Don't Fall into These 5 Blogging Pitfalls

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Second Self Virtual Assistance

Don't Fall into These 5 Blogging Pitfalls

Creating a blog post is more than putting "ink to paper".  A blog will rise and fall according to the readers' perception of your knowledge and credibility.  Protect yourself by avoiding these blogging pitfalls.

 

Information - Not Sales - The best blog posts are the ones the reader learns from.  The worst blogs are those that filled with sales pitches and links to "buy my product".  When readers feel the only thing they're getting from a post is a sales pitch, they will click away and never return.

 

Length Matters - Blog posts should be no less than 300 words long and no longer than 750 words.  The minimum number of 300 words is acceptable to Google.  The longer the post is, the more likely the reader will "save it" to read later.

 

Spellcheck and Grammar - Read and reread your posts for spelling and grammar.  It's easy to overlook an error.  I've been guilty of this until I found a cool little tool called, Grammarly.  It's a free grammar and spell-checker.  It's added to your Chrome browser.  Anytime Grammarly finds a misspelled word or incorrectly used grammar, it underlines the error.  Put your cursor over the error and a pop-up appears with the correction you need to make.

 

Tell the Truth - Use catchy headlines to capture the reader's interest.  Be careful, however, to state only the facts that you have thoroughly researched.  Take the time to do your homework.  Incorrect information can lead to the downfall of your credibility.

 

Don't Copy Your Neighbor's Post - We could get away with copying our neighbor's test answers in school.  The classroom we're appealing to now, though, is a worldwide bigger.  It's okay to quote someone else or acknowledge your resource.  It's not okay to plagiarize.  Copyscape is a great tool to check to see if your website content has been copied.

  Use these five tips to avoid blogging pitfalls in your posts.  Make your posts informative, the right length, with correct spelling and grammar.  Check your facts and be careful that none of your content appears copied.

Comments (24)

Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

Great reminder (for those of us who've been around) and a great primer for those that are new.

 

Kathleen Daniels maybe for your Saturday roundup?

Nov 02, 2017 05:20 PM
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist

Do I have a Saturday roundup Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA? The only thing I have tried to roundup is a feral Rooster.


 

Nov 02, 2017 06:04 PM
Greg Mona
eXp Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Professional Real Estate Representation for YOU!

Great, common sense tips, Pamela Cendejas. Thank you for sharing. Well worth considering all of them!

Nov 02, 2017 08:44 PM
E. Steve Banis, Jr.
South Carolina Homes Inc. - Charleston, SC
http://www.SouthCarolinaHomesInc.com

Thank you - graet information!

Nov 02, 2017 10:50 PM
Gwen Fowler-864-638-3599 SC Mountains Lakes Homes
Gwen Fowler Real Estate, Inc - Salem, SC
Gwen Fowler Real Estate, Inc.

Now if you could only find a way for the blank paper/screen to not be so intimidating.

Nov 03, 2017 05:33 AM
Pamela Cendejas

LOL Gwen Fowler-CRS- 864-638-3599 SC Mountains & Lakes--  Getting started is the hardest part.  I always start by thinking of topics I think will help my target market.  Maybe that will help you, too.

Nov 03, 2017 09:28 AM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Nice, I was missing the built-in autocorrect of Outlook since I went to all Google so I installed Grammarly from your link.

Nov 03, 2017 06:08 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Dana Basiliere - How's Grammarly working for you? 

Nov 03, 2017 09:28 AM
Wendy Rulnick
Rulnick Realty, Inc. - Destin, FL
"It's Wendy... It's Sold!"

Pamela - I have just downloaded Grammarly, based on your advice. I cannot wait to use it - I feel language is fascinating, anyway! Thank you!

Nov 03, 2017 06:36 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Wendy Rulnick - I always received in "A's" in grammar when I was in school.  After installing Grammarly, I see that some of the rules I was held to before no longer apply or have been changed.

Nov 03, 2017 09:30 AM
Ron Aguilar
Continental Mortgage - Saint George, UT
Mortgage & Real Estate Advisor since 1995

very good information to share, thanks for your time

Nov 03, 2017 06:48 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
New Hampshire Home Stager

Great tips for better blog writing!

