I See These Blogging Mistakes Every Day As a Blog Writer — Are You Guilty?

If you’ve ever spent hours writing a blog post only for it to get a handful of views—or wondered if anyone is even reading it—you’re not alone. Blogging takes time to gain traction. And in those early stages, it’s easy to lose momentum when you don’t get the instant gratification you might be used to from platforms like Instagram.

That’s why today I want to walk through some of the most common blogging mistakes I see business owners make. Avoid these, and you’ll already be ahead of the curve.

And if we haven’t met yet—hi, I’m Kara! I write blogs and manage Pinterest for online business owners, service providers, and coaches. Blogging is literally what I do for a living, so if you want more tips like this, make sure you’re following along. Let’s dive in.

Blogging Mistakes #1: Treating Your Blog Like a Journal

This one shows up a lot with coaches and lifestyle brands. The thought process goes: “I’m interested in this, so I’ll write a post about it.” And while there’s nothing wrong with sprinkling in some personal content, sporadic, unfocused blogging can dilute your website. It makes it harder for Google (or even AI tools like ChatGPT) to understand what your business is about—and that means fewer people finding you.

The reality? People aren’t subscribing to blogs just for the personality anymore. They’re searching for solutions. So by all means, weave in your voice and perspective—but keep your topics focused on what you want to be known for.

Blogging Mistakes #2: No Clear Call to Action

There’s no shortage of informational blog posts out there. But if your reader finishes yours and isn’t sure what to do next—whether that’s booking a call, downloading a freebie, or joining your email list—you’ve missed a huge opportunity.

Your blog isn’t just there to educate—it’s there to connect your reader to the next step in working with you. Make that obvious.

Unless you make it super obvious that you’re a business—that you’re a coach, service provider, or expert with ways to help—your readers may never realize it. Every blog post is an opportunity to position yourself, and I like to keep it simple with the same structure every time:

1. Introduce the topic (using your main keyword right at the top).
2. Introduce yourself and your business—who you are, what you do, and how you help. For example, I might say: “By the way, if we haven’t met yet, I’m Cara. I write blogs and manage Pinterest for online service providers.”
3. Deliver the content—the bulk of your tips, strategies, or insights.
4. Close with a call to action—something clear, like booking a call, downloading a free resource, or checking out your services page.

It helps to think of your blog as a first impression. A lot of people assume their blog audience already knows them from Instagram or their email list—but if your post ranks on Google, that might be someone’s very first introduction to you. So treat it like a welcome mat.

And remember: people are at different stages of the buyer journey. Using a website designer as an example—one reader might be just starting their business and not even realize they need a website yet, so they’ll need more nurturing content before they’re ready. Another reader might be actively shopping for a designer and just need a “Services” page and a “Contact Now” button.

That’s why, unlike a traditional sales page where you aim for one clear CTA, your blog can (and should) meet people where they’re at. Include different calls to action for different stages—whether that’s joining your list, following you on social, or reaching out to hire you.

Blogging Mistakes #3: Writing for Too Advanced an Audience

Now, I’m not saying you should dumb down your content—that’s not it at all. But you do want to keep your writing simple and easy to skim. Aim for about a fifth-grade reading level.

Why?

• Most people are skimming, not reading word-for-word.
• A huge percentage are on mobile, likely distracted or multitasking.
• If your post is full of jargon or long, complicated sentences, you’ll lose them fast.

The easier your content is to read, the more likely someone will stick around, absorb your message, and take the next step with you—whether that’s joining your email list, following you, or booking your services.

