Building a successful blog can be a difficult task for a blogger, even though there's loads of information out there about blogging. But while there is much information about how to build a successful blog, there isn’t much information about some of the major causes of failure. This article is about some of the most common reasons for failure among bloggers and how to overcome them, read through and see which applies to you.
# 1. Fear
Fear is one of the major causes of failure for a blogger or internet entrepreneur. If you are to start a blog today in any niche, am very sure there would have been some people in this niche before you, and you will even find some of these bloggers boasting of 4-figures or 5-figures traffic to their blogs.
When you hear or read about these bloggers and their testimonies, panicking or entertaining fear is definitely not the next thing to do, these kinds of reports should gear you up and make you understand that you need to work harder to beat your competitors and if you can’t beat them, then you join them in sharing the traffic and profits in that niche.
If you want to make it has a blogger, you have to put away fear and be ready to battle head to head with your competitors, you need to show them what you‘ve got and make them buckle-up.
# 2. Misconceptions
There are lots and lots of misconceptions flying around on the internet. I have also been a victim of so many misconceptions and misleading facts about making money online. Some will say you don’t need to have a website to make money online while some are preaching you need it to make money online. The latest and booming one right now is the niche issue.
Though there may be some niches that are more lucrative than the others, but I still believe your niche doesn’t determine your success as a blogger. It is proper to do a critical niche investigation before you start out, but what if you have already started out in a niche you love and all you keep hearing is that the niche is crowded or its less profitable.
I will advise you to stick to what you love and with time you will surely reap the fruits of your labor. Always remember that what is not in demand today may be in demand tomorrow, so don’t let anyone mislead you.
# 3. Laziness
Laziness is a natural characteristic of a Natural Man. Every man is born with the tendency of becoming lazy, but you have to shake it off. I am also guilty of this point, because most times I just get lazy to do so many things (as a matter of fact, it took me over 3 weeks to finally type this post after I have written it in my notebook).
Laziness is one of the major factors that can lead to failure as a blogger; you need to find a way to kill laziness in your life if you really want to succeed with your blog. There are lots of ways by which you can effectively manage laziness, but I have found scheduling to be effective.
Create schedules and time-tables of how you want to want to live your daily life and try as much as possible to stick to them. This method works quite well for curbing laziness.
# 4. Misplaced Priority
Misplaced priority simply means putting the cart before the horse, and as simple as these words sound, they are very common amongst bloggers and it causes a lot of havoc as do most of the other factors listed in this post.
When you are misplacing your priorities, everything will tend to work in reverse order because you are probably doing the last thing first or you are doing the first thing last.
Most bloggers (including me) when they are just starting usually spend more time chasing traffic and more AdSense clicks than creating content for their blog. Over the months, I have learnt a lot from my blog, I have recorded some success, as well as some failures due to misplaced priorities and am currently trying my best to fix things and make them more as they should be.
Getting your priority right is quite easy, all you have to do is: Look through your blogging life, visit other blogs and check out their designs and layout, and ask questions of other bloggers. Read other blog archives and try to figure-out where you have been putting the cart before the horse and make corrections ASAP.
# 5. Extra-Curriculum Activities / Entertainment
Extra-curriculum activities can also have a very critical impact on your blogging business. Am also a victim of this because I love watching movies (I watched movies for 4 hours after writing this post) and surfing the internet a lot, when you are addicted to some of these extra-curriculum activities or entertainment, you tend to waste so much time on them; the time you could have used to improve your blog or write 3-4 articles, you may end up spending this time on movies or gaming.
The easiest method I think you can apply to overcome this challenge is to stay away from places that trigger you to do these things. For instance, I stay away from television and my laptop to avoid being tempted to watch movies. You too can do the same, if its gaming, then you should stay away from games and if its talking for hours, you'd better stay away from your talkative friends.
