5 Dirty Truths About Blogging

Some blogging advice that used to be accurate has become outdated. Following are common “truths” that now need a second look.

Keyword Density Matters

Many bloggers believe they must achieve a specific keyword density when writing their blog posts; otherwise, their posts won’t rank and their traffic will decline. So instead of writing with the end user in mind, they write content specifically for search engines, ensuring it contains a certain number of keywords. While this tactic used to work, it has since gone the way of the dinosaurs, with search engines playing little-to-no attention on metrics like keyword density.

You Should Avoid Highly Competitive Niches

Granted, you’ll have to work harder to succeed in highly competitive niches, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be done. If a particular niche/vertical has dozens or even hundreds of other competing websites, there’s a probably a good reason for it — and that reason is usually because it’s lucrative. Bloggers should view competition as a double-edged sword so to speak. It will require more work to generate traffic and visibility, but at the same time it’s also in high-demand by users, making it well worth the time and energy invested.

You Must Publish X Posts Per Week

Who says you have to publish a certain amount of blog posts per week? In many cases publishing content on a regular basis will drive traffic to a blog, and it can also help to improve the blog’s search ranking. Other times, however, it offers little-to-no benefit, costing the blogger time and energy while delivering no real value in return. This doesn’t mean you should avoid publishing content altogether, but rather you should avoid strict schedules like posting 2-3 times per week.

I Want My Blog To Generate Income Immediately

Wouldn’t it be great if you could toss up WordPress on an existing domain name and immediately begin earning revenue via Google Adsense, affiliate sales, etc.? Sure it would! But it rarely happens like this, and trying to force monetization into your blog is a critical mistake that may turn away your visitors. If you plan on monetizing your blog, wait until it has attracted a sizable number of followers, at which point you can gradually add product, ads or other promotional material. Failure to take it slow may send visitors out the door and to one of your competitor’s sites.

A Generic Theme is Fine

Don’t underestimate the importance of using a custom, premium theme/template for your blog. Why is this important? You have to remember that dozens if not hundreds of other blogs and websites are likely using it as well. Visitors may notice your site’s theme being used elsewhere, viewing your blog as being nothing more than a copycat. The allure of obtaining a theme for free may sound enticing, but it will usually end up costing you more in the long run. For this reason, it’s recommended that you go ahead and invest in a premium theme.

Have anything else that you would like to add? Let us know in the comments section below!