If you are a new blogger or have been blogging for awhile, and you feel like you have been working your butt off on your blog with very little traffic/comments/likes to show for it, you may be asking yourself, “What the hell am I doing wrong?”
I bet you have been writing posts religiously, promoting them on all social media platforms and participating in reciprocation threads, going above and beyond to satisfy all the requirements. You probably see a little bump in traffic on posting/promotion days but when you take a break, you hear crickets.
But the biggest kick in the gut comes when you look at other blogs and think, “Why does that blogger, who started at the same time as I did, have 10 times the traffic and followers than I do!” WTF!!!
If it seems like no matter how much time and effort you spend on your own posts and promotion, traffic and engagement just keeps falling flat, you may be doing some of these 7 things that are responsible for most blogs failing.
It’s time to tackle these reasons head on and make a mind shift so you can start to get your blog on the path to success.
7 Reasons Most Blogs Fail
1. You don’t know who you’re talking to.
If you can’t describe your ideal reader in terms of sex, age, interests, lifestyle etc. then you will never be able to relate to your target market.
How can you possibly write blog posts or recommend products if you don’t know your avatar. Knowing your reader, their hopes and dreams as well as their problems, helps you create content that they will not only want to consume but will eagerly share with others.
Homework: Describe your ideal reader thoroughly like they are you best friend. Find an image online that will represent them. Print the image and the description and tape them above your desk so you have to see it every time you sit down to write or create content.
2. You are posting about random topics, hoping something will take off and become viral.
When you have no focus or niche, growing your blog following and getting pageviews will feel like endless work with no reward.
If you have no clue what you want to write about when you sit down at the computer everyday, think about how your potential follower feels reading your content. I doubt confusion is the emotion you want to impress on your target readers.
Homework: Look at the image and description of your ideal reader. Make a list of their problems. Then, make a list of potential blog post topics solving those issues.
3. You are not posting consistently.
This practice is very counter-productive for growing traffic and gaining followers.
If you post sporadically, your regular readers will lose interest and you will have trouble securing new followers.
Followers and subscribers want to see your content and hear from you.
That’s what they signed up for and it took a lot of effort on your part to get them to click follow or subscribe. Don’t lose them now.
When you post everyday for a week and then don’t post for 2 months, your followers forget who you are and your blog loses momentum.
Homework: Set an achievable content schedule for yourself. If you can post 1 x/day or 1x/week or 1x/every 2 weeks, whatever it is, that’s ok. Be consistent.
4. You are not promoting your content on the right platform.
In the beginning, new bloggers try to be everywhere. Even seasoned bloggers become enticed by new social media platforms.
But it is impossible to have a good and engaged presence on more than 2 platforms unless you have an assistant. Plus, trying to be everywhere ends up being exhausting and stressful.
Homework: Figure out what platforms your ideal reader (from #1 above) is on by doing research on Google. i.e. age demographics for Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
Once you know where you should be, set up your account properly and then share content that is interesting and valuable to your ideal reader there.
The more you share content that your ideal reader cares about the easier you will build a relationship with them. This will help grow your following and establish trust with them.
5. You are ignoring your followers or potential subscribers.
Whether or not you have consistent pageviews on your blog after 6 months speaks volumes. It means something is terribly wrong.
- Are you sure you have correctly described your ideal reader?
- If you have identified your niche and target audience, maybe you incorrectly identified their problems or you are not addressing them in your posts.
- If you are consistently posting and promoting on social media and not gaining followers, are you sure you are on the right platform?
- If your followers are engaging with you, are you responding to them, are you using that information to serve them better?
Homework: Go back to #1 above frequently throughout the year or when traffic stagnates, to update the description of your ideal reader. Adjust all other points above accordingly.
Surveys and polls are also great ways to get feedback from your audience. Make one on Facebook or send one out to your subscribers, even if you only have 2. You may be very surprised by what you find out and that could help you adjust your content favourably.
6. You lose your focus.
Bloggers lose their focus for many reasons.
- They picked a niche they didn’t really like.
- They get over-whelmed by blog envy.
- They feel like they aren’t gaining any traction.
- They spend too much time on social media.
- They spend too much money on their blogs
- They spend too much time in research mode.
Losing your focus is the ultimate death of your blog. Posting and promotion stop, followed by pageviews. It happens to the best of us, sometimes for absolutely no reason connected to our blog.
Homework: If you have lost your focus, don’t beat yourself up.
It may be a good thing to step back and re-evaluate where you are at. Maybe you need to start all over again with a new blog. That’s ok, this is my forth blog!
Maybe you just need to change your goals.
Take some time off. Figure out what you need to feel rejuvenated. Then wipe the slate and start from the top again.
This may even be the time to consider hiring a blog coach.
7. You expect too much too fast.
If you come to blogging expecting instant results: thousands of pageviews and oodles of cash flow, you may be disappointed. There are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there vying for the same audience.
Patience and tenacity are essential on your part.
If you write well, find a unique niche to fill, have appealing titles for your posts and tirelessly promote your blog, the traffic and money will come.
Homework: Set achievable traffic and income goals then make a concise plan on how to reach them. Re-evaluate goals and plans periodically for optimal results.
I hate to mention it but there is one more. Maybe you just aren’t cut out for blogging. That’s ok. I am sure you learned a lot in the process of starting and maintaining a blog. Skills that will come in handy in real life. Who knows? Maybe one day you will come back.
Now that you know the reasons why most blogs fail, you can make sure yours is not one of them. Do the homework and you may be the next success story.