# 6. Ignorance and Complacency
Ignorance is also a very interesting factor that affects a blogger, I have seen some bloggers (mostly newbies) who don’t even know about Google+ yet; and most of us have not even created a Google+ page. If you must succeed as a blogger, you need to kill ignorance, you need to open your mind to learning new things and improve your knowledge day-by-day.
The easiest way to prevent ignorance is to read other peoples blog (whether small or big), subscribe to their feeds and the most effective one for me is adding them as friends on Facebook or better still liking the blog’s Facebook Fan page. This method has helped me to stay connected and updated on the blogosphere, try them and you will surely see a difference.
Final word to you my fellow blogger
Succeeding as a blogger takes time, patience and hard work. You need these three Ingredients to make it as a blogger.
I have to admit being a blogger is not an easy task , cause once you started it, there is no turning back, we need to acquire many attracted readers, and we must make our content unique for them to visit your blog regularly.
once you started, it becomes a beautiful labor of love you never want to stop blogging 🙂
the beauty of blogging is that bloggers and Internet marketers are just as big as United States politicians 🙂
I also think that it is important to create a schedule and stick with it – if you always write a blog post at 3pm on Thursdays, it becomes a part of your weekly routine and thus is harder to buck! Writing successfully often requires a schedule.
Great post. 🙂
A schedule is very important, but most bloggers don’t usually have one. Scheduling has really helped me a lot.
organization is definitely the key to success 🙂
this is very true Laura, about sticking to a blogging schedule 🙂
I think the hardest part is when you write a post and receive no comments or your views go down – to get back up and do it again the next day. I am glad to hear it takes time, hard work and patience! Thanks for the Friday inspiration.
when I don’t get comments on my posts, and people view my YouTube videos without leaving comments, it motivates me that much more to put out more unique content, whether it be a “YouTube video”, or “unique web content” 🙂
that also keeps me motivated to go even harder in my content creation efforts 🙂
Josy,
Its been a pleasure reading through this post. You’ve sure nailed it. Great tips and I must add you are now in the rank of Pro-Bloggers!
ha ha ha!!! thanks for the compliment bro. but am just upcoming.
joseph is really a good writer and he just doing what he loves, thanks
So true. Misconception, incomplete or less knowledge can lead to failure in blogging. And about #5, I think you are suggesting to be an anti-social element. Of course, everyone needs entertainment. Something different which they don’t do usually. Every mind needs to be refreshed. The point is, anything in excess is harmful. So we need to maintain the balance for our blogging and other activities.
And I don’t know what to do with my laziness. Hmm…
Nice post, precisely written.
Thanks for the tips, I learnt something from these.
Abhi, I am not saying you should be anti-social, as a matter of fact I recommend that bloggers should be social; but you should put a limit to it.
don’t let socializing take away all your supposed productivity time.
about laziness, I think you should do something about it (am also affected).
Yes buddy. That’s what I was saying.
ha ha ha ha!!!! I have written lots of posts without comment, though it was really hard in the beginning but now it does not count to me anymore as long as I am satisfied with myself.
In the end hard work pays off.
Good points. In addition to this i believe interest and enthusiasm are important factors to succeed with your blog. If you’re genuinely interested in your topics and what you write about, people will also “sense” this and take notice of you. It doesnt hurt to have some skills and knowledge as well… Blogging is also learning by doing. Dont let anything stop you, maybe its not perfect in the beginning but after a few posts or comments you’re going to do better!
you are right Rick, interest is really important for a blogger. this is one of the commonest reasons why bloggers fail.
I have a good friend right here in town trying to lean blogging and online marketing but no matter what time we set up a little time to go over a few things he has something else to do e.g. his TV shows are coming on, he’s going to meet with friends at the club, he needs a nap etc.. All that’s fine but, like you said, priority and other activities dictate our direction. All great points Joseph, fine job.
I think your friend really wants to learn these stuffs, but it may be that he is addicted to those stuffs and finding it hard to place is priority on learning blogging and Online marketing.
