Christian Blogging Mistakes to Avoid in 2023

I’ve been blogging for over four years, hopping from one blog to the other without any consistency. As soon as I was accepted for Google Adsense, I sold a blog at the 400 level. I’ve made my fair share of blogging errors; this is typical for newcomers.

Speaking from a Christian viewpoint, I managed “secular” blogs for some years. I had no idea what was ahead when God led me to establish a Christian blog.

I’ve created Christian blogs for both active and inactive users and based on my experiences, I’d argue that Christian blogging is entirely apart from other types of blogging.

I’ll be sharing some mistakes I have observed over the years in blogging especially Christian blogging and how to avoid making them in 2023. This article is intended for new Christian and seasoned bloggers, so let’s get started.

1. A wrong perspective about Christian blogging

Christian blogging is unlike any other type of blogging. If you have previously blogged and want to venture into Christian blogging or sense God’s leading into Christian blogging, you must understand that Christian blogging is spiritual.

Blogging for Christ is a ministry. You should not see it as anything else. Consider it a tool for God to use to free men from the devil’s shackles. A platform God will use to bring people to Him. 

You will be writing God’s mind for people, and the Bible says that the entrance of God’s word brings understanding.

The first mistake you should take note of is to change your perception. Always pray, study the word of God, and let the Holy Spirit guide you in all things. 

2. No Strategy or Poor Strategy

As a Christian blogger, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating a blog and publishing gospel content with the world. However, many bloggers make the mistake of not having a clear strategy in place for their blog. This can lead to inconsistent posting, disorganized content, and a lack of focus.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is to set clear goals for your blog. What do you hope to achieve with your blog, and who is your target audience? When you have a clear understanding of your goals and audience, you can create content that is inspiring and relevant to your readers.

Alongside creating a Christian blog strategy, you should include a social media strategy. Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your blog and connecting with your audience, but it can also be a distraction if you don’t have a clear strategy in place. Decide which platforms you will use, how often you will post, and what types of content you will share.

It’s also important to be consistent with your posting schedule. Whether you post once a week or once a month, make sure you stick to your schedule. Consistent posting will help you build a loyal following and establish your blog as a trustworthy source of spiritual impact.

Not having a clear blogging strategy can lead to disorganized content, inconsistent posting, and a lack of focus. By having a strong blog strategy which includes setting clear goals, creating a content plan, being intentional about your social media strategy, being consistent with your posting schedule, and being open to feedback, you can create a successful and impactful Christian blog that reflects the message God wants you to pass and reaches your target audience.

3. Focusing too much on monetization

I know you have heard about people who make a living through blogging, and that’s true, but this is Christian blogging. If your main goal is to make money, you are planning your Christian blogging demise.

While earning money from your blog may be necessary, focusing too much on it can undermine its authenticity and alienate readers. Instead, concentrate on publishing spirit-filled content for your audience.

God may prompt you to write on a topic that won’t fulfill your desire to earn money or get your blog approved for monetization. You just have to stick by the guidance of God at the expense of making money. 

Many non-Christian blogs are profit-oriented, which dictates their strategy, targeted audience, content, and all. But here in the kingdom, the purpose of creating a blog is to reach out to lives in the digital world and tell them about Christ. In Christian blogging, the Spirit of God dictates what we do and inspires us on how to do it.

Concentrating on monetization may be your biggest downfall if you intend to run a Christian blog.

Does that mean you cannot earn money through Christian blogging? Big no. There are multiple ways to earn money as a Christian blogger. You can earn money using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, direct and indirect advertising, sponsored posts, and various other methods.

However, you must watch your motives—what drives you to create that Christian blog, money or the gospel? 

4. Neglecting SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical to driving traffic to your Christian blog. Every day, millions of people use search engines to look up information about Christ and ask faith questions. If your blog is optimized for search engines, it will be noticed.

When you neglect SEO, you miss out on potential readers searching for the information you could provide.

SEO is optimizing your website and its content to increase visibility and traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. When you ignore SEO, you will miss out on valuable traffic from search engines, which can limit the growth of your Christian blog.

To avoid ignoring SEO, you must integrate SEO strategies into your content creation process. Using pertinent keywords and phrases, optimizing your headlines and meta descriptions, and ensuring your website is structured in a simple way for search engines to crawl and understand are all examples of how to do this.

Furthermore, because search engine algorithms are constantly changing and evolving, staying current with SEO trends and best practices is essential. Maintaining the visibility and traffic of your blog can help you stay on course. 

Overall, ignoring SEO can be a costly mistake for Christian bloggers, limiting your blog’s growth and reducing your reach and impact. By incorporating SEO strategies into your content creation process, you can increase the visibility of your blog and attract more readers looking for the content you provide.

5. Not creating an email list

Building an email list is critical for expanding the reach of your blog and keeping your readers engaged. It’s also a great way to stay in touch with your readers and promote your content.

Christian bloggers frequently need to do more to build an email list. An email list is helpful for bloggers who want to stay in touch with their readers, promote their content, and build a loyal community around their blog. Bloggers who fail to build an email list may miss out on opportunities to engage with their readers and grow their blogs.

To prevent making this error, start building your email list as soon as possible after starting your blog. Email marketing solutions such as Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Constant Contact can assist you in creating and managing your email list. After you’ve generated your list, use it to send your subscribers frequent emails and updates on your Christian blog.

