According to statistics, 18 million people write blog posts. As my guest author Peter Lee points out, the competition is fierce. You need to do what you can to attract readers. Peter, a professional writer, is here to explain what bloggers can do to get ahead of the competition for readers– avoid five mistakes.
Although he directs his advice toward new bloggers, these are important reminders for all of us.
Content Creation Mistakes That Beginners Make
If you are writing online content, then you are very lucky because you are operating in an arena where your competition is terrible.
Online content is a tiny step up from what you see on social media, and in many cases, there are posts on Google+ that are far superior to static web content [static Web pages contain the same prebuilt content each time the page is loaded].
Try your best to avoid falling into the “terrible” category as an online writer. Here are a few mistakes that beginners tend to make.
The size of your paragraphs
When you write a book, you can have paragraphs that take up pages, but when writing online content you are severely limited. Part of the reason is longer paragraphs are hard to read online, and the second reason is because most online users are skim readers and long paragraphs push them into a skim reading mode.
Take a look at the paragraphs in this article. They are not too long, which means they are easier to read and less likely to have you start skimming while you read.
Avoiding using visuals
There are plenty of posts that do not require images and visuals. In fact, in cases where you are giving advice, it may be better to avoid visuals because they may make light of the information you are trying to disseminate.
Nevertheless, in most cases, the use of visuals such as movies, graphics, and images will help to enhance the user experience. You have to be careful how you do it because you need to match your images to your content very carefully to avoid misunderstanding and to avoid scaring off your target audience.
A lack of subheadings
The tradition of using subheadings in online content is now so common that people expect it. Without subheadings, there are many people who will simply refuse to read your content. You have to remember that most users have already skim read their way through various other articles before finding yours. They are going to want to know if your content is usable very quickly.
Headings give people a vague idea of what the article contains, and it allows people to skim over the bits they think they already know.
Using fonts that are tricky to read
This is really a novice trick. People think that fancy fonts make their content look good, but if they make it difficult for people to read, then they will not bother with your content. Do not make the reader’s job any more difficult than it has to be.
Also, the font “Times New Roman” is used so much that some people genuinely detest it, so keep that in mind when picking your font.
And finally…
Letting emotions guide your blogging decisions
You are not a novice Internet user. You have probably used the Internet for many years and are well aware of what is annoying about online content. Avoid these aggravations in your own content.
For example, if auto-starting videos bug you, then they will bug your viewers. If overly long introductions bug you, then they will annoy your viewers.
Look at the mistakes others are making and apply what you have learned to your own content. Don’t forget that you have an emotional attachment to your writing because you created it, and this attachment may blind you to your work’s faults.
Admin blogger’s commentary: Readers, although the competition is staggering, there are steps we can take to stand out when creating content. Peter’s tips explained what some of them are.
Bio
Peter Lee is writing for Scholar Advisor and wants to improve the overall quality of content on the internet. Feel free to connect with him on Google+.
Readers, please share, so other bloggers avoid making these mistakes.
Which of Peter’s tips do you consider most important? Are there any other mistakes you’d like to caution bloggers to avoid? I look forward to your views in the comment section.
Readers, MostlyBlogging is looking for guest authors on any blogging-related topic. Here are the guidelines.
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Owing to my interest in Mostly Blogging, I was reading another post when I received notification regarding this post.. very well.
– Quite interestingly, I happened to skim over the content in the first attempt!
– The quantity of images in my posts is limited, I need to work on that.
– Regarding headings/ para lengths, I think I am covered..
Thanks for the post..
Peter recently posted…How long you should wait before having sex after childbirth
Hi Peter,
Great to see you! I love your interest in MostlyBlogging. Thank you so much for your interest and support!
As far as your site analysis, I consistently have one strong graphic I can send to Pinterest. Ideally, though, I’d prefer two– twice the chance of having the article read at Pinterest. I wish I had more time.
