Why Blogs Fail – And How To Make Sure Yours Is Not Going To!

Do you need to know why blogs fail?

Unfortunately, most of them do.

Whether you’re still trying to decide what to blog about or your site is already a fact, its future must be heavy on your mind.

What’s the point of starting a blog if it’s not going to be a success?

You might think there is no way of knowing if your website will go somewhere in the long run or not.

But that is not true.

If you look closely beneath the surface, the blogs that failed exhibit common traits that connect them.

Knowing those missteps and doing your best to avoid them is how you’ll boost your chances for success on the blogging scene.

Today, we’ll discuss in detail the truth about a couple of essential topics.

Such as:

• How many blogs are successful?
• Why do bloggers fail?
• And how to make sure your site will succeed?

This post may contain affiliate links. Take a second to read my affiliate disclosure.

Is There A Future In Blogging?

Actually, the better question here is do you have a future in blogging?

Probably not if you’re looking at the blogging stats.

According to Website Setup, there are over 1.7 billion websites currently. Of course, that number changes constantly.

Since over 500,000 websites pop up online every single day, it’s hard to say how many sites occupy the web space at all times.

Now, how many of those websites are blogs?

Again, no one can give you the exact number, but it’s around 600 million.

So, is the battle lost before it even had the chance to start?

With that much competition, should you waste your time fighting for the audience’s attention?

To answer this question, we’ll need to dig deeper:

How Many Blogs Fail?

There was quite an interesting survey that happened back in 2020.

The reason behind this survey was to determine what percentage of blog owners consider their sites a failure.

Two main factors were the embodiment of success:

Does the blog deliver enough value to the readers, and does it achieve satisfying monetary results for its owner?

According to the survey, over 20% of website owners said no.

Meaning, if there are 600 million blogs, 20% of their creators see the online business they founded as a fail blog.

And those are just the people that took part in the survey. Possibly, the real number is much larger than that.

What does this tell you?

Well, I think it’s safe to conclude that:

• Blogging isn’t easy – not in the slightest.
• Making money blogging is incredibly difficult.
• Over 20% of the people who started a blog have already given up.
• Another 50% of all site owners are struggling to make it work.

At least, that’s how you’ll choose to look at the stats if you’re the kind of person who always sees a glass half empty.

But if you’re not, you might want to focus on the one fact that seems to slip away:

While the number of bloggers who refuse to keep fighting is overwhelming, another group of people had no intention of ever given up.

Those people currently are making four, five, and even six-figure incomes from their blogs every month.

Needless to say, the goal of this article is to help you join them.

Knowing what not to do with your blog is how you’ll increase your chances of getting there.

Why Do Most Bloggers Fail – Huge Reasons Why Blogs Fail

Quite frankly, it’s understandable if a blogging failure is the last thing you want to think about right now.

Starting a blog is an exciting experience to go through, and you should be able to enjoy it.

Still, you can’t afford to bury your head in the sand and hope for the best.

So, hold on to the excitement for as long as you can, and keep your eyes open for these 15 doomed blogging strategies:

1) Not Having A Defined Niche

Basically, every second article about why blogs do fail talks about the importance of having a clear niche.

Make no mistake – that’s not by accident.

You can’t just blog about anything and everything that pops into your mind.

Actually, you can, but such an approach will eliminate any chance for blogging success.

I can almost see you rolling your eyes, thinking that some blogs that write about what seems like everything are making it work.

There is a good number of the so-called “lifestyle blogs” that are surely kicking it.

Here is the thing about them, though:

While it may look like they don’t succumb to just one niche, those blog owners are well aware of who their audience is.

They know who they’re writing for, and that’s what matters in the end.

Just because you can’t see their niche, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

When you become a blogger, you’ll write for a specific audience. Choosing one main objective and solving the problems related to it is how you’ll reach the right one.

Speaking of objective:

2) Not Having An Objective

Many newbie bloggers tend to mistake a niche with an objective. But they’re not the same thing.

