Do's and Don'ts of Blogging - The Ultimate Checklist

Blogging is a way of expressing your thoughts and knowledge about a subject in a creative and informational manner. Seems easy, isn't it??

I will not make fake claims saying blogging is as easy as ABC. No, it's not! But, with determination, strong willpower, and consistency, you can learn to write engaging blogs.?

Welcome to this guide on Do's and Don'ts of Blogging. A blogger, whether naive or experienced, might face issues while curating content. I am not an expert in blogging, but I would like to share some crucial aspects of blogging. This list of do's and don'ts results from my learnings through blogging.?

I think, without any further ado, let's move to our blogging checklist. Buckle up and dive into the Do's and Don'ts of Blogging.?

The Yays (Do's)?

I will brief you with 5 do's that every blogger should follow. These are as follows.

Keyword Research

The most crucial aspect of blogging is putting keywords in your blog. This is important for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. When you put keywords after researching well, the chances of your blog reaching the top of search engine ranking pages (SERPs) increases.?

However, ensuring that you don't overstuff the keywords is vital. It can make your blog a spammy one. Therefore, choose your keywords wisely and use them within limits.?

You can do keyword research through various keyword research tools. If you want to know everything about keyword research tools, you can check my article here Keyword Research Tools.?

Readers First

There's a popular saying, "Do your duty without thinking of the results." The same ideology applies to the content we write. Let me explain this to you.?

Indeed we all want our blogs to secure a higher position on SERPs. But, some people have a misconception that if they write for search engines, their blogs will rank higher. But, ironically, that's not the case! Instead, you should write for your readers and not for search engines. Write on topics that will attract and help the readers in a certain way.?

When you follow this technique, your blogs will get more views. The more people your blog reaches, the higher the chances that it ranks on search engines.??

Some Creativity

A little creativity makes everything better, isn't it? The same goes for blogs. It's always a good idea to add images or graphics to your blogs. It's a great way to catch the reader's attention. Moreover, sometimes pictures do more than grasp the reader's attention. They can make complex ideas easy to understand to the readers.?

Of course, by putting images or graphics in your blog, I don't mean that you can put anything. The visuals should be relevant to the content of your blog. Also, remember not to add too many of them.?

Adding visuals with relevant Alt Text and descriptions can help you optimise your blog for SEO. So, if you aren't doing this step till now, don't forget to add some visuals in your next blog!?

Headings and Subheadings

Imagine yourself reading a blog with no headings or subheadings. Sounds boring, right? Well, adding headings to your blog not only make it interesting and engaging to read but also give it a natural flow and format to your blog. All in all, it makes your blog worth reading.?

Also, remember to add catchy and insightful headings to your blog. This will keep the readers engaged in reading further. Make a note here; write short headings and subheadings instead of longer ones.?

However, it sometimes becomes tricky to create unique headings. For this, you can use tools like, Headline Analyzer, Good Content, etc.

(These are some tools that I use at times. No sponsors included!)

Easy-to-Read

A blog post with long sentences is difficult to read. So, always try to write short and simple sentences. Write short paragraphs. Also, use easy vocabulary to retain readers on the blog. Moreover, it will be nice if you try to be informal with the readers but keep professionality in mind.?

Also, to make your blog easier to read, it's a good option to break some information into bullet points. To make it more engaging, add some quotes or a little humour. But make sure you don't end up offending anyone.?

The last thing is to proofread your blog and do the required editing. Also, sometimes a blog needs a "justify" alignment, so don't hesitate to do that! I personally love the justified align blogs. (Thanks to one of my friends who told me to add the justified alignment to my blogs). Moreover, check the grammar and read it twice before the final publishing.?

Dear readers, of course, there are more do's that you should keep in mind while writing a blog. I have included those which work best for me.?

Now it's time to get to the other part of the blog, the don'ts. So, let's jump to the list!?

The Nays (Don'ts)

Here are the 5 don'ts you should follow as a blogger. These are as follows.?

Don't Be Unprofessional?

I believe every person and every work should be respected. The same goes for the blog. You should respect the blog and the readers reading the blog. Yes, blogs do call for some informal conversation, but that should be in a professional manner.?

Writing is an art that shows your personality. When you become unprofessional in writing, you disrespect it. So, ensure that people feel good vibes through your blog.?

Also, make sure you don't criticise or judge someone, knowingly or unknowingly, through your post. Make it a happy and valuable post.?

Say No to Linkbaits?

What's clickbait? We all know clickbaiting is designing an attractive thumbnail link to get viewers' attention. But, in reality, those links mostly provide misleading information. The same is true for linkbait. When we create blogs with attractive titles just to get more views on our posts, it's linkbait.?

So, don't mislead anyone by creating linkbaits and providing misleading information. You might get more traffic on your blog, but the end result will not be pleasing.?

Readers will lose trust in you and eventually will not fall into your trap. Your personal branding will start losing its visitors. As a result, even SEPRs will not respect you anymore.?

Don't Compromise on Quality

It's best to write quality content. By quality content, I don't mean you aren't allowed to make mistakes while curating content. I mean provide useful, valuable, well-researched, and accurate information to the readers.?

We sometimes end up reducing the quality of our content by adding more information than required. Also, we become repetitive. Always prioritise the information you put in your content rather than the writing style or length.?

The best way to understand the quality of your content is to read it by placing yourself in readers' shoes. And tada, you will know what needs modification!?

Don't Give Up

Writing a blog is not cooking 2 minutes Maggie. It's an art that requires patience, consistency, and willpower. From doing thorough research to putting your thoughts in words, to delivering quality content and enlightening readers with your thoughts, all this is a long process.?

At times it becomes difficult to be patient, and thoughts of giving up start to hover in our heads. But that's the challenge! We have two options at that time, one to give up and the other to have a break and resume working. The rational thing is to choose the latter one.?

Giving up is easy, but it comes with so much negativity. So, always have patience, pause for some time, and then resume again. You will surely love the results, motivating you to walk further!

No Need to be An Expert

You don't have to be an expert to write blogs or anything for that matter. Because learning and improving is a non-stop process. The more you learn, the more you improve.

Honestly, this is my first blog on LinkedIn. And if you are still reading my blog, I am a winner. I thought of writing a blog for the first time on LinkedIn. I know it might not be perfect. But, still, I am sure I will be able to share some useful information with you all.?

So, be yourself and give the best you can. Deliver valuable content and let your readers know what you are capable of doing. Cheers to that!

As I said earlier, there are more don'ts that a blogger should keep in mind while writing a blog. But, I have mentioned those I learned from my blogging journey.?

Conclusion

We have come to the end of my post. Hopefully, this blog will help you in some way or the other to create better content for yourself or for your clients. A little formatting, proper readability, some images, valuable content, and dedication results in a blog that satisfies the readers and you. So, the next time you write a blog, remember to work on some, if not all, the points.?

I will be pleased if any one point makes a difference to your blog. Thank you for reading my blog! I am always open to feedback and suggestions. Also, drop the comments to add some do's and don'ts of blogging. I would love to hear what I have missed. See you next time!?