Regarding headings, I think I’m covered too.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
Another great guest post I specially love the one about the fonts thanks for all the info
Thanks John! Our pleasure!
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
Good advice. I need to think about using more subheadings. Thanks for the ideas.
Hi Shari,
Happy to help! I feel subheads break up the monotony of the text. Also, if you use your keywords in your subheads, it increases your SEO. Thanks for commenting on my post on Tuesday!
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
Hey,the picture matches the title of the post very well(Good selection).Using blockquotes and videos in posts are also important in making it likable to read and understand.I think we should never use an extra font family other than our default font family because it will slow down page speed.Moreover, we should also link to our older posts in our content if we have them ,Instead of linking to other sites and passing the link juice to them.
osama gohar recently posted…What is White Hat SEO ?
Hi Osama,
Just when I was getting ready to write you on this post, you were wriiting me on the BizSugar post. You have become one of my most frequent commenters. Thank you so much for your support of my blog.
In response to what you wrote, I genuinely appreciate you noticing my graphic. I put a great deal of thought into my graphics, so I get excited when people notice them.
I make a habit of always linking to older posts.
Thanks for everything.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
Useful advice for semi-beginners like me! Thanks for being generous and sharing what you know 🙂
Hi,
Thank you for visiting my site on Tuesday and complimenting my guest author’s article. May I ask who you are? You are coming in as “Anonymous”. Thanks for writing.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
For me, writing one or 2 sentences and breaking up “paragraphs” with photos works. It’s my style… And I think people are far more visual these days, so if they see a lot of words, they might get turned off – at least for the content I share!
Hi Gigi,
I agree with you. A lot of writing is monotonous and might be a turn off. I don’t have time to use more photos. I would like to make more infographics, but I rarely have time for that these days!
Thanks for writing!
Janicee
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
Wonderful advice here Janice. I’ve always had a thing for breaking up paragraphs in bite size parts because I too find them easier to read. And I definitely agree with you on point about annoying fonts. I’ve come across some blogs where the color of their backgrounds is almost similar to the font they use, making it difficult to read. I hope this post will help many with the good tips. 😉
Hi Debby!
I am glad you liked my guest author’s article. It seems to be very well-received. Many people are writing in agreement with you about the font colors. I find fonts on a black background hard to read.
It’s been great seeing you on Google+. You are such a supportive community member. Thanks for sharing my writing and other people’s work as well.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
So very well said Peter!
And so many times, (all over the web) I might add, we see
evidence of your five suggestions, constantly being violated!
And really like your advice, if it annoys us, more than likely, it will
annoy our target audience as well! That makes a lot of sense!Thanks for sharing
your five, extremely practical tips!
And thanks for featuring him Janice!
Mark recently posted…So How Do You Hire Tier One Marketing Consultants For Pennies On The Dollar?
Hi Mark,
Great to see you here. I agree. I see those blogging “sins” everywhere as well!
Did you get a chance to see Wednesday’s post? I am asking my community for help with a title for my Ebook. I looked at your headline template list and came up with a list of potential headlines. I put them in a survey. Would you please take it? As a marketer, I think your opinion would carry a lot of weight
https://mostlyblogging.com/what-should-the-name-of-the-ebook-be/
The link is at the bottom of that post. Thank you for all your help.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #27
Number 5 is huge for me! I get so annoyed with popups, videos, and other things that are common for bloggers to use these days (ugly ads!!!) and I wonder, don’t they see this? My newest pet peeve is the vertical sharing buttons on the left side of the page. I can’t tell you how many blogs have these and the block a good half inch of their content! Yours do not, by the way, thank you :-).
Debbie recently posted…The Friday Wrap Up: Giveaways, Winners and an EARTHQUAKE!!