Believe it or not, you can have a niche blog and no blog objective.

Allow me to clarify what I mean before you get all confused:

Let’s say that you want to start a blog in the weight loss niche.

What kind of content you’re planning to publish about that?

Will you talk about how damaging for a person’s health is to be overweight and the reasons why so many people let themselves go in that way?

Or will you offer practical tips and ideas that will help your readers lose weight?

Hopefully, you’re gravitating toward the second option because that’s the right one.

To have a successful blog, you’ll need to constantly address a specific group of people that face an objective they need to overcome.

Helping them do that instead of just acknowledging the existence of the objective is how your blog will avoid failure.

3) Choosing The Wrong Niche

Yes, the topic of niche plays a huge part in the conversation about why blogs fail. Therefore, we need to talk about it for a bit longer.

Above all, what does choosing the wrong niche mean?

While there is no wrong niche, there is a wrong niche for you.

And what is the wrong niche for you?

Basically, it’s every niche you go for if you make that decision lead by the wrong reasons.

For example, you’re thinking of starting a blog you’re not passionate about but believe will make you the most money.

Some other factors that may influence you to start walking on the wrong blogging path are popularity, size of an audience, competition, etc.

Long story short, don’t do that.

Developing a blog to the point where it will earn you a full-time income is a long and exhausting journey.

Trying to walk on it with no passion will lead to burnout faster than you can imagine. Pushing yourself to write about something that doesn’t interest you won’t get your blog past the finish line.

4) You Have No Plan Or Blogging Goals

Every great idea needs a distinctive blueprint to become a reality.

That rule applies to blogging as well.

Creating a solid blog plan needs to take place before you start a website.

Having clear blogging goals will help you get through every struggling phase you’ll encounter. Plus, it will make it that much harder for you to quit for good.

Ultimately, a blog plan will keep your attention on doing the right things at the right time.

But how do you come up with a blog plan that will keep you moving on the right track?

Actually, it’s kind of simple:

Write down where you would like to see your site in three months, six months, and a year.

Some of the factors to keep in mind are the amount of traffic, blog income, DA authority, quality backlinks, etc.

Don’t worry if you fail to reach your goals – that’s not the point of having a blog plan.

No, it’s about keeping you going when you feel like giving up.

Depending on how many of your goals you’ll reach, readjust your plan accordingly, and try harder on the aspects you’re falling behind.

5) You Have No Content Strategy

In my opinion, that’s one of the most common reasons why blogs fail.

Outlining a content strategy doesn’t have to be an impossible task to tackle.

It all goes back to knowing why your blog exists in the first place.

Are you well aware of why you started your blog?

Great, but does your content supports your reasons?

I mean, is your content well-written, engaging, and actionable?

Because that’s what Google needs it to be.

If your content doesn’t provide well-researched and up-to-date information, your content strategy is severely lacking.

There are many things you can do to improve your content strategy.

You can start by going through all your articles and make sure they:

• contain images
• allow the readers to share them on Social Media
• offer at least 1,800 words
• are well-formated
• don’t irritate the audience by being poorly written and full of grammar and spelling mistakes

Of course, these are just a couple of examples that will help you upgrade your content strategy.

As you gain more blogging experience, you’ll be able to expand your content strategy on your own.

6) Creating Content Without Promotion In Mind

Once you’re a couple of months into your blogging experiment, you’ll realize something every professional blogger already knows:

Blogging is 3% writing and 97% promotion.

Sure, the percentage may vary, but if yours is the other way around, you’re doing it wrong.

Every piece of content you’re planning to publish needs a promotional strategy behind it.

Meaning, each of your articles better has the ability to gain tons of attention online.

To clarify, the traction you’re aiming for is not going to happen on its own.

No, you’ll increase it as much as you can by doing everything a marketer does to reach a wider audience.

For example, you need to work on search engine optimization, Social Media Marketing, email marketing, etc.

Above all, the best content promotes itself.

