Writing and Learning: Mistakes I’ve Made in my Blogging Journey (And How I’m Making Progress)

 

Lessons Learned and Advice for Aspiring Writers and Bloggers

Blogging can be a fun and exciting venture for anyone who has something unique to say or a particular knowledge of or passion for a subject that they want to share with others. It’s a fruitful venture if you’re camera shy like me and/or have a passion for writing. As with any new endeavor, however, you’re bound to make mistakes. Looking back at my blogging journey to this point, to say I’ve made a few would be an understatement. But with each mistake there is a lesson, and each lesson has shaped how I approach my writing and blogging today. I am not an expert, but I hope that if you’re just starting out, my experiences can serve as a guide to help you avoid the mistakes I made.

Choosing the Wrong Blogging Niche

Choosing the wrong niche might sound like a simple mistake to avoid on the surface—believe me, I thought so too—but it happens. We are often driven by trends, especially when just starting out. Thinking the latest trend is the best way to attract readers, we forget why we started the journey in the first place, at least that’s what happened to me. When we get too focused on making money and doing whatever it takes to do it, we lose sight of the original goal, which for me has always been to share experiences and my love of the writing craft. When you lose sight of what you really want, you lose the passion you felt to begin with. Readers can sense that, and it will drive them away.

Lesson learned: As obvious as this sounds, it’s important to choose a topic that you’re excited about and that represents your voice. It may not be the most popular topic, but if you’re passionate about it, your writing will be inherently better. You also have to make sure you’re approaching the topic in the right way too. I learned this lesson the hard way as well.

When I first started my blogging journey, I started a personal blog on the Wix platform after seeing an ad about that platform online (Thanks Google). When I started, my intent was to share my experiences as someone with cerebral palsy who is high-functioning both mentally and physically. Perhaps I’ll go into detail about that in a future article, but when I started this blog, I wanted to get away from that at least initially with this blog. I felt like I was complaining about my circumstances writing those posts rather than helping people or bringing awareness to my cause. So I went a different direction and focused on the writing portion. I found that more enjoyable, and that led to what I believe are comparatively better and more engaging articles. Long story short, always choose your topics based on what you can write about with consistency while enjoying the process. Don’t worry as much about trends. As I’ve learned from some of my favorite writers and YouTube creators, your audience will find you if you create the content you enjoy creating. Between that and optimizing keywords to the best of your ability, you will find much more success because you’re enjoying what you’re doing.

Neglecting SEO Practices

When I began blogging, both on the Wix platform and this one, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was a foreign concept. I was naïve in thinking great content would magically attract readers. Considering my content “great” was a venture into naivete in itself. Did I write bad content? I don’t think so? But to think I’d get noticed without help from the search engines was presumptuous to say the least and resulted in little or no traffic to begin with. Full disclosure, I’m still working on this part of my blog’s development, but I’m learning as I go, and I like it that way. I’m learning right along with the rest of you, but I can safely say that proper keywords and descriptions are the key—pun semi intended—to discoverable content. Long story short, spend some time looking at keywords and basic SEO practices. There are great articles and videos all over the internet about it. Your blog will thank you.

Inconsistent Posting Schedules

This one really hits home for me. When I started out, I would only post sporadically, mostly because of doubts in my message and if anyone would care what I had to say. I would post a couple of articles in a week, then after seeing the metrics, I’d get discouraged and stop posting for a month or so. The erratic schedule confused what audience I had and likely lost me some credibility as a creator. Readers appreciate reliability, just like any other job would. When you want to build a readership, it helps for them to know when your next bit of content is going to come. 

After extensive research and exhaustive work on new content, I have learned the lesson of consistency. Like choosing your niche, consistency in your post schedule will help the right audience find you, no matter how long it takes. Post consistently and make good content, and your readers will find you.

Misunderstanding Content Length Requirements

Content requirements for search engine optimization was something I was also not clear on when I began blogging. Blinded by short social media posts and YouTube videos, I mistakenly thought that shorter content was the way to go, something someone could read quickly and get on with their day. With this misguided principle in mind, you can imagine my surprise when I applied for Google AdSense and got denied on the grounds of “low value content.” How dare they, right? It turns out they dared, and they were right. I had totally misunderstood the purpose of blogs and the way they should be written. The key was to find a balance between being concise enough to not lose the reader’s interest and being a long enough read to provide depth and keep readers engaged and reading. As I improved my content, both in length and readability, I found yet another hurdle to jump over.

 

Not Offering Solutions to Readers’ Problems

If I’m being honest, this one still plagues me. What question am I answering for people? What problem am I solving? I have trouble answering this, or at least I did. To begin with, I was just posting things as they came to mind, not really thinking about what readers were searching for or why they read blogs. If they came with a question, concern, or need, I did not know whether I was satisfying it. Judging because most readers didn’t come back, I’m going to guess not. Lesson learned here, don’t just post whatever comes to mind. Share your passion and opinions, but do so with a clear goal in mind. Think of a question or concern you can address for your readers with what you’ve written. Even if it’s just to entertain, which is how I rationalized my earlier failings, you still have a goal, and clearly presenting that goal in your writing will hook readers and keep them coming back. Mistakes are human, and I’ve learned from them. I hope that what I’ve learned can help you now.

Reflection and Growth

As with any journey worth taking, mistakes are inevitable when you start writing or blogging for the first time. There were bumps in the road, but those bumps served as lessons for the road ahead. Each speed bump along the way taught me how to refine my approach to the craft and grow as a writer and content creator. Each mistake was a lesson, teaching me something fundamental about what it takes to succeed as a content creator. Each potential roadblock was a stepping stone, teaching me the importance of authenticity, consistency, strategy, and understanding the wants and needs of an audience.

If you’re just starting out in the blogging world, or thinking about it, don’t be discouraged by thoughts like, “What if I don’t do this right?” or “What if my message doesn’t resonate with people?” You’re bound to make mistakes. It’s human nature. That’s why all the good writers have even better editors. Learn from your mistakes. Grow, adapt, and keep improving. You will improve over time as long as you’re willing to grow. Evolution doesn’t mean changing your message. It just means tweaking the process every now and again. I’ve done it. You will too. Stick with it and you’ll find your voice. Before you know it, you’ll have a page that shows who you are and sticks with your readers long after they close their browser.

Final Thoughts

Blogging, especially on a subject that is a passion, can be a rewarding endeavor. The rewards come with a learning curve, however. I’ve shared some of my early blogging experiences with you today hoping to spare you some of the frustration and self-doubt I faced stumbling around in the dark, trying to find the light switch in the vast universe of blogging. Choose a topic that excites you, something your friends and family can’t get you to shut up about, and put those passions on paper. Remember, search engines bring people to your content, so choose your keywords carefully. Post often, and more importantly post consistently. Be mindful of content length guidelines, which sometimes vary by niche, and make it your mission to provide information, entertainment, inspiration, anything that leaves your reader more enriched than when they landed on your page. Following these principles will put you on the path to success and help you build a community of engaged and loyal readers. I wish you the best of luck. I’d love to have a dialogue with you. Leave questions or comments in the section below this post, and happy writing.