I’ve seen blogs come and go for various reasons and recently I really started thinking about why some of the blogs out there fail and shut down and what these blogs could do to avoid failure.
Here are my10 Reasons Why Blogs Fail and How to Avoid Failure:
Get discouraged that they aren’t seeing the results they want and shut down the blog
Nobody said blogging was going to be easy but you can’t get discouraged and shut down. Ask any blogger out there and one of the biggest tips they will give you is don’t give up and keep the content going. There is a critical mass hump that you need to get over. I started off with 0 readers and 0 subscribers it took months and months to build up a name.
Don’t market or promote themselves or their blog; both online and offline
You can have the best content in the world but if nobody knows about that you don’t exist. You have to market yourself and your content both online and offline. Without marketing you are dead in the water. A little while ago I wrote about 11 ways you can drive traffic to your blog, I recommend that you read it.
Don’t have time to keep blogging and maintaining their site
This is an excuse I hear a lot and quite frankly it’s B.S. we’re all busy people, suck it up and turn off your t.v. for an hour shut off your xbox and get to work. If you want to succeed then you have to get the job done.
Spread themselves too thin in terms of blog focus and end up losing their audience
You have to focus on a particular topic, area, or niche. If you start talking about everything under the sun then you are going to lose your audience. Become a specialist and OWN your niche.
Don’t maintain a steady posting schedule and let weeks or months go by before posting
When you start off especially, creating constant fresh content is essential. Posting once every 2 weeks or once a month is not the best way to go about creating an audience and establishing yourself as an authority. Post quality and post often.
Run out of topic or post ideas/get burned out
This is where reading and research comes into play. Alltop.com is a great resource for information for virtually any topics. Also try to branch out of your niche sometimes and read about other things to get ideas. For example if you focus on tech read an occasional post on art and culture or history. You can also try keeping a posting schedule (I don’t).
Let harsh criticisms and negative comments get to them, creates low morale and lack of confidence
I get criticized and called out all the time, and it’s nothing to get upset over. It’s the nature of the game. Some people will like you others won’t, it’s how you deal with the negative feedback that matters, but don’t ever let it get you down to the point where you want to quit blogging. You might want to check out my posts on maintaining a positive online presence and repairing a negative online presence.
Start a blog about something they are not passionate about and eventually they just stop caring
Starting a blog just for the sake of starting a blog is probably the worst thing you can do. If you are not passionate about what you’re blogging about then eventually you will stop caring and you’re readers will pick up on it. You don’t want blogging go turn into a chore or a homework assignment, do what you love and love what you do.
Failing to provide unique and/or valuable content OR censoring to the point where the “voice” is killed from the blog
Reposting what techrunch or wired magazine said isn’t going to get you anywhere. Try to provide a unique spin on things and make sure you’re voice is heard. You can write about what’s hot but don’t be scared to voice your opinion or disagree about something. With millions of blogs out there it’s oftentimes impossible to be the only one talking about something, it’s not always what you say but how you say it.
Trying to over monetize something to the point where it’s just ridiculous
There’s nothing wrong with trying to make a few bucks from your site, but never do it at the cost of your users. You can stick all the ads you want on your site but if nobody is visiting then you won’t make a penny. I don’t recommend new blogs to start advertising until they have established a name, then slowly, they can begin introducing unobtrusive ads into the mix. Just remember, users come first, ads and everything else comes second. Check out my post on how and when to monetize your blog.
Can you think of any other reason why a blog might fail and how to avoid failure?
Thanks for reading
Jacob,
It's ironic that you posted this while I'm in the process of shutting down our MorganSullivan Blog. It was actually quite successful and was ranked pretty high on Technorati.
We simply decided to go back to our core of what made us successful and that's executive search for Architecture, Engineering, Planning, and Landscape Architecture. We have a great base of clients in this niche and that's where we want our focus to be.
The sullivanKreiss blog is alive and well at http://www.sullivankreiss.com and I still have my personal blog at http://www.johnpatrickkreiss.com.
That said, I believe you have great points for aspiring bloggers. There is no silver bullet. If you want people to visit your blog, focus on content that will be appealing enough to get your readers to keep coming back for more, stay committed, and tell the world about your blog.
Do this consistently and you'll see a good following. two years later. It takes discipline, hard work, focus, and patience.
John P. Kreiss
Hi Jacob,
I wonder if some people stop blogging or their blog fails because they're not learning anything. One of the most exciting things about blogging is that it demands you learn/know your topic. My blogging enhances my knowledge about my site topic, and therefore enhances my day job.
Best wishes,
Mary Pat
http://www.managemypractice.com
hey John, sorry to hear you shutting down the blog. of course you know your business and your target audience better then anybody else, so if you want to stick to something else then obviously go for it.
discipline, hardwork, focus, and patience, I like that, in fact i just tweeted it out!
thanks for the comment John!
hey mary, that could also be the case but then again if you are educating others then you are inevitably going to learn from them, from their comments/ideas/etc. havent come across anyone yet that knows it all 🙂
thanks a lot for the comment mary!
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Good list!