Hi Debby,
I am glad you liked my guest author’s post. Thank you for mentioning that my social share buttons, vertically on the left, are not annoying. That was my first thought when I read your comments, LOL. Strangely, the ads on my site, videos, start randomly playing. So annoying I contacted my tech helper, so I relate to what you wrote. Thanks for coming by this week.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…How to Blog and Still Have Time to Sleep Part II
Auto-play videos are my current pet peeve! I have a blog that I love to read each week, but I can’t because the videos make it so difficult to view. Thanks for the tips!
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for coming by my blog yesterday.
I have ads that are videos that just start randomly playing. This is also my pet peeve. I have contacted my tech person to see what I can do. Did my ads start randomly playing when you were on my site that you recall? I’m trying to find out if the problem is on my end. Thanks!
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…How to Blog and Still Have Time to Sleep Part II
Thanks for the tips, Janice!
Hi Marina,
Great to see you! I am glad you enjoyed my guest author’s post. Thanks for the visit.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…How to Blog and Still Have Time to Sleep Part II
Hi Peter, thanks for the heads up!
Hi BBFFJ, love the pic, very creatively matches content!
I got some complaints about my font colors, when they were too pale.
And I hate those jazzy fonts, that I can not figure out what letter it is!!
Sorry so behind on commenting!!
your BBFFM
Melinda Mitchell recently posted…Facebook Fore
Dear BBFFM,
Busy weekend babysitting? Thanks for coming by. You had complaints about your font colors? I can read them just fine. Did you change them?
BBFFJ
Janice Wald recently posted…How to Blog and Still Have Time to Sleep Part II
This is interesting. May I also add filling your content page with too many information and advertisements, especially when one opens a site on a PC, sometimes I wonder if its the ad I have come tob read or the content.
Hi Mary!
Great to see you again! It’s been a while. I hope you’re having a nice summer. I just returned from a cruise. I agree with your suggestion. Many people find ads, especially pop up ads, annoying. Thanks for the visit, your comments, and adding to the discussion.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Inspire Me Monday Linky Party #91
Superb advice! My favorite line was “If you are writing online content, then you are very lucky because you are operating in an arena where your competition is terrible.”. That got me chuckling out loud, which felt good. A tactic I like to use when creating content is to do so with the thought in mind that I am going to reach out to the biggest influencer in my industry to ask him or her to link to it when it goes up as a post. Having this person as my primary link target for the piece FORCES me to create much more superior content, as I have no intention of asking an influencer to link to weak content. That would kill my credibility with that influencer in a heartbeat. Now if he or she links to the post I will get a lot of good traffic from it, but even if they don’t link to it, my readers still get to consume a much better version of my content.
Hi Matt,
Your comments are timely. I am preparing a post on influencer outreach for this publication this Sunday. If I use your ideas, I will link to you.
I agree with your line of thinking– win-win. Even recently, I’ve been disappointed when I linked to an influencer who didn’t share my post. However, you are correct. I was on the top of my game when I wrote it, so my readers got better content. Thanks for writing and pointing that out.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…How to Make Money Blogging by Absolutely Ignoring These 5 Myths
Influencers like that make my stomach hurt. 🙁
At the risk of being promotional, I just wrote an entire series on how to pull of influence marketing that I would love to get your opinion on regarding whether or not you found it helpful. It involves work a blogger can handle no problem, though some SEO people may be to lazy to attempt it. The videos are accessible at http://yourseosquad.com/seo-tutorial-beginners-free-video-series/, or if you like epic long-form posts, you can catch it at http://yourseosquad.com/shoot-moon-1/.
Hi Matt,
1. Thanks for following me on Twitter. I’ll follow you back.
2. I may have some time this weekend to check out your epic post. Probably Sunday.
I am excited about our connection today. I am flattered you want my opinion.
Janice
Janice Wald recently posted…Blogger’s Pit Stop #64
Ha, I’m flattered you’re even willing to check it out and give me your opinion on it. Blogging is something I am very new at so please don’t hold back your thoughts, I have thick skin (sometimes when I brace myself, that is!) and will GREATLY appreciate whatever nuggets of wisdom you can throw my way.