12 Terrible Mistakes That Almost Every Amateur Blogger Make (Solutions Included)

Every Master Was Once A Beginner!!

That’s absolutely right and the same goes with the bloggers also. 

I have been blogging for 15 years now but I was once an amateur blogger too.

In the initial days of my blogging journey, I also made some of the common mistakes that almost every amateur blogger makes in the beginning.

But with each mistake I committed, I gained some great learnings and became much stronger and wiser.

That being said, things have completely changed in the past few years. There are over 500 million blogs out there and the number is only growing.

So to stand out from the crowd, you should try to avoid a few terrible mistakes that almost every amateur blogger makes during the start.

Hereby, presenting you with the common mistakes that amateur bloggers make.

Trust me, if you read this post till the end you will take away massive learnings with you. 

Learning you will be Getting from This Post:

You’ll get to know the top 12 mistakes that every amateur blogger make
You’ll also get to know the best way to overcome the mistakes that amateur blogger make
If you are an aspiring blogger then you will be way ahead by not doing plenty of mistakes that almost every newbie makes
And many more  

So without further ado, let’s get started knowing about these mistakes and their solutions.

Top 12 Awful Mistakes That Almost Every Amateur Blogger Make 

1. Not Self-hosting

The very first mistake that almost every amateur blogger makes is choosing not to self-host. 

Yes, there was a time when Blogger (blogspot.com) by Google used to be the first choice of every blogger. 

Even we started with the Blogger platform but later realized the drawbacks of using a free platform and eventually moved to the WordPress self-hosting platform.  

There are a huge number of limitations associated with free blogging platforms like Blogger, the major limitation of opting for a free blogging platform is that you don’t have any control over your blog.

Your blog may be banned or removed anytime even without intimidating you.

Recently, Google loses ownership of blogspot.in, and due to this over 4.4 million blog users are facing issues and are not able to gain access to their blogs.

Don’t let that happen to you.

That being said, here are some other critical issues you would be facing if you choose a free platform for blogging.

1. Building a Brand with a domain like blogspot.com is almost impossible. So if you stick to the free blogging platforms, you will be hurting your brand with your own hands.

2. The major source of traffic on almost every blog is organic traffic from Google.  And you know what, self-hosted blogs are given priority in the Google SERP. 

So if you are running a blog on a free platform then your blog will not perform well in Google. 

3. Having a blog on a free platform shows you aren’t fully committed that will make acquiring backlinks a challenging job for you.

4. You won’t be able to build an authority website which means you will have to struggle thought out your blogging journey 

5. Poor speed, limited customization, and fewer chances of monetization are just to name a few. 

So if you are serious about blogging and want to make a living as a blogger then I would highly recommend you switch to a self-hosting platform like WordPress.org.

2. Choosing a Cheap Hosting

Web hosting is something that your website’s performance completely depends on.

Moreover, it is the web host that gives you strength in tough times. 

Whether it is about setting up a blog from scratch, moving a blog to another server, or any other technical issue.

So even if you have opted for a self-hosted platform for building your site but hosted on any cheap web hosting then also you are making a big mistake.

Cheaper isn’t always better, remember that.

A cheap web hosting results in poor site speed and frequent downtime. Which will further leave your readers disappointed and ultimately they will move to your competitors’ blogs.

Fortunately, we never committed this mistake. If you are making this mistake then we will suggest you move to a reliable host.

Now you must be wondering, which is the best web hosting provider for amateur bloggers, right?

Though there are a ton of reliable web hosting options available in the market, we highly recommend Bluehost to newbies and aspiring bloggers.

Bluehost was founded back in 2003 and officially recommended by WordPress.org.

Currently, more than 2 million websites are hosted on Bluehost that makes it the first choice of bloggers.

Some of the reasons why Bluehost is the best option for amateur blogs.

Free Domain Name
Free WordPress Migration
Free SSL
Free Cloudflare CDN
50 GB SSD Storage
Unlimited Bandwidth 
99.9% Uptime
24/7 Customer Support

All these features make a perfect package for beginners which is available at $2.95 per month only.

So why stick to cheap local hosting when you can get all of this at so much affordable prices?

Here is a quick guide to making a blog on Bluehost hosting services along with a free domain name.

1. Visit this exclusive link to go to Bluehost official website. Click on the Get Started Now button.

2. Select a Bluehost plan. As a beginner, the Basic plan is the best affordable plan for you. In this plan, you can host 1 website with a free domain name along with 50 GB SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth.

3. Next you need to enter the desired domain name to check for its availability or you can use your existing domain name. 

4. Provide your basic details such as name, email address, etc.

5. Select an account plan. For a 36 months plan, you will have to pay just $2.95 per month. This way Bluehost’s basic plan will cost you $106.20 only for 3 years.  

6. Ensure all the add-ons are unchecked so that the total cost would remain the same ($106.20). 

7. Finally enter the payment details. You can either pay via credit card or PayPal. Tick mark that you agree with Bluehost policies and click on the submit button. 

So, this is how you can easily sign up for a Bluehost plan.

Quick Note:  Bluehost has launched free migration services along with a free domain name.

So even if your site is already hosted on any other web host and you are not happy with their services, you can enjoy the free WordPress migration with Bluehost. 

3. Ignoring Blog Design

First impression is the last impression!!

Yes, it is true. So even if your site is hosted on a reliable web host, if your site looks ugly then my friend all the money you are spending on hosting services is not worth it.

Having a premium theme not only makes your blog look impressive but also important from an SEO point of view.

Though there’s nothing wrong with starting with a free theme and later switching to a premium one. The problem arises when newbies like you end up using nulled themes.

Here is why a premium theme is important for your blog?

