6 Things You’re Doing That Hurt Your Blog

Starting and maintaining a successful blog requires strategic planning and consistent effort.

However, even seasoned bloggers can fall into habits that may hinder their blog’s growth and profitability.

Here are six things you might be doing that could be hurting your blog and how to turn things around.

1. Relying Only on SEO

SEO is a great tool for driving traffic to your blog, but relying solely on it is risky.

Search engine algorithms frequently change, and your traffic can disappear overnight if an update negatively impacts your site.

Why It Hurts:

  • Traffic Volatility: Search engine updates can drastically reduce your traffic.

  • Missed Opportunities: You miss out on traffic from other valuable sources.

Solution:

  • Diversify your traffic sources. Utilize social media, email marketing, and direct traffic to create a more stable and reliable visitor base.

2. Monetizing Only Through Ads

While ads are a common way to monetize a blog, they often don’t generate significant revenue unless you have substantial traffic. Additionally, too many ads can detract from the user experience.

Why It Hurts:

  • Low Revenue: Ads typically generate lower revenue compared to other monetization methods.

  • Poor User Experience: Excessive ads can frustrate readers and drive them away.

Solution:

  • Explore multiple monetization strategies such as affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and selling digital products to maximize your revenue potential.

3. Not Collecting Emails for the Newsletter

An email list is one of your most valuable assets as a blogger. It allows you to maintain direct communication with your audience, drive traffic, and promote products.

Why It Hurts:

  • Missed Engagement: Without an email list, you miss out on direct engagement with your readers.

  • Lost Opportunities: You can’t capitalize on email marketing to promote content or products.

  • There is a lot of traffic to be gained: You can get about 8% of your newsletter subscribers to click through to your blog. With a 100k email list, that means you could get 8k daily clicks to your blog just from email.

Solution:

  • Start collecting emails from day one. Use lead magnets, such as free eBooks or checklists, to encourage sign-ups and build a loyal subscriber base.

4. Not Growing on Social Media

Social media platforms are essential for reaching new audiences and driving traffic to your blog. Ignoring these channels means missing out on a vast potential audience.

Why It Hurts:

  • Limited Reach: Without a social media presence, you miss out on potential readers.

  • Lack of Engagement: Social media helps build a community around your content, which is crucial for growth and engagement.

Solution:

  • Actively grow your presence on social media platforms relevant to your niche. Share your content, engage with followers, and use social media to drive traffic to your blog.

5. Not Looking at What Your Successful Competitors Are Doing

Ignoring what successful competitors are doing can mean missing out on valuable insights and strategies that could benefit your blog.

Why It Hurts:

  • Missed Insights: Competitors’ strategies can provide ideas and inspiration for your blog.

  • Stagnation: Without learning from others, your blog might not evolve or improve.

Solution:

  • Regularly analyze your competitors. Look at their content strategies, monetization methods, and engagement tactics. Adapt and implement successful strategies to enhance your blog.

6. Not Having Your Own Digital Product

Creating and selling your own digital product is a high-profit-margin strategy that allows you to offer tailored solutions to your audience.

Why It Hurts:

  • Low Profit Margin: Relying on ads and affiliate marketing often yields lower profits.

  • Limited Control: Selling your own products gives you control over pricing, marketing, and customer interactions. You can also make the product specifically with your audience in mind to solve their exact pain points.

Solution:

  • Develop a digital product such as an eBook, online course, or digital toolkit that addresses your audience’s needs. This not only diversifies your income but also provides high-profit margins.

  • I show you how to grow, monetize and automate your Digital Creator business in the Digital Creator 2.0