5 Common Blogging Mistakes New Businesses Make (and How to Fix Them)
- Rachel Meyer
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 9
Quick question: Do you want a professional blog that drives website traffic and gets sales?
Of course you do. Your blog is a valuable part of your business marketing for precisely those reasons.
But, many beginner bloggers make mistakes that can cost them time, traffic, and customers. If you want to avoid those problems and create a professional business blog, you've come to the right place.
In this post, I’m sharing five common blogging mistakes I frequently see online. By fixing these things, you'll have a better blog that gets clicks and outranks your competitors.
Mistake #1: Not Using An Outline
Why this is a problem: Readers come to post to find answers. If they can't find them easily, they'll leave your blog and never come back. You've lost their trust.
Rambling brain dumps of posts are fine for personal blogs. But this is for your business, which means it needs to be polished and professional to achieve your goals.
How to fix it: Create an outline before you write a single word of your post, including all the headings and subheadings. This doesn't take long but keeps your post on topic to provide actual value to readers.
Mistake #2: Keyword Stuffing
Why this is a problem: Back in the day, adding as many keywords as possible to your post was the best way to rank in Google. That’s no longer the case, but many people, including content writing agencies, still write that way.
There are two big problems with this. First, it’s hard to read. Rather than focus on helpful content, the writer has jammed sentences with awkward keywords like “the best places to travel in Ireland in winter”.
Second, it has no benefit. In fact, Google may penalize your post if you jam a bunch of keywords in there. Instead, they want posts that are helpful and human first, SEO optimized second.
How to fix it: Stay up-to-date on the latest keyword best practices through blogs like HubSpot and Ahrefs. And most of all, write for people, not for search engines.
Mistake #3: Posting Inconsistently
Why this is a problem: Posting fresh content on your blog may seem low on the priority list. However, only posting when you feel like it or have time hurts your blog.
Google prefers websites that put out new content frequently. It alerts them that your site is active and updated often. If you post once a month or less, it loses trust with readers and the algorithm.
How to fix it: Create a blog schedule and stick to it. This doesn’t mean you need to upload a post every day. Two to four times a month is enough to build your blog and online presence. It requires discipline at first, but once you get into the swing of creating monthly content, you'll be a pro in no time.
(Not sure you can keep up with that? Consider hiring a blog writer.)
Mistake #4: Not Including a CTA
Why this is a problem: I’ve talked about the importance of blog CTAs (calls to action) before, but the short of it is that you’re losing out by not including them. You already have this person here, reading your post. So ask them to do something while they're here!
How to fix it: Include a relevant CTA after the outro of every blog post. Ask for comments, suggest another blog post, or encourage them to sign up for your newsletter. Just don’t end the post without an ask.
Mistake #5: Not Having Content Pillars
Why this is a problem: Have you ever looked at a blog where the post topics have no rhyme or reason? It’s hard to tell what the blog's about or how it relates to the company or its products.
Once again, something like this is fine for a personal blog. But if you’re blogging for your business, you need content pillars to tie your posts together and build trust and authority with readers.
How to fix it: Start by deciding your blog’s overarching topic, whether that's books, stationery, or self-care. Then, pick two to three sub-topics you’d like to cover and stick to them. Scrap any post ideas that don't fit under one of those labels.
For example, my blog is about small business marketing. Under that larger umbrella, I write about content writing, email copywriting, and small business marketing advice. You won’t find me writing about the books I’m reading or my favorite bullet journal supplies because that’s not what my blog is about.
Avoiding these mistakes will help your blog improve and stand out in an increasingly crowded online world. There's no better time to start making changes than right now.
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