10 mistakes bloggers are making right now

10 Mistakes Bloggers Are Making Right Now

When you start blogging there’s no test you must pass before you publish your first post. Consequently the learning curve is pretty steep! I learn things every single day and also spot things that other could be doing better. We all have our own little bug-bears don’t we?!

So in the spirit of learning, I thought I would share the blogging mistakes I often see. These are the things I would put into my ‘Blogging Room 101’ like a shot.

Are you a new blogger? Confused about what you should & shouldn't be doing? Here are the mistakes I see that bloggers are making right now

 

  • No/Hidden/Hard to find social media icons 

It depends on your blog template, but when I land on a new blog I will look for a nice group of social media buttons on the top right hand side.  My heart sinks when I don’t see them.  If you want people to interact with you then please just make it super easy for people to be able to tweet you or follow you.  Remember PR agencies won’t spend ages looking for ways to get in touch with you, they will move on.

  • Small pictures

Small pictures make me sad.  Especially, when I’m on my phone as they then become even more  tiny.  I think all pictures (with the exception of badges etc) should be as big as your template allows.

  • Captcha

I realise people have to protect their blogs, but I really hate captcha.  Often I have written a comment, clicked it away and not even realised that the captcha was there and so the comment was lost.  Some seem very temperamental and I haven’t got time to try to figure out the code and keep inputting.  I have Akismet as a spam filter and it puts into moderation anything it’s not sure of.  I prefer this as it only takes me a few minutes to approve the few that it holds back.  Maybe try a ‘click box if your human’ system instead?

  • Unclear fonts

A font might look cool or appealing, but consider what it will look like on the screen and on an entire post?  Clean, easy to read fonts get my vote every time.

  • Bright coloured backgrounds

I love colour, but I think colour on blogs should be treated with caution.  Just try to think about the reader experience, could your coloured page be giving them a headache?

  • No author bio box or image of you in the About Me page

I understand that some people are camera shy, but when reading a blog I like to see who’s speaking to me and so I may switch off if I never see your face. I love a little box probably near your social media icons (!) that tells me a little snippet about you.

  • Tiny disclosure

On some blogs I would need a magnifying glass the read the disclosure on reviews and sponsored posts. This annoys me, just be clear and honest that you have been given the item/been paid to write the post.  I think the disclosure should be same size text on the rest of the post.

  • Twitter handle not in the sharing tweet

This should probably be at number 1! This drives me insane! When someone likes a post of yours and they decide to share it. They click the ‘share to tweet’ button and they’re often faced with just a url, no post title and most of the time your handle isn’t in there. So if they share you will never be able to thank them as you won’t know. Also they will probably be reluctant to share as without a handle in the tweet it will look like it is their post they’re sharing.

  • No information on the ‘About Me’ page/no ‘About Me’ page

If I enjoy reading a post, I might want to read a little more about you and your family, to make a connection.  The absence of such information makes it harder for me to identify with you. It’s so important to give your readers ways they can potentially connect with you.

  • Empty sidebars 

O.K. so clutter isn’t really the way to go either, but I like to be able to get quick links to other posts and see a little bit more about you. When they’re just empty, I feel unsatisfied! Your sidebar is prime real estate which you can use to show off your best pieces of content.

So what would you put into your ‘blogging room 101’?

N.B This is just my personal opinion and no offence is aimed at anyone who’s blog has any of these aspects!

 

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  2. Totally agree with these. I’m slightly guilty of one but trying to break the habit and I don’t have a blank About Me page but it certainly needs some work… *adds to list of things to do after Christmas*

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  3. This is a great list for giving blogs a little refresh. The lack of social media links is a big bugbear of mine, as is not making it easy for me to subscribe. And I love a good about me page, its definitely true that it helps you to connect with the blogger if you can learn a bit more about them and their family. x

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  4. Another brilliant set of tips, thank you so much for blog club it’s so handy. I’ve recently changed my blog and this is a fab checklist. I’d like to learn how to create one of those photos with product images on a white background that lots of gift guides have, any ideas? I was going to head over to pic monkey?

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      I am glad you like it huni. The gift guide things will just be a design in picmonkey with the products as overlays. Does that make sense? x

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      You could always just put a little sentence about you and a picture and then link to the About me page? Might help to draw people to that page. I alway think of making things super easy for people to see the information and not assuming they will look. But that is just me, I’m sure what you have works perfectly well for you huni. Have a wonderful Christmas x

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  7. I completely agree with you on these, I’m currently refreshing my blog for the new year and really need to add more in my About Me but I just can’t think of anything interesting to say about myself!!

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  10. i have to agree with these blogging NoNo’s! I think my site covers most of these, but my “All about me” section definitely needs work!! Xxx

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  11. Totally agree! Can’t stand captcha, and swirly typefaces are difficult to read. I’d add to the lists backgrounds/wallpaper that while pretty take forever to load xx

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  13. I keep thinking about putting an author bio at the top of my sidebar… but I already have the photos at the top of the page so I’m not sure whether it would be overkill…. I guess the only way to find out is to do it and see how it looks! Thanks for another great post!

