10 Common Blogging Myths: Busted

Blogging is the key to a successful internet presence. It is a way of interaction on the internet, where you can put your ideas out and people can read them. Blogging allows you to be heard, whether it’s one person or millions of people.

Blogging is also among the most misunderstood domain on the internet. It has more myths than realities. It took me some time to realize that various blogging myths exist online and each has its own rules and procedures to follow. For newcomers, especially, this can be very dangerous if followed rigorously.

In this article, I have covered 10 common blogging myths that every blogger must know. If you’re new to blogging or planning to start a new blog, it becomes extremely important that you know these blogging myths.

10 Common Blogging Myths

1. Blogging Is Easy

Setting up a blog is very easy nowadays. Thanks to content management systems like WordPress and Ghost. You can set up your blog with just a few clicks of a button. Here are 5 steps:

• Buying a domain name
• Buying a server
• Installing WordPress with a single click.
• Pick a suitable theme for your blog.
• Start writing articles & publish them on your blog.

Yes! Setting up a blog is this much easy!

Once you are done setting up the blog, the actual work starts. If you are truly dedicated to becoming a successful blogger, it will require a lot of dedication,  passion, and hard work along with innovative work.

Read other people’s blogs to get an idea about how they write. Once you get the idea about writing techniques, make a wireframe for your content and add points and start writing.

Always keep in mind that you need to produce unique content that gives value to your audience. Here, unique content means writing in your own words the way you speak.

Do not bother copying other writers’ content. You may get a victim of plagiarism and it can harm your blog in the future. You might get penalized by Google or DMCA. Initially, go slow and steady. Take your time in producing 100% original content on a consistent basis.

Once you are done writing 5 to 10 quality articles on your blog, consider sharing them socially, and social bookmarking websites like Reddit and StumbleUpon work to drive traffic to your blog.

If you have quality content that is present nowhere on the internet then you have a great possibility of getting 10K to 20K visitors on your website alone from Reddit.

Which is huge!

Along with that, you can also plan and manage marketing campaigns.

Well, I am certainly not trying to put you off blogging, but I want you to be ready for the obstacles that you might face during your blogging journey.

Competition is huge when it comes to blogging and if you want to survive, you must have to have unique content and powerful strategies to grow your blog.

2. You Can Easily Make Money Blogging

Is it really possible to make a living with blogging?

The answer is yes! It is easy.

There are various options available for bloggers to make money online. You have Google AdSense, Affiliate networks, selling advertising space, and other pay-per-click (PPC) methods to get on with it.

But why do many bloggers still fail?

Here are a couple of key reasons:

• They are not sure what they are doing.
• They failed to choose the right niche for them.
• They set their primary reason for blogging as to make money.
• They don’t upgrade themselves to the latest blogging techniques.
• Lack of writing ideas.

and so on…

Here are some tips that will help you to really say that making money from blogging is easy:

• Be particular about your blogging niche and choose that which you feel you are good in.
• Read blogs, articles related to your niche and grab information, and write some key points for your article.
• Spend time writing content.
• Upgrade yourself for the latest blogging techniques and at the same time also read about new technology trends. It will help you out becoming a successful blogger.
• Never ever keep your primary priority to make money from your blog. Provide quality content, make good strategies, be helpful, kind, and generous, and money will come by default.

3. Content is King

We all know that content is the King. But what if you don’t have the audience to read your great content?

It does not matter how great your content is, the things that matter are you have the audience to read it, share it socially, reply to comments, and stay engaged.

Many seasoned bloggers have come to acknowledge that while content is undeniably important, it doesn’t fully reign as the King until you’ve nurtured a thriving audience to cherish and interact with it.

Work to figure out how to attract more readers, keep them engaged, and turn your blog into a buzzing community.

With the right audience backing you up, your content will reign supreme as the true King of the blogosphere!

4. Marketing is King

It might sound a bit crazy to say that marketing isn’t the only king when it comes to driving website traffic.

Sure, marketing tools like Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can flood your site with visitors, and that’s awesome! But here’s the catch: once you stop advertising, the traffic flow might dry up.

Why?

Because without great content to keep those visitors interested, they might not stick around.

See, bringing visitors to your site is just the first step. To really win them over and build a loyal audience, you need killer content that hooks them in and keeps them coming back for more.

