6 Blogging Myths Debunked
On the subject of blogging and making money from blogging, there are tons of opinions out there, and many of them are myths that are not only floating around, but persistently being told. Now they seem like truth which in the real sense they aren’t. I wanted to debunk the 6a common blogging myths that have consistently caught my attention.
If any of these myths have been holding you back, now you have the opportunity to know the truth and do the right thing.
Myth #1: If You Build it They Will Come
No, that is not true. Setting up a blog and posting content is only a small part of what you need to do to attract people to your blog. There are many more things you need to do such as sharing on social media, commenting on other people’s blogs, guest posting and adopting a solid marketing strategy. There are millions of blogs being written every day. So if you just post and sit back, no one is going to notice your blog.
Myth #2: You Can’t Make Money Blogging
Although the majority of blogs that are online are personal blogs where the bloggers have no intentions of monetizing them, many more are making money. You may think that it is not possible to make money through blogging, but that is not the case. You may even have started one with the sole purpose of monetizing it but reached a dead end when you realized that your AdSense is not making you a single cent. Instead of giving up, you should find out why your blog is not making money and improve it. AdSense and Ad Sales are the most common ways of making money through blogging. Others are affiliate programs, sponsored content and selling own products.
Myth #3: A Simple Blog with Plain Background is Boring
Many people think that your blog has to be designed with fancy colors with many plugins. Have you heard people say blogs with white backgrounds are boring? I have heard it many times and I think this is the greatest lie of them all.
If you look at a blog like SeoHour, you will be surprised at its immense simplicity, yet hundreds of thousands of people visit his blog. The first time I visited the blog I was very impressed. Unlike other blogs where you feel overwhelmed with plugins, colors, gadgets and ads, I felt relaxed and easy. Perhaps you need to rethink your design. If your blog is overwhelming its readers with colors, gadgets and ads, you are most probably experiencing high bounce rates. Remember, readers come to your blog for information, not to see how fantastic your designer was.
The first think your reader should notice shouldn’t be your background or gadgets, but your headline and the body. Your design should focus on functionality, not aesthetics.
Myth #4: You Have to be a Great Writer to Blog
This is one of the commonest misconceptions about blogging. People think that only good writers should be bloggers. Writing blog posts doesn’t require exceptional writing skills like those required for formal journals. Blogging is all about sharing information in a conversational manner. I have seen bloggers with average writing skills running very successful blogs. A Good Example is ShoutMeLoud. The blogger doesn’t write in perfect English, yet he has an almost fanatical following. Likewise, I have seen many bloggers with perfect writing skills who have failed as bloggers. Of course you have to strive to write blogs with perfect English, but if English is not your first language then you just have to begin with what you have as you learn. I don’t subscribe to those who say that blog posts must be written in perfect grammar. So long as you write very useful content and format your posts properly, you will become successful as a blogger. However, I am not saying that you should be careless with your grammar. All I am saying is that you should do your best, but you don’t have to be perfect.
Myth #5: Readers Have a Very Short Attention Span so Short Content is Key
Running a successful blog involves publishing useful, evergreen content. Most of the content is in the region of 700-5,000. Most blog posts that have done very well are long, evergreen posts.
Myth #6: Blogging is for passive income
If you were to make any money blogging, you should blog consistently. Most bloggers who make money blogging are full time bloggers. If you think that blogging is something you are going to do for 2 hours a week and expect to reap big, you are wrong. There is considerable amount of time and effort you need to invest before you even begin seeing results.