Reason #1: Gives your site a professional look that grabs users’ attention

Reason #2: Rich in built-in functions that helps easy customization

Reason #3: Typically faster and better for SEO

Reason #4: Will get regular updates for any bugs and improvisation

Reason #5: Mobile friendly, and

Reason #6: Unbelievable support 

I hope you have understood how important it is to opt for a premium theme.

So if you are using a pirated or null theme, we would advise you to switch to a reliable theme immediately if not premium.

And if you are already using a reliable free theme, go and grab a premium theme for your blog to take your blog to the next heights.

Now the question comes which theme you should go with?

Here is the straight answer!

1. GeneratePress

GeneratePress is the most popular WordPress theme across the globe with 2,968,929+ downloads, 1000+ (5 ratings), 300,000+ active websites, and 70,000+ happy customers.

We have been using the same theme from the beginning. Here is why we recommend it to everyone;

Secure & stable
Less than 10kb
Top-tier speeds
No dependencies
Search engine optimized
Accessibility ready

You can get a GP premium just at $49.95 for unlimited websites.

2. Astra       

Astra is another theme that we use on our subdomains and recommend to everyone.

It is the fastest-growing theme already opted by 1,000,000 users to build awesome websites.

Here are some reasons why people love Astra;

No jQuery
Less than 50 KB
Loads in just 0.5 seconds
Accessibility Ready
Hooks & Filters
SEO Friendly Markup
Translation & RTL Ready
Developed on Github
Made for Page Builders

Astra Pro that offers next Level customizability and flexibility will cost you $47 for unlimited sites.

4. Copying Others Content

This is another very common mistake that nearly every newbie blogger makes.  

Google loves content. Content here I mean, quality, and unique content that adds some value to the readers’ life.

But creating quality content may seem a challenging job especially for beginners, thus end up wasting their time copying others’ content.

Copied content is considered plagiarism and it is impossible to rank copied content on Google.

So, if you are committing this mistake, either stop doing the same immediately or leave blogging. 

Little harsh but the truth!

Though it’s a good practice to keep an eye on your competitors to check what they are up to, copying the exact content from your competitors’ site without proper citation is an offense and one should avoid it.

So if you really want to make money blogging then you have to come with your own unique and engaging content.

Here are some quick tips to master copywriting skill;

Master short-form copy first, make a routine of writing at least 500 words each day
Follow the 80/20 rule, spend 80% of your time on research, and 20% of your time on writing
Don’t use jargons, try to write the way you talk
Practice, Practice, and Practice

Added to that, if you want to include some content or images from any other blog, don’t forget to mention the name of the blog or blogger.

Indeed, giving a backlink will do your job perfectly.

5. Not Being Consistent

This is one of the biggest mistakes why most of the amateur blogs fail.

You know, blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.

So to become a successful blogger you will have to be consistent.

We have seen so many bloggers, who start blogs, write a few posts, and then start expecting good results. This is not going to happen anyway.

If you really want to conquer the blogging world, get some inspiration by seeing the hard work pro bloggers put in, not their earnings.

So make a habit of publishing valuable content consistently. Posts frequency may vary from niche to niche.

Moreover, it is not always about posting new content. Prefer quality over quantity. Updating old posts, removing thin content, promotions, and all are also equally important.

We know, it may seem a challenging job in the beginning. But as we said in the above point, make a habit of writing 400-500 words a day.

And once you will start loving the process, you will eventually end up writing 1000+ words easily.

In case you are struggling to write good blog posts or coming up with posts ideas, here are some proven tips that you can use to overcome this;

Tip 1: Competitors’ research is one of the best ways to come up with new blog posts ideas. You don’t need to reinvent the wheels.

Simply, keep an eye on your competitors’ blogs, what they are doing, and get amazing posts ideas.

You can take advantage of question-and-answer websites like Quora, Reddit, etc.

Tip 2: Once you have finalized the topic, study the top 10 results on the same topic in Google SERP.

Make an outline of the post and try to write 10x content as compared to the existing results.

Tip 3: Try to write shorter paragraphs, use H1-H5 headings efficiently.

Tip 4: Google Docs along with Grammarly is enough to write smooth and error-free content.

Tip 5: Use Table of Content to facilitate your audience, easy navigation.

So be consistent and feel the difference.

6. Neglecting Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Having a self-hosted, well-designed blog on a reliable web hosting with massive valuable content is not worth it if nobody is reading it.

Here is where search engine optimization comes into play. You can say SEO is the backbone of any blog.

SEO is a process of optimizing your blog posts in such a way that they can rank on Google for the targeted terms.

If you are not doing your blog SEO in the right ways, then you are making a big mistake. It’s like committing SEO suicide.

Though SEO is an ocean and one can’t learn it overnight. Still, there are some basic on-page and off-page SEO techniques you must implement in each post from day one.

SEO Tip 1: Optimize Meta title and Meta description of your post for the target keywords

SEO Tip 2: Use your target keyword at some prominent places along with LSI keywords throughout your blog post

SEO Tip 3: Utilize H1-H5 tags efficiently

SEO Tip 4: Optimize your post URLs for SEO

SEO Tip 5: Take advantage of internal links and external links        

SEO Tip 6: Include alt text on every image

All these tips are basic yet effective tips that will certainly help your content rank higher in search engines.

So if you have been avoiding SEO so far, start implementing all these tips and be ahead of your competitors.  

7. Forgetting Blog Posts Distribution

Have you ever heard about the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule?

This rule simply says that roughly 80% of results come from 20% of the efforts you put in.

What does it mean to you in blogging? 

It means that as a blogger you need to give 20% time in content creation and 80% of your efforts should go into promotions.

But in reality, almost every newbie does its opposite.

Are you getting me?

Publishing quality content is not enough alone. 

Even if you have published really awesome content, what about letting know your readers about your awesome content?