about being an author. That may be great for attracting other authors, but that won’t do much as far as building the audience that will actually read your book. Figure out who your books are targeted to, and blog for the same people.
2. Not having a clear blogging plan. Quick: Tell me in one sentence exactly what the theme of your blog is. Can’t do it? Don’t worry; neither can a lot of people. In order for a blog to be successful, it needs to have a distinct voice and message. For example, you should be able to say, “My blog is the go-to place for the latest news and commentary on social justice issues,” or “It’s a one-stop source for job hunting tips.” Have this clear idea in place before you build the blog, and make sure it’s at the top of your mind every time you post.
3. Not optimizing the blog. Did you do any keyword research before building your blog and your website? If not, well … it’s never too late. Have five to 10 keywords at the top of your mind, and make sure each and every blog entry is optimized for those keywords. If, for example, your target keyword is “mid-life crisis,” then every blog post needs to have that word worked in to the post. This can help tremendously in driving organic (aka free) traffic to your blog entries.
4. Not making the blog sharable. One of the best ways to drive massive amounts of traffic to your blog is to get your blog post “shared” via social media. Of course, it needs to be good in order for people to do that. But it also helps if you include a plug-in on your blog that allows readers to share your individual posts via Facebook, Twitter, etc… in just one click. A few good shares and your traffic can skyrocket.
5. Not looking at traffic reports. There’s no good reason why people shouldn’t be looking at their website traffic reports. These reports are free and easy to set up, and they can give you a world of information about which blog posts get the most traffic, which ones have the highest bounce rates (people leaving immediately), etc… This knowledge is so valuable: it will fill you in on which types of posts you should continue to create, and which ones are not the best use of your time.
Avoid making these five common mistakes, and you will notice an improvement in your blog traffic in no time!
Do you have other author blogging mistakes you’d like to share? Post them below!