10 Common Blogging Mistakes That Your Readers HATE

So, you've written the perfect blog post. You're happy and you publish. But you could be turning off your readers before they've reached the second paragraph.

It's not just a waste of your time and effort, high bounce rates are a big no-no for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). In other words, you could be adversely affecting your website's chance of being discovered on the world's search engines.

So, here are the most common blogging mistakes - and how to avoid them.

1: Using long and complicated language

Readers are instantly turned off by complicated language or endless waffling. You're not demonstrating your academic achievement, intelligence, or sophistication. You need to write in plain English.

The Hemingway App is a good tool to access the readability of your work. It highlights lengthy, complex sentences and common errors.

2. You're grammar sucks

Did you spot the mistake in the above title? No? Well, if you don't know the difference between your and you're, then you need to brush up on your grammar!

As an editor, grammatical errors like this really wind me up. They're sloppy and give your readers the impression you're sloppy too.

Another great tool here is Grammarly. It'll automatically highlight your mistakes any time you write online. Or, if you don't want to download another app, this is a great infographic to improve your grammar.

3. You forget the flow

Sometimes, when I'm writing, I'll effectively put a big brain dump down on the page. I think it reads brilliantly, but when I get back to it, the post is just a rambling mess!

It's important to structure your post so it flows for your readers. You must make sure you guide them through your post. Here's how:

• Remove any paragraphs that don't impact on your story or argument.
• Make sure every paragraph naturally follows the paragraph before it.
• Take out the funny anecdotes that aren’t relevant - or (just, maybe) aren't that funny.
  

What writing mistakes really wind you up when you're reading a blog post? Please share in the comments below!