What does this mean?

Well, it means that the best topics you can write about are evergreen content that never goes out of fashion.

You may want to keep that in mind while you’re brainstorming content ideas.

7) Not Optimizing For The Search Engines

Since I’ve just mentioned search engine optimization, let’s look at its connection with why blogs fail.

Quite frankly, there is no easy way to be friendly with search engines all the time.

Even if you’re SEO-savvy, the algorithm changes are unavoidable.

There is no guarantee that your blog will keep thriving after all Google updates.

But that doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore SEO.

Google has always been and will continue to be the most sustainable source of traffic.

Therefore, you have no choice but to learn SEO inside and out.

I can’t tell you all that goes into making sure your content is SEO-friendly in a single paragraph.

But I can say this much to get you started:

• Learn as much as you can about doing keyword research.
• Using a professional keyword research tool is unavoidable.
• Always optimize your meta description and images.
• Add videos where it makes sense.
• Keep your URLs short.

8) Not Diversifying Traffic Sources

Alright, as valuable search engines might be sources of traffic, they’re not the only ones you can use to get more page views.

No professional blogger relies on just one source of blog traffic. And you shouldn’t either.

With that said, your time is not without its limits. So, you can’t spend it trying to find a new audience on every platform that comes to mind.

Instead, choose a few more traffic channels that will work the best for the kind of content you’re creating.

My advice would be to get on Pinterest and create a business account today.

Pinterest is a visual search engine that will get more eyeballs on your articles, and it works for every blog niche.

While the Pinterest traffic won’t happen overnight, investing time and effort to gain it is worth the try.

9) Not Doing Email Marketing

By all means, spending time on email campaigns is more than essential for your business.

It has to become a priority as soon as you launch your blog.

You may think that it’s too early, and you don’t have anything valuable to offer to your subscribers yet.

Regardless, you need to start creating an email marketing strategy from your early blogging days.

Why doing email marketing matter so much?

Because your email list is the thing that will allow you to have a direct connection with your readers.

Also, think of your subscribers as your most loyal fans. Providing value to them through your email campaigns will transform them into a dedicated tribe that will fiercely support your blog.

Most importantly, the money is on the list.

If you plan to start selling your own products or services, your email subscribers would most likely be your first clients.

I use ConvertKit for my email campaigns, and I can’t recommend it enough.

ConvertKit is simple to use and will satisfy all your email marketing needs.

This link will lead you to its free trial – use it to see for yourself everything ConvertKit has to offer.

10) Bad Blog Design

Right now, you’re probably wondering what your blog design has to do with the reasons why blogs fail.

Actually, it has more to do with it than you think.

Your blog is your business.

Each person who will ever land on it would be a visitor inside your virtual company.

Imagine how that person would feel if your blog:

• is rich in low-quality images
• takes forever to load
• has confusing navigation
• displays too many ads that make the content impossible to read

Basically, you’ll lose that person as a reader, and the chances of him coming back are slim to none.

Bad blog design is the source of poor user experience more often than you think.

A great blog design, though, will reduce your bounce rate, make your site easy to navigate, and help the search engine better understand the structure of your site.

Ultimately, you need to make sure that your blog design doesn’t affect the user experience on mobile.

Since over 50% of the worldwide web traffic comes from mobile devices, your blog has no choice but to be mobile-friendly.

Related: Why So Many Pro Bloggers Use Thrive Themes

11) You Don’t Post Consistently

Another common reason why blogs fail is the inconsistency of your posting schedule.

When you’re starting a blog, decide how many articles you’ll publish each week and try to stick to that.

Of course, many things will be going on in those early blogging days. Sometimes, you may find yourself unable to keep up with your posting calendar.

That’s why the best thing you can do is to come up with a posting schedule that is both realistic and manageable.

Don’t try to upload a new post every day if it’s too much for you.

In my opinion, publishing three times a week is more than enough to get your blog going.

Find the balance between content creation and promotion and make the best of it.