Now, let’s talk about Google AdSense.

While it can be tempting to use paid traffic to boost your earnings, keep in mind that Google doesn’t really dig that. They prefer organic, genuine traffic that’s naturally interested in what you have to offer.

Here’s another scenario: writing a guest post for a well-established blog can get you tons of traffic for a day or two.

But then what?

Once the buzz dies down, you might end up back where you started.

So, the real magic lies in a perfect combo of both content and marketing.

When you’ve got top-notch content, you’ll attract a continuous stream of devoted readers who want to stick around and engage with your website.

In a nutshell, it’s all about finding that balance and creating a dynamic duo of great content and smart marketing strategies. That way, you’ll have a fantastic audience that loves what you do and keeps the traffic flowing.

5. Neglect SEO and focus on social media

You know what’s funny?

I keep hearing people say, “Hey, forget all about traffic! Just focus on social media, and SEO will take care of itself!”

It’s like they believe social bookmarking sites are a goldmine, ready to shower you with thousands of visitors in no time.

Sure, social media can bring in some serious traffic from sites like Reddit, and Digg. But let’s take a step back and think about this: Do all those visitors really add value to your blog?

Here’s the deal: The real secret sauce to blogging success isn’t just about getting any old traffic; it’s about attracting the right kind of traffic—the quality stuff!

Sure, social media can bring in some quality folks, but guess what?

The same number of visitors from a good ol’ search engine might actually be way more effective.

So, here’s the scoop in a nutshell: If you can master the art of getting great search engine traffic to your site, your success on social media will follow suit. Not to mention, you’ll become a rockstar blogger in the process!

So, next time someone tells you to forget about search engine traffic and go all-in on social media, just smile and remember that it’s the quality of visitors that really matters. Nail your SEO game, and you’ll be crushing it on social media while becoming the blogging sensation you were meant to be!

6. More traffic = more money

You know what’s interesting?

Many bloggers are obsessed with getting tons of traffic, thinking it’s the key to making big bucks.

But here’s the truth: More traffic doesn’t automatically mean more income, especially if your costs start piling up.

Getting the most out of your traffic involves a whole bunch of factors.

One of the biggies is building authority and a solid reputation as a blogger.

And let me tell you, that’s no overnight feat! It takes consistent effort and churning out top-notch, valuable content that your audience loves.

But once you’ve put in the time and effort, the magic starts to happen!

Even with just a small traffic flow, like around 100 visitors, you could turn that into a sweet $1000. It’s all about having that loyal audience who values what you bring to the table.

On the flip side, imagine you’ve got a massive monthly traffic of 100,000 visitors, but you lack that authority and reputation. Well, making that same $1000 might be a real struggle.

So, the moral of the story is: Traffic is important, no doubt, but it’s not the only ingredient in the recipe for blogging success.

Focus on building your reputation and authority, and you’ll see that even a small but dedicated audience can bring in some serious revenue!

Keep at it, and you’ll be on your way to blogging stardom.

7. Set It, Forget It!

This is one of the biggest misconceptions bloggers have.

Generally, people believe that creating a blog can be a great source of residual income.

Let’s understand what residual income stands for:

Residual income: Residual income is also called a passive, or recurring income. It is an income that continues to be generated after the initial efforts. Even if you stop working the income does not stop.

So do you think that blogging can generate a residual source of income?

Do you really think that you can make money for a longer period of time even if you stop working?

Many people may have yes. But if you ask my personal opinion, I would say a big no!

Why?

You might be getting a good income when you stop working. For a couple of months, you might not see much difference. But as time goes by, you will find a decline in income.

Do you know why?

Imagine this: your audience visits your site and finds the same old content they’ve seen a hundred times before. Boring, right?

When people get bored, they tend to leave and even unsubscribe from your newsletters. Only your die-hard fans would stick to you, who might be expecting to hear from you soon.

We don’t want that!

You must have read that an old post is just like an old wine. The more the post is, the more it is valued, appreciated, and stickier!

But what if you have not updated your great old post for a long time since you stopped working?

What if you have not updated the technology trends and broken links inside those posts?

Does Google rank those post that has not been updated for a long long time?

You might still say yes!

Blogging is a residual source of income.

Hiring a couple of people will do it.

Yes.

It will be a great idea.

But you still have to manage those people.

