When you’re a new blogger you absorb all kinds of information. The reality is not all of it is true. In fact, some of what you hear are common blogging myths. Bloggers hold onto these common blogging misconceptions as if they’re facts.
Maybe they heard it from another blogger in a Facebook group. Or they kept hearing it from multiple bloggers so it has to be true. This was definitely the case for me. I believed so many false blogging facts for a long time.
Today I am here to bust the top blogging myths. So, don’t make the mistakes I made because of these misconceptions.
*Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
10 Blogging Myths That Keep Your Blog from Growing
1. More Traffic = More Money
I think this is the biggest and one of the most common blogging myths out there. I learned the hard way that more traffic doesn’t equal more money. This is only true if you are a part of Mediavine or an ad network.
I’ve had blog posts go viral that didn’t make me a dime. For example, I had an easter blog post that got good traffic from Pinterest. It was a roundup post of Amazon products. Guess what? I didn’t make a single affiliate sale.
Why more blog traffic doesn’t mean more money
The thing is buyer intent matters. If your audience is only looking for ideas, then they aren’t ready to buy. You can get all the traffic you want.
But if they aren’t interested in the item, they won’t buy it. If you aren’t promoting the right items to your audience they won’t purchase.
If they are only interested in free stuff they won’t buy. This is why having an email list comes in handy. With email, you don’t need blog traffic in order to make money.
If you want to start an email list, here are some free resources to help you:
- Mailerlite is free for your first 1000 subscribers
- Free Welcome Sequence Template
- Free Opt-in Templates
2. You Have to Be on All the Social Media Networks
This is one of those blogging myths that lead to blogger burnout. One expert says it’s all about Instagram reels.
The next one says you have to start doing Clubhouse. Then someone in your Facebook group says you have to do FB live.
There are a ton of different strategies out there. Just because it worked for them doesn’t mean it’s for you. You have to do what feels good to you.
What our goal is
The thing is as bloggers our number one goal is to get traffic to our blogs. Honestly, most social media platforms aren’t good traffic drivers. Or they only drive traffic to certain niches.
There are plenty of six-figure bloggers that don’t use Instagram or TikTok. If it’s not bringing traffic or money don’t bother. That’s why your number one focus should be on SEO.
It’s more important than how many followers you get. It’s an important source of organic passive traffic.
Related post: All in One SEO vs Yoast: Which SEO Plugin is the Best?
3. New Bloggers Should Join the Amazon Associate’s Program
I know many beginner bloggers join the Amazon associate’s program because it’s easy to get into. This is one of the blogging myths that people spread based on their experiences.
All the bloggers who do make money with Amazon get lots of traffic to their blogs. Or they have lots of social media followers. That’s because Amazon has very low commission rates. Like less than 10% for their categories.
I really don’t recommend it at the beginning. In order to make any kind of money with Amazon, you need lots of traffic.
What’s the point in putting all the work into a blog post, only to make a few dollars? Believe me, there are better-paying affiliate programs out there for new bloggers.
Download this free list of affiliate programs for bloggers.
4. You Can Make Money Blogging Overnight
Have you ever seen those posts that say “How I made $1000 in my first month of blogging”? Those posts don’t tell you the whole story.
What they don’t tell you is that they probably promoted a high-paying affiliate. Or that they had another blog before. So, they knew exactly what to do the second time around.
They also don’t tell you that $1000 could have come from selling their services. They don’t tell you how much traffic their blog gets.
The Reality for Most Bloggers
The bigger question is how much of that money are they taking home? What are their blogging expenses?
The point is very few bloggers actually make that kind of money in their first month of blogging. So don’t feel bad if that isn’t true for you. Being an overnight success is very hard for anyone in any industry.
The bloggers that seem to have it all together didn’t learn it on their own. They paid for a course, coaching program, or some type of training.
If you would like to know what to do during your first month of blogging then download this freebie. Or if you are lost on how to get started blogging, then signup for this free 5-day BootCamp.
Related Post: The Top 10 Best WordPress Plugins for BloggersÂ
5. You Have to Stick to One Niche
Lifestyle blogs and mommy blogs are proof that this blogging myth isn’t true. You can talk about home decor, parenting tips, and party planning on one blog.