12) You Believe Your Blog Will Bring You Quick Money With Little Effort

Blogging is a slow burn. Certainly, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme that will make you financially independent overnight.

If that’s your expectation, you’re in the wrong industry.

From the time you buy web hosting to the moment your blog starts earning a full-time income passively, tons of hard work must happen.

Personally, I was spending over 50 hours a week working on this blog for the first couple of months.

No matter how much time you can afford to spend on your site, don’t think that you’ll make it work if you don’t try hard enough.

After all, you’re building a business. No business can become lucrative and profitable unless you give it your undivided attention for a long time.

13) You See Your Blog As A Side Project

Let me ask you – why do you want to own a blog?

Do you need a place where you can share your thoughts with the world?

Or do you want a business that will replace your current nine-five job for good?

There is nothing wrong with the first case. But having a blog that is no more than a hobby or a passion project won’t bring you financial stability.

So, you better start seeing your site as your ticket to the laptop lifestyle and begin treating it as such.

Meaning, you are a business owner now, and you need to behave like one.

Not trying hard enough and constantly skipping on essential steps will burn your blog to the ground faster than you think.

To avoid that, work on your blogging skills every day, invest in the right blogging tools, and keep improving the quality of your content.

Related: How This Tool Will Turn Your Text Into Speech

14) You’re Copying Someone Else

We all have favorite bloggers we enjoy following closely.

However, following someone too closely is not going to be in your best interest.

It’s one thing to draw inspiration from people who are where you would like to be as well one day.

And it’s a totally different situation if you repeat everything they do.

By all means, don’t try to be someone you’re not.

Your readers are on your pages because they want to read what you have to say.

Appreciate that and have enough respect for them not to serve them content they already have seen elsewhere.

Being your unique self is the best thing you’ll ever do for your business and your audience.

After all, anyone else is already taken!

15) Not Giving It Enough Time

The last entry on my list of reasons why blogs fail is giving up too soon.

Are you aware of the fact that millions of people abandon their blogs around the sixth-month mark?

Well, they do.

In a way, I understand their frustration.

At the same time, I believe they shouldn’t have started a blog in the first place.

Trying to turn a blog into a profitable business in a matter of months is not possible.

With rare exceptions, it takes much longer to become a full-time blogger who earns a living online.

Again, blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.

Believing the contrary will only leave you disappointed.

Sure, it’s hard to keep going when it doesn’t look like you’re achieving anything at all.

But if you keep moving anyway, you won’t regret it!

Why Blogs Fail – Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why Do Blogs Fail? – you already have a pretty good idea about the reasons behind a blogging failure. Not producing high-quality content, being inconsistent, and giving up too soon are some of the most common ones.
2. Is Blogging Dead In 2021? – not at all. However, the field is changing and evolving. Therefore, you’ll have to try harder to create and sustain a blog that can keep up with the recent changes.
3. What Have Replaced Blogging? – nothing can really replace it. But these days, video content seems to be more relevant than ever. So, starting a YouTube channel for your blog is a smart move that will advance your site further.
4. Is Blogging A Good Career? – in my opinion, it’s the best one, but it depends on the person. Blogging can be a lonely experience sometimes, and that’s why it’s not for everybody.
5. How Do Beginners Blogs Make Money? – there are many ways to monetize a new blog. Some of the most popular choices are affiliate marketing, displaying ads, and selling products or services.
6. Is There Money In Blogging? – you bet! Depending on how committed you’re to your blog, you can make four, five, and even six-figure income from your site.

My Closing

Before I leave you today, here is the one thing you should always keep in mind:

The only way to make sure that you’ll fail as a blogger is not even trying to be one.

With that said, did I answer all your questions regarding why blogs fail?

If not, leave them in the comments section, and I’ll be happy to answer!

More Blogging-Related Content You May Like:

• 40 Top Blogging Tips For New Bloggers
• The Secret To Increasing The Conversion Rate Of Your Blog