Perhaps you’re a blogger who knows a thing or two about developing a thriving business from your blogs’ ability to reach the very audience you’ve been targeting since day one. Or maybe you’re just here to log entries into your own not-so-private Internet diary, there are actually many mistakes bloggers make, and that you’d be wise to remember.

So before you dive right into installing your self-hosted WordPress website and broadcasting your new blog to the world. Consider some of the most common mistakes bloggers make on WordPress when we’re just starting out. I’ve listed seven of the most common mistakes bloggers make on WordPress and added some helpful tips to ensure that you don’t make them yourself.

7 Most Common Mistakes

Bloggers Make On WordPress

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Using an Unresponsive Theme w/Poor Layout

One of the most important features of your blog is that it should be easy on the eyes. A clean layout without a lot of clutter (think poorly placed graphics or too many ads) makes for much happier readers. Another way to keep all your readers happy is to use a responsive theme for your site. 

With Google’s rules about websites having to be “mobile-friendly” (i.e., websites that are optimized for any device, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops), it would be blogger suicide not to use a responsive theme.

If your site doesn’t have a responsive theme, it won’t show be showing up in Google search engines as often (or at all). And while there are plenty of free themes out there, not all are created equal.

If you have the means to do so, it’s best to purchase a theme. Our first theme was just $15 and I loved it (so did you!). As our business grew, we wanted an updated look and feel for our site.

Our current theme is called Oleander and the theme is fully customizable with an enhanced User Experience like you wouldn’t believe! It’s inexpensive yet still the most money I’ve ever spent on a WordPress Theme. Guess what, it was totally worth it!

Not Using an SEO Plugin, Like Yoast

If your blog doesn’t show up in a search engine, then your traffic will suffer a fate worse than death (okay, that’s an overstatement but no SEO means barely any traffic which equals little to no revenue).

Try one of the top free SEO plugins such as All-in-One SEO or my personal fav, Yoast SEO to help you craft a search engine optimized website. Another great plugin, although a paid one, is Squirrly SEO.

It sits right in your post editor page, guiding you in making your post more relatable as well as providing an on-screen keyword research tool. While you can get it for free, the paid version is well worth the money.

The Photos Used On the Site Are Low Quality

If you’re not using quality stock images in each of your posts, bottom line, you’re in trouble. Not only do people statistically respond better to visual content but you won’t get any traction across social media platforms without it.

Also, with Pinterest being the #1 traffic-generating “visual search engine” for Bloggers, it’s sure to get lots of eyeballs on your content. So let’s give Pinterest what it wants… images. You can go about this one of two ways, take the pictures yourself or find stock photos online.

If your experience with a camera consists of taking pictures of your dog and kids with your smartphone…don’t quit your day job! If you have a DSLR camera and know all about aperture settings, you can probably try to take your own pics.

Either way, you may not have the time to try your hand at becoming the next ‘big thing’ in semi-pro stock photography. This is why it’s a good thing there are TONS of places to find both paid and free stock photo options. In fact, you can get my ultimate, curated list of the best, free stock photo sites on the web! Just click on the link above this…

My personal favorite FREE stock photo sites are Kaboom, StockSnap, Pexels, Rawpixel & Unsplash. If you sign up for their mailing lists, they’ll each send you anywhere from 6-12 new images every week (direct to your inbox).

Social Media Share Buttons Aren’t Being Used

I’ll admit, I’m a bit old-school when it comes to my social share buttons! I’m sublimely happy with the “AddToAny” social share buttons (although I recently started using the standard share buttons inside my theme). The buttons themselves are “iconized” and colored to the brand of the social media platform that you’re clicking on. 

This plugin also gives you a look at every social media site they couldn’t fit on the “main row” of buttons and it’s easy to install. Click here to install it for FREE now! Of course, the purpose and importance of displaying social media share buttons on your site’s homepage, as well as on each blog post, even some people put them at the bottom of each of their pages too.

Personally, I don’t feel the need to add them to any of my site’s pages! Each page showcases a truly unique feature about your business, more than just your WordPress website. This is why it wouldn’t be necessary for someone to share your ‘About’, ‘Work With Me’, or especially your ‘Disclaimer’ or ‘Privacy’ page?! 

Your Sidebar Is a Hot Mess

Don’t put just anything in your sidebar. This goes hand-in-hand with the first mistake and can cause your blog to appear “messy” (you’ll want to keep things organized to stay sane!) for lack of a better term.

You know, like your hall closet that you just stuff things into and never look back. Your sidebar is a good place to show off your featured content, social sharing buttons, as well as any advertising (try not to overload it though).

If you’re promoting a product or have a great affiliate product that you’d like to show off, the sidebar is a great place. You can also use it for your newsletter sign-up form as well as a little blurb about yourself. 

The Website Isn’t Updated w/Fresh Content 

When you update your blog, you’re doing two things: providing new content for your readers and providing search engines with “pings”.

These pings let them know that your blog is active and helps drive traffic to your blog. Your readers will also know that you’re actively involved in your blog and they’ll want to “stay tuned” for more great content!

So it’s in your best interest to keep up with your posts! BUT, in the event you’re super swamped or just have a bad case of writer’s block, another pro-active thing to do would be to go back and update old posts. 

You’re Running Too Many Plugins 

Plugins that are not being used should be deactivated and uninstalled if you do not plan on using them again. Why?

The unused ones, especially the ones that are still active, can slow down your website because of the massive amount of resources required to run them.

Also, pages that take too long to load can be frustrating, right? Long page loads also tend to drive the average person (who is usually impatient) away from your website.

Not to mention, it’s an “SEO no-no”… search engines don’t like it when anything slows your site down. So, since you’re trying to rank in the highest possible position on search engines, try to follow every SEO rule in the book!

What about you?

Do you have any WordPress tips you’d like to share with your fellow Bloggers or any questions about the tips we’ve shared here? Feel free to leave us your feedback in the comments section.