20 Blogging Myths That Will Make You Blog Worse

By: | August 21, 2016 | Tags: , , , , , |

Bloggers should not believe these blogging myths.

Are you overwhelmed with all the blogging advice you find on the Internet?

Blogs have been rated as the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information. (Source: HubSpot)

However, what if blog posts tell you different advice? How do you know which articles to believe?

Conversely, bloggers also complain that blogging tips articles say the same thing, but the tips don’t work. What should you do?

The answer: Base your decision on tested methods. These include case studies and tips based on research.

The twenty “tips” in this article are myths.

This post will present these falsehoods and explain why they are blogging myths you should ignore.

  1. You can know with certainty what keywords your site ranks for. It may have been true once upon a time, but now it’s one of the blogging myths. Google announced that Page Rank is dead on March 7, 2016 .  Sources: Kate Chan and Moses Nueman.
  2. The way to overcome writer’s block is to write. It’s a myth. According to SelfAvenue.com, there are many ways to overcome Writer’s Block that have nothing to do with writing.
  3. Publishing content daily on your blog is difficult. It’s a myth. According to Gretchen Rubin, of the Happiness Project Blog, it’s easier to post every day than not posting that often.
  4. Paid promotion is always better than free promotion. Myth: According to an article on Kingged.com, trying to rank higher in search engines organically will be 94% better for your blog growth in the long term than paying for promotion which has more short-term benefits.
  5. You should write about whatever you want. It may be your blog, but this is a myth. You need to write for a target audience. Unless you are a humor blogger, readers want to be empowered by your posts. Your musings will soon get old, and your readers will move on.
  6. You should only promote new content. This is another one of the blogging myths. Promoting older content is an effective way to repurpose your blog posts. Many newer readers haven’t read your old content yet. If your page views and comments indicate many people read your post when you published it, there’s no reason your newer readers shouldn’t enjoy it as well.
  7. There is no way to know the best time to promote your blog posts on social media since your readers are all on the Internet at different times and in different time zones. Myth: Many articles have been written about how to know the right time to publish such as How You Can Know When It’s Time to Blog. There are many free tools that will promote your posts during optimal times for you such as Hootsuite and Buffer. According to Kingged.com, it is easy to promote at the best times for your followers depending on the social media site you are promoting on.
  8. Blogging helps your writing. Myth: According to the Huffington Post Guide to Blogging, the format for writing blog posts and other genres are so different that often blogging stifles the ability to write for other genres like creative writing and essay writing. Consider this comment from a blogger: I need to write, not just blog posts.
  9. Blogging is fast. Myth: According to the FillingtheJars blog, it takes four hours to produce a blog post from start to finish. That is my experience as well.
  10. Blogging is done in isolation. This is one of the worst blogging myths. According to WordPress.com, associations are everything in blogging. You can help other bloggers in so many ways. Our Blogger Collaboration group will get you help with your blogging tasks if you need.
  11. There is no way to predict if a post will be successful or not. Myth: There are certain factors which will lead a post to be more successful than others.
  12. Your About page should start with many details about you. Myth: Your About page should start with an explanation of how your reader will be helped by subscribing to your blog. How many details should this involve? According to Neil Patel, within the first five seconds of reading your post, readers should know why your blog would be valuable to read. My article How to Write a Killer About Page that Will Attract New Followers  gives instructions on how to write an effective About Me Page.
  13. Google will penalize you for duplicate content. Myth: According to the folks over at Medium, Google has more important things to worry about than duplicate content. However, if you are worried, change your headline. (Note: In order for Google’s readers not to encounter the same content twice, Google might just have one of your posts in their search engine.)
  14. Google will penalize you for link swapping. Myth: You should swap links with like-minded bloggers. You will help your readers get a new perspective on content in your blogging niche. The Famous Bloggers blog explains link exchanges are a good idea in moderation. To help readers find bloggers in their niche to swap links with, Mostly Blogging has a Link Exchange. If you are a subscriber of this blog, and you’d like to be added to the Link Exchange, let me know in the comments section.
  15. Google will penalize you if you link back to your own articles in your posts. On the contrary, linking to your own articles is an effective way to repurpose your older blog posts. The Complete Guide to Hyperlinks gives instructions how to link to another article within your site.
  16. If you change from WordPress.com to self-hosted, you will lose all your followers. Why it’s a myth: The Jetpack Plugin helps you transfer your followers. More information is available here: https://jetpack.com (Note: I am an affiliate of A Small Orange. I hope you will go through my affiliate link if you decide to self-host.)
  17. You can create a successful blog if you think of blogging tasks as chores you need to accomplish. Myth: According to blogger Ryan Biddulph, you will be able to connect with other bloggers and find your creative energies needed to blog if you relax.
  18. Blogging is putting out blog posts. This is another blogging myth. According to Biddulph, blogging is much more than churning out blog posts. For example, blogging entails reading and writing articles on topics you are passionate about and having fun.
  19. People don’t read content on the web. Internet users are so busy, people scan the web looking at pictures, skim, and just read subheads. It’s a myth. According to research conducted by the Gennibles blog, people absolutely still read content they find on the Internet.
  20. Reading blogging advice is a waste of time since what works for one person may not work for someone else. Myth: According to the Pages Unbound blog, there is definitely a place for blogging advice in the blogging community for the following reasons:
  • “Blogging is a genre, with certain conventions and expectations.  As with any other genre of writing, it’s helpful to know the basic ‘rules’ before you decide to break them.”
  • “Another important reason to read blogging tips is so you can save yourself time by reading about other people’s experiences.”
  • Finally, new bloggers often have no one to ask for help when they first start blogging.