Or makeup, skincare, and fashion on another. The key is to have one target audience. Pick one target audience that’s interested in all of those topics.
It’s your blog. You can do what you want. Don’t let other people put you in a box. There are plenty of successful bloggers out there that don’t stick to one niche.
Should you niche down?
Sometimes sticking to one niche can backfire. I’ve seen people get bored. They end up trying to branch out into other niches.
Like if you’re an Instagram expert for example. If you try to start talking about Pinterest, it’s not going to work. You’re too well-known for Instagram.
When I first started my Etsy shop, I only sold printable wall art. But I wasn’t getting the sales I wanted. So, I switched niches. I am so happy I did. I got way more sales once I did.
So don’t feel like you’re trapped in one niche forever.
6. Your Blog Needs to Be Self-Hosted
Every expert out there tells you that your blog needs to be a self-hosted WordPress blog. They make it seem like your blog won’t make money if it’s not. Once again, this blogging myth isn’t true.
I had my blog hosted on Blogger for a long time. But I had a real domain name attached to it. I didn’t use a sub-domain.
I made money on that blog and got traffic to it. I made the switch to WordPress later once I could afford the hosting fees.
There are plenty of bloggers who host their blogs on Square Space. Some even use a platform called Showit. Where you host your blog doesn’t determine its success.
Look for a platform that meets your needs and fits your budget. You don’t want a cheap hosting fee now. Then pay hundreds of dollars a year later.
7. Blogging is Dead
All the ones who say blogging is dead or it doesn’t work aren’t doing it right. Blogging done the right way absolutely works. According to Ryan Robinson, 77% of internet users regularly read blog posts.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, he also says that 60% of people purchase a product after originally reading a blog post about it.
That proves blogging isn’t dead. These stats prove that most people read a blog post. They even purchase something after reading about it.
The key isn’t to blog just for the sake of it. You can’t just write whatever and hope for the best. It’s about writing with intention.
What is your audience searching for? What problems do they have? What do they struggle with?
8. You Have to Give Everything Away for Free
So many bloggers think that nurturing your audience means giving it all away for free. They think that giving your audience value means free. That’s definitely not true at all.
When you think like this you start thinking that selling is sleazy. If you want to make money blogging you have to get used to selling. If you’re going to sell your own digital products you can’t give everything away for free.
Yes, we want to help our audience. But it’s okay for you to make money doing it. Don’t be afraid to promote an affiliate in your blog post proudly. Don’t be shy about promoting your services or digital products.
You want to attract people who will buy from you. Without those buyers, you won’t make money blogging. You can help your audience and make money at the same time.
9. You Have to Be an Expert in Your Niche
You do not have to be an expert in order to help your audience. Nor do you need to be one in order to create a course.
You do not need to know everything there is to know about your niche. You only have to be a little farther ahead than your people.
There is something within your niche that you can help people with. Thinking that you have to be an expert puts too much pressure on your shoulders.
It did for me. It caused me to stay still and not move forward. It was preventing me from taking the steps I needed to take. What do you know how to do that comes easy to you? What can you easily talk about with little preparation?
Your audience is where you used to be. You can help them on that part of their journey.
10. There’s Too Much Competition
This is one of those blogging myths you can easily believe. I know I did. I had imposter syndrome for a long time. There are so many well-known experts in my niche.
I thought I couldn’t compete. I even thought that it would be hard to rank for certain keywords because all the top blogs were already ranking for them.
There’s room for you in your niche!
I discovered that this isn’t true. I learned that there’s room for me. Once I started doing keyword research for different posts, I was pleasantly surprised.
Don’t assume your competitors are writing about every topic related to your niche. They definitely aren’t. When you start doing keyword research, you’ll find out that your competitors aren’t ranking for every blog post.
Believe me, there’s room for you. There are topics you can write about that they aren’t. There are digital products you can create that they haven’t thought about.
Related Posts
The Best Free Online Courses for Bloggers
How to Start a Profitable Blog on a Budget
Conclusion
The moral of the story is to not believe everything you hear. This definitely applies to blogging too. It’s so easy for blogging myths to spread around.
Don’t accept everything you hear at face value. The best way to learn whether a blogging strategy is true or not is to try it.
Always experiment. Try things out for yourself. Just because something didn’t work for someone doesn’t mean it won’t for you.
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