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  14. Thoughful no nos! I don’t like captchas and like pop ups too. I definitely need to sort out a better placement of my bio pic; you did comment on this as an improvement when you kindly visited my blog much earlier on in my journey.

    Thanks for another informative post.

    Happy New Year … before you know it. 🙂

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  15. Great List Any! I do need to sort out an author bio but its still on my to do list! I just updated the all about us/welcome page as I hate when you go take a look and they have apparently just had baby…to realise new baby is now in preschool!

    My other bloggy hates are captcha…god how I hate it! And also the “subscribe to me” boxes they don’t make me want to subscribe in fact I probably click close tab instead! I also hate when you click a link and it takes you away from the page instead of opening a new window (something I just became aware I was doing…arrgghh imagine me horror!)

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  17. Great post. I and to think to myself for a moment whether I did any of those things. Mostly like you all of that annoys me to. Some things I may need to improve on such as the picture on my bio, I am semi-anonomous on my blog, just a personal choice, so I do have a pictures of me on the bio and on my about me page but my face isn’t the centre of attention if that makes any sense. Anyway lots of ways for me to improve and thank you for pointing some of those things out. Attention to detail is important in blogging x

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      Thanks huni for the comment. There is still so much I need to learn, but I like to pass on what little I do know, as that’s what makes this blogging community so great x

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  18. So much yes to all of these. There’s a few themes getting around at the moment too that have the comment box font set to grey. It’s almost impossible to read and if I didn’t love the blogs they were on, it would definitely put me off commenting.

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  19. I agree with all of these especially no author bio (pic usually), bad fonts, dark backgrounds, captcha (argh, especially now it seems to have changed from the easier numbers to that stupid click I’m not a robot to get to the actual captcha!).

    But small pictures…I don’t see the point of putting them in at all. People who join in photo linkys and then put small pictures. Absolutely no point because people can’t see the pictures. It’s like they’re ashamed or don’t really want to put them in but feel they should. I think if you’re going to add tiny pictures, then you may as well not bother at all!

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  20. I think I agree with all of your little pet hates and I’m so very pleased |I’m not guilty of any blogging faux pas! May run off just now to go and write a little more on my ‘About Me’ section though 😉 You always write really useful posts,thanks! #TheList

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  21. Oh, I definitely need to apply some of these to my blog, I am very camera shy but I must have a half decent photo to put up on my blog…
    Thanks again for such a helpful post =)

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  22. Good list. I think I only do 1 or 2 of these, so hopefully I’m not too annoying! I hate Captcha – pretty much turns me off from commenting, plus fonts you can’t read are really annoying. It also really annoys me when people have things, like badges, on their blog but don’t align them all – looks a bit unprofessional when some stuff is left aligned and others centre etc! #thelist

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  23. Thanks so much for these tips Aby – they’re great! I really want to work on making my blog better this year and I’ll be taking your advice.

    Happy New Year to you and Baby!

    Mim 🙂

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  24. I agree with these – especially captcha which seems to be a pet hate for many of us! Too many big photos can also be unappealing sometimes and as I often read and comment via my phone, it can be frustrating when sites don’t display well (and some of the comment plugins don’t work well on phones either) – I now have a mental list of blogs that I can only really comment on using my computer, which is fine when they are blogs I love and follow regularly but would probably put me off following a new one.

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      I have big photos, but there is a blog I like with loads and even on the PC they take so long to load that it does make me click off it sometimes, so I know what you mean x

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  25. Love these! I HATE captcha with a passion when trying to comment on blogs! I’m guilty of the no picture of me thing having blogged anonymously for the last six years but I’m itching to change that this year, just depends if I’ve got the courage to come of of the blogging closet so to speak!

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  27. This is a great list and has given me some inspiration. My blog is only 4 months old and as I’m a little hopeless with technology it’s still all a bit basic. I’m guilty of not having social icons, bio etc – though I do have an about me page and no captcha (hate that too!) so I’m getting there!
    I am quite excited about my plans to step up my blog this year with a bit of a makeover so I’ll make sure those icons and bio are at the top of my list!!
    Xx

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  28. Okay, I told you I’d be guilty of at least a few, and I am. Thank goodness “posts without pics” isn’t on your list, but I guess that’s because pictures are such a basic must-have for any blog post that you didn’t bother listing them. I am going to look into that author bio thingy. Still waiting for my husband to send me a pic of me though, cause seriously, I don’t have any from beyond age sixteen or so. For your readers who don’t know, I’m blind, which is the reason I don’t do pics in posts and dont’have a selfie from beyond age sixteen. By the way, I didn’t see a box where you can add social media links on any free theme on WordPress.com. I think that’s a feature for premium themes but I haven’t foudn apremium theme that my screen reader and I both like.