Well, it clearly shows that you need to be actively associated with your blogging work. No matter whether you work full-time, part-time, or big-time!

8. You Have to Post Every Day

This is quite common amongst blogging myths, one that I get asked about quite often by people. Most people firmly believe that if you want to be at the top of the Google search post regularly. Many webmasters believe this is a “best practice”.

If Google rewarded regularly updated websites and article directories then websites like EzineArticles and InfoBarrel would have been in the top 10 search results every now and then as they publish a lot of content several times a day.

Have you seen them ranking in top search results?

When did you last see them in the top search results?

Do you remember?

It might have been a year or two or even more than that.

Google is always on the move, making constant changes to its policies and rolling out updates for various reasons, one of which is to combat spam created by webmasters.

You know what?

Securing a spot in the top 10 search engine result pages (SERPs) doesn’t mean you have to post multiple times a day or publish a new article every single day.

9. You Will Have To Be An Expert Writer

It is one of those blogging myths where many people get put off blogging because they think that they will have to be an expert writer for blogging.

They believe that they need to have a professional background as a writer or at least a great understanding of English.

Well, you will definitely require good English, but not at a proficient level.

You just need a conversational writing style.

What is conversational writing style?

Conversational writing style means writing in such a way that it does not look like theory rather it should be written in the words that you would speak.

A lot of folks get the idea of a “conversational writing style” all wrong.

They think it means transcribing spoken words directly onto the page as if you were talking.

But you know what?

That’s just another one of those blogging myths.

If you notice a transcript of an interview or a trainer teaching any subject, you will find a bunch of grammatical mistakes.

Writing conversational style does not mean that you write as you talk. Instead, you can edit your text in such a way it does not sound like writing or content that is difficult to read.

You do not have to be an expert.

All you need is to have some knowledge about a subject, a bit of passion for writing about it, and the ability to write a few sentences that make sense.

If you have these three things, you’ll be able to start blogging. The more you write, the better you will get at writing.

Did you know there are some pretty nifty tools out there to help you polish up your writing?

Take Grammarly, for example.

It’s like having a virtual writing buddy that corrects your grammar and helps you improve your content. It’s a real game-changer!

10. Longer Posts Bring More Traffic

I have observed some successful bloggers who write longer posts as long as 5,000 words. I was so inspired that I wrote 19,000 words article on Google AdWords.

Gosh, it was crazy!

It is one of those blogging myths that tempted me to write those 19000 words.

Well, you don’t have to write that longer content. Just keep it natural.

Most bloggers tend to keep their articles around 500 words. However, there are those awesome bloggers who like to stand out by going the extra mile and writing 1500-2500 words more!

And guess what?

It pays off big time!

Longer posts like that attract valuable backlinks and organic traffic from Google that keeps flowing in, even long after you’ve hit that “publish” button.

Pretty cool, right?

But hey, let’s be real too.

There’s a balance to strike.

You don’t want your readers to bail out halfway through because your article is too lengthy.

So personally, I’d say, aim for that sweet spot of around 2000 to 3000 words.

That way, you can deliver valuable content without overwhelming your audience.

It’s a win-win for everyone!

I personally don’t encourage writing articles in over 5000 words unless you’re crafting a how-to, cornerstone guide.

Let’s be honest, most of the time, readers prefer bite-sized chunks of valuable information rather than getting lost in a never-ending sea of words.

So, unless you’re creating one of those comprehensive guides that cover everything under the sun, it’s best to keep things concise and focused.

That way, you’ll not only keep your readers engaged but also make sure they walk away with the key takeaways without feeling overwhelmed. Remember, quality over quantity is the name of the game!

Wrap Up

By breaking free from these blogging myths, you open yourself up to a world of opportunities as a blogger. Remember, your success lies in building meaningful connections with your audience, offering them real value, and staying true to your passions.

So, go forth and create exceptional content, be genuine, and keep learning and evolving along the way. Don’t be afraid to take risks, experiment, and adapt as needed. Blogging is a journey, and the path to success might not always be straightforward, but with dedication and perseverance, you’ll find yourself reaching new heights.

Now that you’re equipped with the truth, it’s time to make your mark in the blogging world. Happy blogging, and may your words inspire and impact the world in ways you’ve never imagined! Keep shattering those myths and writing your blogging success story. The sky’s the limit!