Conclusion

Due to the wide variety of blogging information on the Internet, bloggers are going to have to sift through the online noise to draw their own conclusions about which tips are credible.

Hopefully, this article helped you come to those decisions.

Readers, please share, so other bloggers know these are myths they should ignore when making blogging decisions.

In closing, do you know any other blogging myths? Do you think any of the “myths” I’ve cited here actually have credibility? I look forward to your views in the comments section.

Related Post:

7 Tips I Wish I Knew When I Started Blogging

Sources:

TechWyse

Blogging Basics

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Andrea,
      I love, love, love StumbleUpon! When it hits, it really hits! Thank you so much for stumbling my article. I’m sorry I didn’t write sooner. My daughter is in from college. I made her a home cooked dinner– hen. Hope all is well with you.
      Janice

  1. Julie

    Janice, this is a great list! Thanks for the mention — it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who was surprised about how long it takes to publish a post.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Julie,
      Thank you for your help with my article. It was my pleasure to link to you.
      Janice

  2. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

    Thanks Janice – I love the one, Blogging is fast! Hahahahah – I spend 5-6 hours a day at it – and that’s just the computer work! And it’s a very slow process building an audience (two years later, still not quite there).

    Great article –

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Helen,
      Great to see you here! Did you change your blog name? I thought you were the Lazy Gastronome.
      I think of all my “myths” the length of blogging is getting the most reaction. People are in consensus– four hours is an understatement!
      Janice

  3. John Doe

    Great post Janice. It just reminds us that myths are Exactly what they are myths

    • Janice Wald

      Hi John,
      Thank you so much. I had never written about myths, so I felt it was high time.
      Janice

  4. Bill Kasman

    I am aware of (and follow) about half of the tips you give here. The rest were a revelation to me and will bear further thinking about.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Bill,
      Thank you for reading what I wrote on Sunday. I am glad my myths article could provide you with food for thought.
      Janice

  5. Mitch Mitchell

    The only one of these I will disagree with you on is number five. Personally I believe if people don’t write what they want to write about then they’re probably not going to write either that much or that well. Hopefully people pick something that they like to blog about so that they can come across as an expert or authority if they’re hoping to make money by blogging in some fashion. People writing stuff that they really don’t care about will decrease the quality and people are going to leave or stay away anyway.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Mitch,
      Thank you for commenting on my myths article. Regarding your comment about bloggers writing about their musings, do you think people would find someone ranting and venting interesting long-term?
      Janice

  6. Kathryn Grace

    Thanks for these myth-busters. I laughed at number 9. If I could complete a blog post, from start to finish, in four hours, I’d think blogging was fast! I’m especially grateful for number 19, because I read a lot of articles online every single day, including many long-form articles. I’m looking for depth and breadth, as well as articles that deliver what their titles promise. I trust those writers and follow them.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Kathryn,
      Thank you for commenting on my blogging myth article. Four hours feels long to me, and I compose new content six times a month. Four hours is fast for you? May I ask how often you blog?
      Janice

  7. Debbie Dey

    Janice, I agree with Kathryn about being able to blog in four hours. I still think I’m the slowest blogger ever but still believe that, with practice, my times will improve.