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      I don’t like posts without pictures, I guess I went for small pictures as it is more common than none at all. I hope you can get a picture you like x

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  29. Ooh great idea and post. The social media icons on my template really bug me – I feel they are too tucked away but they ARE top right, but very top right! I have been pondering putting a little author bio box (already have about page), but didn’t want to clutter my sidebar (!) but you have given me a nudge! #thelist

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  30. I was a bit worried when I first started reading but I think I’ve passed the test! I don’t have a photograph of myself on my front page as I think it would put people off reading! There is one on my ‘About’ page for those brave enough to venture there!

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  37. Love your blogging posts. I’m a newbie blogger only seven posts in – I’ve committed a few of these. Top of my list is to figure out how to add social media buttons to my blog. Will also take a look at my pictures and tone down my bright turquoise background!

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  38. Some really simple and effective tips. I am with you on pop ups, they drive me crazy! I’ll be looking through your other blog tip posts as I streamline mine. Thanks!

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  39. Really helpful post thank you, my blog is still work in progress as I’m figuring things out as I go, the above pointers are very useful! Just off to tweak my blog now 🙂 x

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  41. I opened this post ready to cringe (and hopefully learn something) but these are not the mistakes I’m making. YAY! Looking forward to starting in on your blogger help posts. Thanks for the time you’ve put into making these!

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      My pleasure, if you join my emil list dld.bz/fnhD9 you also get access to my free super supportive fb group for bloggers, which I’m sure would help you. You can find it here http://www.mombosssquadcommunity.com it’s for people on my list or courses, even the free ones. Hope it helps 🙂

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  42. Yay I think I’m only guilty of one and not in every post! I’m still trying to get my head around picture size across different mediums but I never choose tiny, mainly medium or large! Thanks again for the fab info! xx

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  43. I expected to be committing all of these, but I am only guilty of the pop up, which is an instagram Milto Tree one, I know what you mean about annoying pop ups, but this one is right to the edge of screen and I don’t find it bothers me on other people’s sites so i am going to keep going with it for a while…

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  44. Great post! These things annoy me as well! You’re spot on! I’m guilty of one of these… kind of. My sidebar is exactly how I want it when using a desktop/laptop, but all of that sidebar content (including social media links) go to the bottom when on a phone/tablet. Is this a common problem that I just have to get over (I understand that screens are narrower), or are other templates better for this? If so, is it easy to switch templates (on WordPress) or will it mess up my content?

    I really appreciate the advice. Thanks in advance!

    Adam

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      Hi You need to make sure the theme you use is mobile responsive. You will need to be self hosted to get a sleek, professional one, but it is definitely possible. Super important as probably most of your traffic comes from mobile

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  45. All my sidebar content goes to the bottom of the page when on mobile too 🙁 I’m using wordpress .com at the min but will be going self hosted soon. (apparently because I brought my own domain I’ve got to wait 60days first which suck a bit). I will make sure I come back to this post when I do to remind myself of everything I need to do/shouldn’t do. Thanks for soom great tip as usual 🙂 x
    #TheListLinky

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  48. I remember reading this when I first started blogging, thanks for the great advice. I recently updated my “all about me” page as I’ve had another baby and also added companies I’ve worked with onto this page 🙂 so i would say, staying up to date with those really. Linking up for the first time in ages shortly #TheListLinky

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  51. Yay, thankfully I don’t make any of these mistakes. The twitter handle and catptcha ones drive me up the wall too. I do think I need to be a bit more strategic about what’s in my sidebar though and I could do with jazzing up my about me page x
    #TheListLinky

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  54. I’ve just set up my first blog today and my friend directed me to your blog. Thank you so much – it’s so so helpful and given me a lot of things to think about as I start this journey ! ( I’m not going to leave my website just yet as it’s not quite ready! )

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  55. Thanks for this! I think ivecdo e most of them but still not sure how the old photo thing works… done say that if you make them big it slows the site and others, the bigger the better? You’re tips have been invaluable to me and this is a fab linky!
    Thank you x
    #thelistlinky

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  58. I hate captcha too! All of my comments go to moderation the first time someone comments. Why isn’t that enough? I’m glad to see I’m not committing any of your sins! #thelistlinky

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  59. Trying to figure out how to get my twitter handle into the share button… thanks! #thelistlinky

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  61. This is such a helpful list! The only one I can’t do is the Twitter one because I use Squarespace and they don’t currently allow you to add your Twitter handle to your social shares. I’ve made sure I’m not making any of the other mistakes though! #TheListLinky

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  62. Phew, I don’t think any of these apply to me! My pet hate is zillions of boxes popping up asking me if I want this & that – no I don’t! I just want to read! #thelistlinky

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