5 Popular Blogging Advice You Should Ignore

Every blogger I have known (including myself) has searched ‘How to grow a blog’ on Google at one time or another. Soon after publishing the first post, you begin thinking about attracting traffic and comments, and more precisely, what you need to do to increase both.

One of the first actions a blogger takes when faced with the dilemma of growing their blog is conducting research. As you search, you realize that you keep encountering the same advice repeatedly – from A-listers and average bloggers alike.

If so many people are vouching for the same piece of advice, then it must surely work, right?

So, you spend the next few months trying one piece of advice after another, hoping it will take your blog to greater heights. You are doing everything they say will work; the problem is, it doesn’t! Here is what will not work and how you can make it work for you.

1. Blog Every Day

This was the first piece of blogging advice that I took to heart and failed spectacularly at. Blogging every day is an open invitation to blogging burn-out. Not only do you run out of things to say, but your writing also suffers because you cannot spend as much time proofreading, editing, and polishing each post.

To make matters worse, your blog post’s lifespan is reduced to a single day. That is not enough time for it to gain traction on social media or receive comments. You do not have any time to market it!

Blogging every day may sound good in theory, but in reality, it squeezes the life and creativity out of you.

How to Make Things Work?

Unless your blog is your business, there is a good chance that publishing new posts every day is not what your blog needs. Instead of aiming to blog every day, focus on blogging regularly. Determine your blog’s requirements: how many posts per week do you truly need to attract visitors and keep your blog active?

New blogs tend to thrive with 2-3 posts per week. Experiment with posting schedules to see which days receive the most visits, comments, and interactions, and target your publications within that optimal time frame.

2. Write Great Content

The second piece of blogging advice that famous bloggers often impart proved to be somewhat of an oxymoron for me. How could I write great content if I had to blog every day? If you’re blogging daily, your content quality may suffer.

Creating great content takes time. It begins with a captivating headline and concludes with a compelling call to action. Add in the content that needs to go between the two, and a mini-quest for the perfect images, and you’re looking at a significant amount of time and energy devoted to producing excellent blog content.

How to Make Things Work?

Writing exceptional content requires planning. Great content not only imparts knowledge, but it also solves your readers’ problems and provides them with viable solutions. Take some time to review your blog analytics. What are the visitors to your blog searching for? What answers are they seeking?

I’ve discovered that the posts I write based on conclusions from my search analytics are the ones that remain evergreen and maintain a steady flow of traffic.

3. Be Controversial

It seems that the advice for anyone looking to make a significant impact with their blog is to be different. With everyone writing the same old content, they suggest taking an opposing view and not being afraid to offend a few people.

However, what this approach really does is make a fool out of you. Instead of convincing readers of your point of view, controversial posts force them to take sides. If you cannot defend your controversial view and a commentator comes in and convinces readers that you are wrong, you may lose credibility.

Therefore, only write a genuinely controversial post if you are confident in defending your perspective.

How to Make Things Work?

Rather than writing a loud, controversial post, choose an angle that has not been explored. For example, if you have a freelancing blog, most other freelancing blogs out there are advising against working for low rates.

Despite what the experts say or how solid that advice may be, freelancers often still offer low rates in the beginning.

So, instead of trying to convince them not to do so, write a blog post about factors to consider when accepting a low-paying client.

4. Comment Frequently

If you want to make your blog visible, the general consensus is to comment on as many blogs as possible. This allows you to leave your footprints all over the blogosphere, which leads back to your own blog. While this was true a few years ago, it is no longer the case.

Blog commenters have become busier. They no longer have the time to visit your website after reading your comments. Most of the time, commenters do not even read other comments! They simply leave a comment and move on.

How to Make Things Work?

No one is saying that you should not leave comments. They are a crucial part of your blog-growth strategy. However, focus on commenting on relevant blogs and posts, and then monitor which blog sends you the most traffic.

I still receive visitors from a blog I commented on six months ago. Here’s a tip: to increase visibility for your comment and your blog, sign your comment with your name and your blog’s name, for example, samar@myblog.com. This way, when people see your comments, they will know which blog you are from.

5. Run a Competition

I took this advice to heart and decided not to hold a competition on my blog for a long time. The need to grow your blog implies that you won’t have enough traffic to make the competition successful. Moreover, competitions require effort from the reader, and they might not be willing to make that effort if they don’t know or trust you.

How to Make Things Work?

Instead of hosting a competition with a prize at the end, consider doing a giveaway. Social media is an excellent way to raise awareness nowadays, so request a simple tweet in exchange. If it’s a free report or a product you’ve created, you can also give it away to everyone who tweets or shares it on social media.

Create a social share page where users will be directed to the information product after sharing the page on their social media platforms.

Reflection

The issue with popular advice is that it tends to be generic. No two blogs can follow the same guidance and achieve identical results. Much depends on the content of the blog and the blogger in question.

Therefore, take the time to understand your blog and business needs before implementing any advice you receive about blogging. Continue experimenting and adjusting until you discover a combination that is effective.

Have you ever followed widely-accepted blogging advice, only to discover that it was not successful for you?