When establishing your email list, provide your readers with something of value in exchange for their email addresses. It can involve access to a private community and free resources like ebooks, templates, or exclusive content. 

6. Lack of consistency

This also is a junction many Christian bloggers abandoned blogs. Maintaining a blog can generally be tasking, but you can be consistent with determination.

If it is a blog post or two you can publish per week, be consistent in it.

Consistency in publishing will harm your blog’s credibility and prevent readers from losing interest. The best way to be consistent is to develop a content creation schedule that works for you and stick to it.

As you are consistent with publishing your blog, there must be a correspondent consistency in the quality of your article. This means writing spirit-filled, well-researched, informative, and engaging content that impacts people’s lives. 

7. Poor design and user experience: 

God is not a God of mediocrity. Hallelujah! God would never support mediocrity. Make your website look beautiful. Your Christian blog is a house of God, make it unique.

Your blog’s design and user experience significantly impact your user’s perception of your blog. A well-designed blog with a simple user experience can increase site retention.

Poorly designed blogs and user experience is a common mistake for Christian bloggers. It affects your readers’ readability, influencing their decision to stay on your website or not. 

Invest time and effort into the design and user experience of your blog. It includes choosing a clean and visually appealing theme or template, crafting well-arranged navigation, selecting fonts and colors that are easy to read, and ensuring that your blog is easy to navigate and use.

Additionally, optimizing your blog for mobile devices is essential, over the years, there has been a rapid increase in accessing blogs from smartphones and tablets. So, ensure your blog is responsive for mobile devices.

8. Not engaging with your readers

Talk to your audience, have a community, respond to their comments, ask for feedback, and be available to answer their questions.

Readers are humans. For example, if your lecturer is teaching you and you ask questions, you expect him to reply. The same way you should see your audience. Treat them as humans. When you answer a question today, the person will be back to ask another.

To engage your readers, you can create an avenue for messages to encourage feedback and discussion and host events such as webinars, live chats, or Q&A sessions.

By engaging your readers, you will create a more personal and authentic connection with your audience, leading to increased traffic and engagement and influencing your community-building plan. 

9. Poor Writing Structure and Formatting

One of the most important things to keep in mind is to make your article easy to read. This means breaking up large blocks of text into smaller paragraphs, using headings and subheadings to organize your content, and using bullet points and numbered lists to highlight key points. When your article is easy to read, it will be more likely to hold your reader’s attention, and they will be more likely to come back for more.

Another common mistake is not starting with a clear introduction. Your introduction should grab your reader’s attention and clearly state the purpose and main points of your article. You can use a personal story, a quote, or a bold statement to capture your reader’s interest and make them want to keep reading.

Additionally, provide value to your readers with each article. This means focusing on the needs and interests of your target audience and providing them with helpful tips, insights, or inspiration. Always keep in mind the purpose of your blog and what you hope to achieve with each post.

Poor blog article structure and formatting can turn readers away and cause them to miss the intended message no matter how spirit-filled your article is. By breaking up your text, using headings and bullet points, starting with a clear introduction, providing value to your readers, and proofreading your articles, you can make your content engaging, easy to read, and impactful.

10. Neglecting to Proofread

No matter how spirit-filled your blog post is, nobody reads it if it is jargon.

Typos, grammatical errors, and formatting issues can harm your blog’s credibility and reduce your readers’ trust in your content. Take time to proofread your posts before publishing them.

I recommend you use Grammarly and Quillbot to detect and correct grammatical errors in your article.

When you don’t proofread your post before publishing, spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors can distract readers from the gospel message and may even damage your credibility as a writer and source of information.

Read your article carefully, proofread it, and make it clear and concise. 

11. Not Praying for your Blog

At the beginning of this article, I established that Christian blogging is different from every other type of blogging. Your approach to Christian blogging should be totally different.

As a Christian blogger, your words and ideas have the potential to reach and impact a vast audience. However, you must remember that the power of your writing is not in your own abilities, but in the Holy Spirit’s guidance and inspiration. Therefore, it is crucial to pray for your blog and seek the Lord’s direction in all that we do.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a Christian blogger is not praying for your blog. It can be easy to get caught up in the technical and creative aspects of blogging, such as writing, editing, and promoting content. However, without seeking the Lord’s guidance and blessing, your efforts can fall short of their true potential.

In James 1:5, the Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” This verse reminds me that God is always ready to give you wisdom and direction if we seek Him with a humble heart.

Therefore, as Christian bloggers, we should make prayer a regular part of our blogging routine. you can pray for God’s guidance in choosing topics and writing content that reflects His truth and love. You can pray for the Holy Spirit to use your words to impact the hearts of your readers and draw them closer to Christ.

Additionally, you can pray for protection over your blog and its readers, asking God to guard you against any negative influences or attacks from the enemy. We can also pray for wisdom in promoting our blog and building relationships with our readers and fellow bloggers.

In conclusion, praying for your blog is a crucial component of your Christian blogging journey. It allows you to seek God’s direction and blessing, enabling you to impact your audience in a positive and powerful way. As we seek the Lord’s guidance in all that we do, we can trust that our efforts will bear fruit for His glory.

Conclusion

By avoiding these mistakes, you can improve your chances of success as a Christian blogger in 2023. Remember to create valuable content, engage with your readers, and focus on building a community around your blog.