I think you should talk to him and help him out.
Laziness is the reason I am not making asm uch money as I could do, a bit of lack of motivation thrown in for good measure.
Fear is the reason why I am accepting writing jobs that pay me $5 a pop, i’ve thought about raising my fee but I’m afraid I won’t get any work because people won’t pay more than $5 for my rubbish. 🙂
Hi Joseph, nice to see you posting on Illeane’s blog! Great tips as well! Great new year tips, this’ll help me, I hope it helps other bloggers too!
will basic blog tips become a YouTube partner in 2012 also? 🙂
GREAT ADVICE!!
My favorite is #2 because so many people kept telling me I HAD to chose one certain niche and stick with it…I’m almost done with my marketing degree and I know that niches can be very important, but I do not believe they make, or break you. It really all depends on how well you can write, how determined you are and how much passion you have.
Thanks for the great read. Glad I found your blog!
whenever it comes to niche issues, there will always be arguments and controversies. but as for me, I don’t believe a niche really determines your success. do what you love and you will surely break through.
Marketers fail because they do not know how to create interest with prospective clients. Aside from their hesitations of trying new things as their strategy, they tend to quit. A marketer should possessed the eagerness to pursue their product in the market.
I have movies and gaming addiction every time when I am on my PC either I’ll watch movies or surf the net and some time it creates a diversion from my blog………
but I am managing my time as well as my blog ,
what you think how to easily manage all these things so we get more time for our blog?
I also have a little addiction to movies. Though it is really hard to break it off but I think the best way for you to deal with it is to get a new PC and make sure you don’t install any game, install Internet on it or put movies on it, so that you won’t get tempted to watch movies or play games.
another great post from you, personally i discilpline my self to work to a schedule, i find this really helps
yeah Julie, Scheduling really works if one can really stick to it. everyone should try to have a schedule and stick to it.
I personally think that the main reason is the most bloggers expects results too fast – expect traffic, money and a lot of visitors. Like everything else, blogging takes time and a lot of efforts. I think the best is to set up achievable goals and follow the plan strictly.
I’m with you on the misplaced priorities. However, chasing traffic and money were not a priority in my first year of blogging. That’s about to change. And these are great beginning of the year tips.
i agree with the points but i think the best advice is to jump in the water .
checking forums and reading articles are a great way to develop your skills .
nothing like experience to get you going …
stopping by to wish everyone a happy Sunday 🙂
Happy Sunday to you too.
you’re welcome 🙂
I think it really depends on the purpose or intent behind the blog. Failure is only when the expectations are set high and the results don’t match expectations. For instance, a hobby blog can never be a failure. When the whole purpose of the blog is to just have fun blogging, the question of failure doesn’t arise.
However, when looking at blogging on a pro level or as a business, there is definitely a possibility of failure.
nice post…laziness is my biggest enemy..sometimes i dont even touch my laptop for 3-4 days… i need to overcome my procrastination habit. I would also like to add for some workaholic people that plz don not spend 14-15 hrs before ur laptop trying to figure out how to make that cash.. i have done that and i regret doing because earning online takes time and its better to spend a couple of hrs daily rather than 15 hrs for one month and then get exhausted… life is more important than money..
Regards
Aniket
Laziness is the biggest problem that I am facing 🙁
Hey Joseph, I always enjoy hearing from other rising bloggers. Your tips are spot on and I think anyone following these directions can make it with a bit of perseverance and dedication.
Wow, these are really great. I’ve been blogging for about 8 months now and I can really see many of these as the biggest challenges I have to overcome.
Awesome write-up!
Hey Joseph,
You’ve laid great points about being blogger. Contrary to number 6, I’m a novice into this field but I know G+ atleast a bit. Social media has played a big roll for internet marketing as well as in blogosphere in the past years. I’ve read a lot, well it’s some kind of a research.
Thanks for the post, it does help me a lot.