    I’ve re-blogged this post. Excellent concept – it’s always hard to sift through what’s real and fiction.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Debbie,
      I wrote you on your blog. Thank you so much for the reblog! Much appreciated! Glad you enjoyed the concept and the article.
      Janice

  8. Barbara Radisavljevic

    This is really useful advice and my own experience validates it. It takes me hours to write a good blog post, and getting the images edited takes a good part of that time. I can’t imagine blogging in isolation. I’d be lost without blogging friends.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Barbara,
      I’d be lost without blogging friends too– yourself included =).
      Most people are commenting on how long it takes to write a blog post. It sounds like longer than four hours. How many times a week do you blog? Thanks for commenting.
      Janice

  9. Shelly

    I’m glad to see that it’s not a given that I will lose all my blog followers if I go self-hosted. That had been worrying me and was one of the reasons I’ve been sticking with the free wordpress site.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Shelly,
      Thank you for writing me. Your comment made me feel great– like I helped someone with their decision. The unknown is SCARY. That is why I wanted to dispel the myth.
      Janice

  10. Nicole

    HI Janice thanks for these. Blogging takes way longer than I ever expected. I also thought it was a more independent thing than it really is. It’s so much about community which is really awesome. I’d love to join your link swap if possible.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Nicole,
      The length to write a blog post is the most commented on of all the myths I wrote about it. Everyone agrees with you– four hours is a low ball estimate.
      I added your blog to the Food niche of the Link Exchange.
      Janice

  11. Patrick

    I like some of the comments…..but I do find myself liking personal blogs so much more then SEO entries posting the same rehashed “advice” that thousands of other pages post as fresh content.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Patrick,
      Thank you for commenting on my myth article. I have been responding to the comments, and I agree– entertaining! I am enjoying reading about who is “voting” for each myth.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi A Momma’s View,
      Great to see you here! Thank you! I agree that recycling older posts is an important way to increase blog traffic. You can get traffic to new posts and older posts at the same time. I have blogged about it too.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Yvonne,
      Most of the comments on my myth posts are about #9, how long it takes to compose a post. Thank you for adding your comments as well.
      Janice

  12. Kimsea Sok

    It seem to me that no ideas to comment the post as there are lots of information. However, I bookmarked the post for more reading next time. Thanks for sharing….

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Kimsea,
      Thank you for bookmarking my post and commenting. It’s always my pleasure to share. Thanks for the visit.
      Janice

  13. Nikhil Makwana

    Hey, Janice Wald

    This an Fantastic Post and I agree with Myths #13 and #14.
    This Post is really helpful for a Newbie Bloggers.

    Thanks for this post.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Nikhil,
      I checked out your blog. Impressive! Respectable! Are you saying you are a new blogger? I’d never know it.
      I am glad you agreed with #13 and #14. There is so much out there about Google.
      Janice

  14. Donna Parker

    Excellent compilation of blogging advice and myth-busting, Janice (lol including mine). I’ve been taking my own advice and writing, a lot of writing, not just blog posts although I found myself working on one of those too, although no idea when or if I’ll post it. 😉
    Thanks for everything, for the shout-out, for all the support, and for all the wonderful work you and the other ladies of the #BloggersPitStop do for bloggers.
    Hope this weekend treats you kindly – I can’t wait for the next #BloggersPitStop 🙂
    Best wishes to all!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Donna,
      I am so glad you are still so invested in blogging despite your blogging break. I’d sincerely miss you. How is your book coming?
      Thank you for the quote that helped me with this article.
      Janice

  15. Leanne

    Lots of interesting stuff as always Janice – there are so many different points of view out there and I guess we all lean towards what suits our style of blogging the best. I am so glad I don’t blog for a living because there is so much to do in the background if you’re going to do it really well.

  16. Melinda Mitchell

    Hi BBFFJ, what really drew me into this post was the scary photo. Where did you find Mr. Mean FAce??
    Thanks for de-bunking these myths.
    Blogging definitely is NOT fast!!

    I’d like to know how started that one, and bop them on the nose for lying, Pinocchio!
    Your BBFFM

    • Janice Wald

      Hi BB FFM,
      He is supposed to look like a Greek God from mythology.
      I took his photo on my trip to Asia this past summer.
      BBFFM

  17. Kathleen Lovlie

    Thanks for the great tips! Now if I could just figure out what link swapping is. I so suck at this. I will follow you and learn!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Kathleen,
      Thank you so much for the kind words about my blogging myths article. I would love it if you followed me! Thank you in advance!
      Let me explain what link swapping is:
      You want to improve your ability to be found in search engines. Google, for example, feels if other people link to your site, your content must be good or the other bloggers wouldn’t want their readers to see your content.
      Where to find people, who blog about what you blog about, to link to you? At my Link Exchange, I’ve grouped bloggers by niche.
      https://www.mostlyblogging.com/link-exchange/
      As a perk for my blog subscribers, I put them on the exchange by niche, so they can easily find people who blog about their content to swap links with. Once you find bloggers in your niche, simply ask them to swap links with you.
      This technique of link swapping actually has a name. It’s called the Skyscraper Technique to Link Building.
      This post explains it in simpler terms:
      https://www.mostlyblogging.com/how-to-easily-increase-your-seo-building-links/
      I am excited about our connection and look forward to having your readership. Thank you for writing me today.
      Janice