Blogging Mistakes #4: Skipping the SEO Basics

When we hear “SEO” (search engine optimization), most of us think of Google. But it also applies to Bing, Pinterest, or even AI search tools. And the truth is, SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. A few small tweaks can make a big difference:

1. Use a keyword. Ideally, you’ll do some keyword research, but even just being intentional about one main phrase you want to rank for is huge. Ask yourself: “What would someone search to find this post?”
2. Fix your heading structure. Every post should have:
   • One H1 heading (your blog title).
   • A handful of H2 headings (2–5 main sections).
   • H3 or H4 headings for sub-points.
     Don’t make everything the same heading size—this confuses Google and gives it no clear sense of hierarchy.
3. Optimize your images. Your images are a huge part of SEO—and most people overlook them.
   • Resize before uploading. Oversized images slow down your site, which hurts your rankings. Resize them before uploading (I like bulkresizephotos.com). Start with about 800px wide for in-post images. If it looks blurry, go bigger.
   • Rename your file. Don’t upload images with names like IMG_0974.jpg. Instead, rename them with descriptive keywords before uploading. Use dashes between words (e.g., blogging-mistakes-business-owners.jpg). Search engines read this better than random text.
   • Add alt text. Alt text improves accessibility and gives search engines context. Write a short description of the image, and naturally include your keyword some of the time—not in every single image, and not stuffed unnaturally.

These tweaks don’t take long, but they can drastically improve how your blog performs in search.

Blogging Mistakes #5: Inconsistent Posting

Here’s the truth: blogging isn’t like Instagram. There’s no algorithm punishing you if you skip a week. But consistency still matters—because it directly impacts how quickly you see results.

I always tell clients: it usually takes 6–12 months of consistent blogging before you start seeing steady traffic. If you’re posting sporadically, it will take even longer.

Think of it this way: at the end of the year, how many posts did you actually publish? Was it closer to 52… or closer to 12? The difference in results will be huge.

And yes—blogging can easily slide to the bottom of your to-do list (which is why so many people hire me to do it for them). But ultimately, blogging is a volume game. The more quality posts you publish over time, the more chances you have to rank, get discovered, and convert readers into clients.

Blogging Mistakes #5: Ignoring Pinterest

ThIf you’re not using Pinterest to drive traffic to your blog, you’re missing out. Not only can Pinterest bring you visitors with relatively low effort, but it also provides backlinks to your site—which boosts your overall credibility with search engines.

Even if you think your audience isn’t on Pinterest, remember: it has over 585 million monthly users. Odds are, they’re there. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity to reach them. And if you’re not sure how your niche fits, DM me—we can talk through it.

Pinterest is truly a win-win channel: it sends you traffic now, while also supporting your long-term SEO.

Blogging Mistakes #7: Not Repurposing Your Content

Here’s the reality: blogging is a long game. It can take 6–12 months for posts to start ranking and bringing in consistent organic traffic. That can feel like forever when you’re running a business.

That’s why repurposing your blog content is essential. Don’t just hit publish and wait—use that content everywhere:

• Social media: Pull one-liners for Threads, or turn your main points into an Instagram carousel or Reel.
• Video: Turn key ideas into B-roll or short-form video scripts.
• Pinterest: Pin your post and graphics for extra traffic.
• Email marketing: Share the post (or a condensed version) with your list.

And yes—AI can help. I’ll often paste a blog into ChatGPT and ask it to pull the best quotes or condense it into captions. You’ve already done the hard work—repurposing simply multiplies the return on your effort.

Final Thoughts On The Most Common Blogging Mistakes

I know I just said it can take 6–12 months for blogging to really pay off—and that can feel like forever when you’re running a business. That’s why repurposing is non-negotiable.

Start with your blog post as your pillar content, then break it down into smaller pieces:

• Copy/paste into AI tools (like ChatGPT) to pull out one-liners for Threads or captions.
• Turn key points into an Instagram carousel or Reel.
• Create B-roll or short-form video scripts.
• Share it on Pinterest.
• Send it to your email list.

This approach gets you way more mileage from one piece of content—and it’s especially powerful if you don’t have a full marketing team. Most of my clients don’t. They might have me, or maybe a social media manager, but their resources are limited. Starting with a thoughtful, long-form blog post makes everything else easier.

Want to learn exactly how I write blog posts for sales? Download this free guide here!