Now I understand, I really appreciate your reply, I have to admit I’m excited to start blogging at once. Thanks for your help.
who would want to be a lazy blogger, when there is millions in:
$ gUaP $
To be made from Google AdSense alone? 🙂
You are right Andy.
I would like to add that consistency and relevancy are the most important factor for having a successful blog.For a blogger its very essential to provide fresh and updated content to the users and deliver them the content that they want to have.
Even if you’re new to this world , your visitors will increase.
I am also a movie addict but now I have got rid of that habbit. I started watching movies with my laptop and later on realized that its the laptop which is taking preference. Nice post…
Am glad you got rid of your movie addiction, I guess you will have lots of excess time on your hand. BTW, am still working on getting rid of mine.
Being a blogger one really need to be patient in the starting phase, as the progress of a blog is slower when compared to a website. Regular updates is the key to success, from my point of view.
Very interesting post . Blogging is not easy as other people say it is !
The flowing of new ideas are the necessity of blogging !
Laziness and fear is the common dilemma in new bloggers.. i believe if someone overcome this,you are on the first step of your success.
I blog just for fun (and to keep site content fresh for go(o)gly eyed Google.) If people want to come read what i post, that’s great. If not… That’s OK too. Not that i don’t care about qualify of my posts… I just have different reasons for blogging.
I also kinda blog for fun, am blogging because I enjoy having a blog and that is one of the reasons why am still blogging till today.
Great post Joseph and you’ve outlined some very valid reasons. I think misplaced priority is a big issue amongst many starter bloggers looking for success with their blogs. This also applies not to just how they’re putting less emphasis on the things they really need to concentrate on as you said, creating content and promoting their blogs, but also the amount of time they spend doing those needful things. Clicks and traffic will come if you prioritise your efforts correctly. Great post again, thanks.
if anyone is just starting out blogging and don’t want to spend the money or server and a URL address, blogger is okay to use for the moment. Mind you, it’s always good to have your own dedicated server, dedicated IP address, domain name with “full registration admin privileges”, as well as installing WordPress on your own server. When WordPress installed on your own server, you have complete functionality over the look and feel of your blog, in addition to having complete control over your MySQL database & published blog content. With blogger, once your content is published to your blog, they virtually own it. That’s the downside of publishing unique content on someone else’s blog network…
Lots of people fail because of laziness. They get into that blogging scene for a while and after that they just don’t bother about it.
thanks for these tips.
I think seo and unique content or traffic is most important part in success of blogging.
One more thing social following is best way to get success but every blogger struggle to get these all thing only some bloggers get success left bloggers fails.
Great idea to point out weaknesses and then show how to sort them!
how many people, besides Ms. Ileane, would arguably agree that [blogging is a beautiful labor of love]? 🙂
Motivating article Joseph! What strikes a chord the hardest with me is the scheduling. I agree wholeheartedly that if you break up your time well and schedule activities for time periods you’re far more likely to succeed.
To expand upon your point it’s really important that you write this schedule down and be very specific with the wording.
Hi Joseph,
First, let me say you got this right on the spot! I think #2 is really one of the biggest reason why many fail as bloggers. You know there are a whole lot of misinformation and misconceptions about making money online. Many starting out believe that in a matter of months they will be making a truck load of cash and living the internet life style. This is a big misconception! Any one that have this view will only end up frustrated when he realizes after a few months of blogging and no money coming in. It is definitely good to have the right mindset and also the right information if you must succeed as a blogger.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Joseph,
nice to see you on this Site. For few weeks, i visit this site, find it very interesting and came back. Now i read your post, and i think…. YES!!! Its soooooo true!!!
I agree with you in all points… yes i do 🙂
To start a blog or a site is difficult and fear is great. In Germany we say, “ich weiß genau wovon du sprichst”.
Let me say in English. I start learning in july and I was thinking i`m a great girl… haaaaaa
but then… i think: ohhhh what a business and i have no ideas what i do.