  18. Cathy Lawdanski

    Great post, Janice! I find that I have to focus on one or two blogging things at a time (like maximizing Pinterest or making sure the SEO is good on all my posts). I get overwhelmed with the amount of information that is out there! Visiting from #bloggerspitstop

  19. Sylvia Kalungi

    I totally agree with #9, #14 and #15, in fact I agree with almost all these so called myths….I am gon ado some more research on “Page rank is dead” That’s news to me…esp. since MOZ still works on that. But then again the Moz Toolbar a chrome extension stopped working properly in March this year…does that say something…!

    Another whopping post Janice…Keep bringing em!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Julie,
      I’m glad you agree that these are myths. I so respect you as a blogger I appreciate the validation. Thanks for the kind words about my article and for visiting my site.
      Janice

  20. Gilly Maddison

    Lots of very interesting info here and lots of useful links to further reading.

    The more I read the more I realise that the blogging world is divided between people who do it to make money and people who do it for their own enjoyment.

    With my own blog, I always say commenters are the icing on the cake but, cake without icing is still cake even if I am eating it alone. My own blog has other uses to me that go beyond collecting readers, although of course readers are very much appreciated.

    I love the random musings of bloggers who have nothing to sell. For me, it’s like flipping through a magazine with lots of random, frivolous articles but without having to buy magazines or have them cluttering up the house.

    My reading is usually done last thing at night before I go to sleep, or first thing before I get up in ‘my own time’ as opposed to my working hours and I enjoy what I call light reading.

    Your blog is virtually the only blogging advice site I read because I think you know what you are talking about and it has substance – it isn’t just a bullet pointed list cribbed from elsewhere and published by someone who does not have a ‘successful’ blog themselves. I tend to have more faith in sites you sign post people to than ‘experts’ that just pop up from nowhere.

    Generally, I use YouTube if I want to learn about something and apart from your site, I use blogs for relaxation and amusement.

    If I subscribe to a blog and then find the person is blogging every day or several times a day, I end up getting left behind because I just don’t have time to do that much reading. So for me, people who blog regularly but not so often is perfect.

    So sporadic musers take heart, you do have a place for some of us! ?

    For money-making bloggers, this is a brilliant feature Janice and I will definitely be studying all the links to help me with blog I am about to set up and run for someone else who has a bricks and mortar business.

    This will be a massive help I am sure. Thank you.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Gilly,
      1. Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments on my article and my blog.
      2. Thank you as well for the detailed, thoughtful comments you put into your response.
      3. I have another content marketing post coming up in a few weeks. If I use your comments, I will link to you.
      I so appreciate your writing, but I disagree with a small part: The more I read the more I realise that the blogging world is divided between people who do it to make money and people who do it for their own enjoyment.
      First, I blog primarily for my own enjoyment and secondly try to make money doing something I love. Is it necessarily exclusive?
      Secondly, You said the world is divided into these two groups. I think the blogging world is divided into 3 groups– bloggers who do it for enjoyment, bloggers who do it for money, and bloggers who do it for enjoyment who might want to monetize one day. It is the latter group I write the monetization tips for. The first group isn’t interested, and the latter group already knows how to do it!
      I enjoyed our discussion about this. Thanks for the analysis.
      Janice

      • Gilly Maddison

        Hi Janice, yes, very good points here which on reflection I can see are very valid and I can see that third group. There was a time when I DID want to try and make money from blogging and very naively thought that because I had been a successful press/magazine journalist/photographer, then making the transition to the online world would be easy. If anything, I would say my knowledge and skills from my former career possibly make it LESS easy! Blogging is totally different to magazine and newspaper work.

        But I do enjoy blogging so I have kept it going as a sort of hobby and I very much enjoy learning from you. I have another ‘niche site’ that the information on your site would be really helpful in developing but I have very little time to spend online now. I am now caring for my elderly disabled parents and my online life is very sporadic which isn’t very good for building relationships 🙁
        Never mind, I am sure my time will come when I am no longer needed as a carer. Thanks for the dialogue. And by all means use my comments. I will try and find the time to get another blog post up there so I don’t look TOO neglectful of my site if it generates any visitors. ?

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