I personally think 300 words is too long and I know it's the google standard but I don't like writing posts that long and I don't like reading posts that are that long. 

Nov 03, 2017 07:17 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Sharon Tara - The important thing is to write something of interest that will help your reader.  If you can write it in less than 300 characters, so be it.  You're helping people, not Google.

Nov 03, 2017 09:31 AM
Robin Miller
Mexican Beach Bum, Broker-Rocky Point MEXICO - Lukeville, AZ
Enjoy life and rental income at the beach

I'm testing the Grammarly extension, and I am makingmisteaks on purpose, it inderlines the erors is redd and shows the numbeer of errors in the bottom right, then when i correct it all, it turns to the gren logo. so kewl thanks! 8 errors, I wonder if the erros will show in this post.  Thankx Pamela

Nov 03, 2017 07:21 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Robin Miller - Did Grammarly cautch your mastikes?  It sure cott mine. 

Nov 03, 2017 09:32 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Fifteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Excellent information here.  I have used Copyscape but never Grammarly.  Thanks!

Nov 03, 2017 08:11 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Gary L. Waters, Broker Owner, Waters Realty of Brevard, LLC - I've used Copyscape but never for spell check or grammar.  I learned something new from you!  Thanks.

Nov 03, 2017 09:33 AM
Eleanor Thorne
Equity Resources - Cary, NC
Equity Resources 919-649-5058

Great reminders, I'm working on length now - stopping at 750 can be difficult, but for mobile search that really is ideal.  Congrats!

Nov 03, 2017 09:49 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Eleanor Thorne - If you think your posts are too long, consider breaking one long post into 2 or 3.  That way your readers don't have to miss any of your great information because of a length issue.

Nov 03, 2017 12:14 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

You always share good reminders for us, Pamela. Thanks!

 

Nov 03, 2017 11:27 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Lottie Kendall - Reminders are a good thing.  So many shiny objects out there, the simpler things sometimes get forgotten.

Nov 03, 2017 12:15 PM
Anna Hatridge
R Gilliam Real Estate LLC - Farmington, MO
Missouri Realtor with R Gilliam Real Estate LLC

Thank you so much for this timely post.  It's not okay to plagiarize is my motto and a personal favorite!

Nov 04, 2017 02:10 AM
John Wiley
Fort Myers, FL
Lee County, FL, ECO Broker, GRI, SRES,GREEN,PSA

Pamela, thanks for the 5 great tips on avoiding blogging pitfalls.

Telling the truth is critical.

Spell check would improve many posts.

Thanks

Nov 04, 2017 08:23 AM
Pamela Cendejas

John Wiley - Spell check is great except when it comes to grammar.  Grammarly checks for grammar errors, too.  I like that feature.


 

Nov 06, 2017 01:23 PM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

I think you clearly nailed it with these tips.

Nov 05, 2017 07:26 PM
Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate-Kansas City Homes - Kansas City, MO
Experienced Agent in Kansas City Metro area

I draft blog posts and really have to slow down and edit/reread them before I push publish!  No excuse for sloppy language and incorrect spelling!

Nov 06, 2017 01:11 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR - I have written, read and re-read many posts only to find out that I've overlooked something.  Pretty horrifying when you realize it's a representation of me.  Yikes!

Nov 06, 2017 01:24 PM
Jan Green
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Excellent info.  I've often wondered what Google "sees" as valid, long enough to count.  Pun intended!

Nov 09, 2017 07:17 PM
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
& Host of Postcards From Success Podcast

5 great points, although the jury is still out on word count. The experts seem to disagree and what's too short vs. too long.

Nov 12, 2017 11:09 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Thomas J. Nelson, Realtor,CRS,e-Pro - I think of the reader first.  I'm not a fan of posts that are long.  If I'm too busy to read a long post, I put it to the side thinking I'll get back to it and usually never do.

Nov 13, 2017 08:39 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

I have been using Grammarly for quite some time. Using it and your other tips are good ones, Pamela. 

Nov 20, 2017 06:50 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Thank you, Debbie Reynolds  I appreciate your comments.

Nov 21, 2017 08:34 AM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

Excellent guideposts...deserving of a bookmark for sure !

Nov 22, 2017 04:32 PM