So, i start with my blog, read many sites and posts, learn and test these things. And it works great. that important thing is… START, WORK…
I have a dream, my own business, i stay out of bed every morning. I have a job, i have my son and a new boyfriend. And you have been right… “Scheduling” is important for everyone and also for me.
So, thanks for your post, it inspired me to learn more, work more and sometimes my dream is true.
with loving greetings from Germany. Sandy 🙂
very interesting
time, patience, and planning is very important
thanks heaps 🙂
james
Ms. Ileane,
Thanks so much for the comment on the video. You’re the greatest 🙂
Ouch. Your checklist hits me. I have all of those. Maybe I’ll change my attitude this year. To a much better. Thanks to your post.
If you are really hit by all of those points, you need to change ASAP.
Well, its not debatable, LAZINESS really a big factor 😀
Yer right Herbert. Sometimes I get sloppy. Tired of thinking. 🙂
Hi,
This is true the bloggers are failed due to the reason of commenting.The bloggers must having the social thing so add social and be regular check out the comments.
Very true, Joseph. Entertainment always gets me. The tough part about working online is, obviously, I’d rather be surfing the net than actually working on it 🙂
failure is success inverted 🙂
Blogging makes us feel good whenever we want to express our thoughts and our feelings. The problem is sometimes our post is just rants and the proper rules in writing beautifully is not neglected. If we don’t want to change our wrong ways in writing blogs then I think we should just blog for ourselves for the sake of venting out our feeling but not in making our blogs famous for something.
Hey Joseph,
Agree with you buddy. One needs to overcome all these 6 things to succeed in blogging. For me, it was just about laziness and not being serious (I was just blogging for fun; and I didn’t care much about traffic, list or even making some money online).
But, now I have switched to a new blog and I have decided to be serious this time (stick to my schedule, do the work and have fun at the same time).
Thanks for the post buddy! You sure reminded me of all these things 😀
Jeevan Jacob John
There’s always good money being made in blogging. However, you need to take the time to build trust and gain influence from both search engines and users. When search engines trust you, they’ll reward you with higher ranking than competitor websites. And when people trust you, they’ll take action in the end such as clicking your ads or buying your affiliate products.
I whole-heartedly agree with the misplaced priorities. A blogger’s absolute focus must be on creating unique and quality content. Adsense clicks, analytics and even social media and marketing fall a very distant second to content creation – without it your site is nothing. It only took me a couple of months to realise the value of good content and in ignoring the numbers for a while. They’ll just drive to you to drink.
Hey,
Making it big as a blogger does take a lot of time. I like the mix of elements you discuss here that helps us balance out most of the important things that might be blocking us from making it big.
For me posting regularly has been something tough to manage with a day job. Though I hope to tackle that soon, I just need the energy to do it regularly.
Thanks for the valuable read!
Hello,
Laziness..and..extra..curiculam…are reason…for that… it may be all…thanks for great post…always provide us..this kind info..
thanks…..
Blogging is not a light job. Some people thought it is very easy task but it is not so easy. As a blogger i can say it is very difficult to attract thousands of people through to your blog. Always make it innovative. So which you suggest in your post i really like it because it is true that we should always use attractive themes in our post.
Laziness has to be my downfall they can be times where i can sit down at my desk and write a great blog post (IMO) then other times just cant be bothered sitting the writing or doing a little research even though i have niothing better to be doing.I think failure comes in not seeing results quick enough.Like everthing in life you have to work hard to get your reward.
I agree that fear and misconceptions are factors that might make you fail as a blogger. To be a successful blogger, all that’s needed is honesty and courage to write true things about yourself. Am I wrong?
I am a new blogger and after reading this I would say that I am lacking in scheduling things. I will make my own blogging rules and schedule, will follow the same going forward. Thanks for the wonderful post! I read both of your posts at BBT.