I would add:
When all your blog posts are thinly veiled (or not veiled at all) promotions for affiliate products. No real content at all. Why should I read? What's in it for me?
When your posts get way too personal and off subject. I've read a couple where posters start going on and on about their failed love life. Not a problem if that's what the blog is about. Big problem if that's not supposed to be the focus of the blog.
Thanks,
Peggy
Hey Perry. Your tips all why many blogs fail it is pretty much common sense. I can't believe many people do not use the “keep it simple” method. But I am glad that you brought it to many people's attention to give them a reminder and heads up on what not to do with their blog. Really enjoyed this entry. I look forward to reading more from you.
Whoops. And that's what I get for not reading who owns this blog. Sorry Jacob. Perry was the one who referred me here.
I totally agree with the passion comment. Lots of people start blogs because they feel they need to rather than starting it on something they want to talk about, something that stirs the blood and fires their passion.
I've found on my blog that I'll discover a passion about something I didn't realise I was passionate about until a post is far too long to post and needs editing. For me that's part of the joy of blogging- finding people who'll join in a conversation with you around something you're passionate about.
It's also interesting to hear other reader's perspective on my blog compared to mine. I'd describe my blog as slightly witty posts on news and issues I'm passionate about. One reader posted on her blog that my blog was “one guy struggling with his being a gay liberal Christian who's passionate about making change where he lives”. And she's totally right. She's cut through my own perception and described me as a person in 18 words.
It's a fun journey and sometimes that journey leads us to a place where we stop.
“I'll discover a passion about something I didn't realise I was passionate about until a post is far too long to post and needs editing.” That is how posts get turned into series. 🙂
I feel it is REALLY important to interact with your visitors by encouraging and answering their comments, visiting their blogs and commenting, and linking to quality content you find that relates to your blog. Sharing their best blog posts on FriendFeed, Twitter and other Social Networking sites is another way to create communications with your readers. Everyone likes to feel heard; no one wants to be ignored.
Nice post…so true.. as a blogger for a few years who has seen them come and go…as well as some of my own being that way, it shows a pretty accurate picture for me. 🙂
Couldn't disagree with any of them points.
Rob
There's ideas I keep returning to as I keep finding new thoughts about them.
And then there's the on off posts that turn into series. I blog alot about celebrity deaths because I blogged once about having a dead pool list.
I also blog alot about how some words are totally ineffectual for their current use. “Homophobic” and “gay community ” being words that I use again and again but feel I don't fully know what they truly signify.
Well I agree with everything you said here. I guess the top reason I see of Blog Failures is the lack of time as all things need to be done.It's because improper time management of certain folks like me…
it;s absolutely crucial! sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming so you have to be able to filter comments out and respond to the ones that need responding. i try to give all of my readers a voice and definitely try to share information and engage with all of them. thanks so much for the comment!
I've just started my own blog a few weeks ago, and I'm already finding it hard to come up with new posts. I generally try to rely on work to generate topics to write on for me, however when you do the same thing over and over it gets hard.
What would you say the ideal posting rate would be fore a newer blog?
I also notice you cross link and push a lot of your older articles, do you find this helps significantly to keep people on your site for longer?
hey ben, passionate is always what makes a blog great. no point in writing without passion. i likewise find it interesting to hear what readers think of the blog. oftentimes what I consider a great post or an interesting topic does not get the most amount of comments, whereas something that I just “threw” together does get a lot of comments. the great thing is that i can learn from my readers.
thanks for the comment!
hi peggy, great point. nobody wants to spend time reading a blog that is just riddled with spam, it also takes away credibility.
thanks for the comment!
for a new blog to post once a day is great to build an audience, this blog is around 10 months old and i still blog every single day including weekends. use alltop.com as a good reference for topics. hope this helps and thanks for the comment!
Jacob
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Jacob – I'm glad you mentioned Alltop, as I just happened to find this post via my Altop Social Media widget =)
One of my favorites of the points you made was the need to establish a posting schedule. We post on our blog every Monday-Friday because it's implied by our name (Buzz Marketing Daily), but even if you can only post 3 times a week it's good as long as your readers to know to check back on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. InternetStrategist's point about commenting is important, too, so I'd second that addition to the list. You can't really connect with readers without giving something back!
hey devin, ya alltop is great. i use them all the time when i want to research, brainstorm topic ideas/etc. a posting routine/schedule is great, that way readers/users know what to expect and when,
thanks for the comment!
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Thanks, Jacob
This is helpful
Passion is what makes the world go around!
Are you ready for PROFOUIND CHANGE in 2009?
Max Glenn
Thanks, Jacob
This is helpful
Passion is what makes the world go around!
Are you ready for PROFOUIND CHANGE in 2009?
Max Glenn
Hi,
I totally agree with your point which describe why a blog fail.
I am a live example of it and i have learnt a lot from my past failures.
I have also tried to summarize my last blog failure reason hope you will add your feedback to guide me for future…
http://firstdestination.co.in/2011/09/12/how-to-make-your-blog-failure-5-reason-to-blog-failure/