5 mistakes businesses make when writing blog posts

Ida Christensen • 15 Jul, 2022 • 5 Min. read

Some people write blogs for their companies without defined goals and direction. While it’s great to publish content regularly, you may find that it becomes less of a priority when you’re busy without a clear strategy.

Are you looking to improve the effectiveness of your blog? We have compiled a list of five common mistakes many companies do when writing a blog, and five solutions that can help you maximize the value of every post.

Mistake 1: You don’t blog regularly

This is a very common mistake, especially in the beginning when the blog is still new. Starting out, you might be full of good ideas, energy, and inspiration, and the blog posts almost write themselves.

As time goes by, it’s common to experience a decline in engagement. You may lose motivation or face writer’s block, causing you to decrease your posting frequency from three times a week to once every two weeks. Then you realize that you haven’t updated your blog in months.

It’s important to find the right balance when it comes to blogging frequency. Posting too often can overwhelm your audience and result in uninteresting content, while posting too infrequently won’t bring any value to your website. 

Solution: Create a publication calendar

A publication calendar is a good tool for managing your content, and ensures that important activities are prioritized. A publishing calendar lets you plan ahead and structure due dates.

The publication calendar can also help you collect ideas for the blog and delegate tasks. If you have a productive week, you can write several posts at once and use the calendar to schedule the next publication.

Mistake 2: The blog is not advertised

There’s no point in writing amazing content if no one is going to read them. Lots of people make the mistake of just posting them on their company website and expecting customers to magically find and read them. But let’s face it, that’s not going to happen.

Solution: Find appropriate channels for your brand

There are lots of channels you can use to announce that your company’s blog has been updated. One of the most important channels is your newsletter. Email marketing is proven to be one of the most effective methods in digital marketing, even in 2022. The reason for this is that the newsletters are sent straight to the mailboxes of the people most likely to read them: your existing customers.

Social media are also effective channels for advertising. Facebook suits the vast majority, while others swear by LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok. You don’t need to use all of them, that will just take up unnecessary time. Find out where your customers are and create a business account.

Mistake 3: You forget to add links in the posts

Did someone find your blog article through advertising, newsletters, or social media? Or maybe it ranks high in Google’s search result? Then you have the perfect opportunity to showcase other good content on your website.

Solution: Link to other quality content

Do you have another good blog post on the same topic? Or perhaps you mention another topic that you have a longer article about? If so, you should link internally to these. This directs your readers to other quality content on your website, and also signals to search engines like Google what content on your website is important.

When your website’s content is easily accessible from different pages, you indicate to Google that it’s an important part of the website, which can positively impact your search engine rankings. This principle is a fundamental part of search engine optimization, so adding internal links to your content is highly recommended.

Mistake 4: Your posts are too long

If you’re in charge of your company’s blog, it’s likely because you’re passionate and knowledgeable about your industry. But remember that your readers have limited attention spans and are unlikely to read a lengthy post about your latest workshop.

Somewhere between 500 and 1,000 words will do the trick for most people. Adding pictures and illustrations break up the text and make it more engaging.

Solution: Narrow down the topics

If you’ve ever studied, you’ve probably received the feedback that “the problem statement is too broad”. Look at the topic of each blog post as a problem and try to narrow it down. This will help you write shorter, sharper texts, and focus on selling messages.

Mistake 5: You forget the goal of the blog

Many people get so involved in blogging that they forget that the blog is a tool to strengthen their brand. The good ideas are probably queuing up in your head, but remember that you are not the target audience here.

Solution: Each post should have a larger goal that serves the business

The goal of the blog is to serve the company. You should aim to solve the readers’ problems and create long-term growth for the company. All blog posts should be related to your industry and company’s expertise, and each post should address specific questions your customers may have.

You can also vary the posts with more personal stories about the employees. The vast majority like to get to know the company they do business with, and see what goes on behind the scenes. Make sure to create a good balance between personal and subject-specific posts, and always have a larger goal that serves the company as a background for the text you write.