I've observed something about Nigerians: whenever an individual tries out a particular business and succeeds at it, everyone quickly jumps on the bandwagon, hoping to make quick money.

The same story runs true for blogging. Since it became well known that the likes of Linda Ikeji are earning huge figures from blogging, there has been a very sharp increase in the number of Nigerian bloggers -- mediocre bloggers who jumpstarted blogging with little or no knowledge of what blogging entails.

But because blogging didn't give them the overnight riches they expected from it, many had abandoned their blogs. Poor guys! They've been told that all they needed to do was set up a simple blog on Blogger.com, publish a few stolen articles, embed ads at strategic points, and sit back to watch their bank accounts soar.

And they've been told that Linda Ikeji achieved success by simply doing it that way. But when they faced the harsh realities of blogging, they hit the roof -- frustrated and disappointed.

In their bid to make quick money from blogging, many of these losing bloggers make several mistakes. And many newbies would still fail woefully because they are also (or will most probably soon start) making the same mistakes.

Whether you're just starting out or you've been into blogging for a while, you must avoid the following mistakes if you really want to succeed as a blogger.

1. Trying to earn profits overnight (desperation)

Because of what they've learned from greedy, desperate folks who only want to sell ebooks or certain services, many newbies go into blogging hoping to start making money within few days to weeks.

A couple of days back, I landed upon a new blog that contained less than 10 articles -- mostly crappy ones. I was amused when I observed that the owner had slapped up Adsense banners everywhere. I needed no other proof that he isn't any passionate about blogging; he only wants to tap from the “cake.” I quickly closed the page because it looked very sickening. (I'll soon tell you what drew my attention to the useless blog in the first place.)

Also, I've seen "advertise here" pages on blogs that were just days to a few weeks old. And I wonder what the owners of such blogs took blogging to mean. Of course, only foolish advertisers would pay to have their offers promoted on a blog that attracts zero or unit visits per day.

Another blunder by Nigerian bloggers, which I've seen times without number, is their adoption of silly (and st*pid) tactics for driving traffic to their blogs. Some would concoct and publish false stories just to catch people's interest. Some would use photo-editing software to design fake pictures and lure people with silly captions. Some would sprinkle links to their blog on online forums, other blogs, and social media pages with massive followership -- derailing from the main topic of discussion most of the time.

What you need to realize

Blogging isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. Growing a blog to the point where it starts to generate a decent income takes time. It takes dedication. It takes hard work. And it takes consistency. Only after you've given all of these (and played by the rules) can you attain success in blogging.

Darren Rowse (Problogger) didn't start making money from his blog until after 3 years. Linda Ikeji blogged consistently for several months before she started earning a living from her blog. So, if you've been told that you can achieve the same goal much faster than these people did without investing time, effort, and even money, then you've been taken for a ride. And you're on a "long thing."

While it's true that your success as a blogger hinges largely on how much traffic you generate, you won't succeed by trying too hard to attract traffic the wrong way. (Who would visit your blog again after discovering that your last blog post was a bloody lie you concocted just to attract attention?)

Building a huge audience of loyal followers requires publishing authentic, unique, and valuable information. And your traffic will increase gradually with time.

If what you're looking for is a business that will start fetching you huge profits within days to weeks, blogging is certainly not what you're looking for. And you'd better not start a blog at all.

Nice one Op

Most naija bloggers r doing it to make quick money *smile* without really wantin 2 add any value, which brings d money in naturally in it's own accord. Nice post Op, nice post.

@Teci & Djdroydakkount, thanks.

What most people see is a smiling successful blogger like Linda Ikeji, but they never get to see the intensive research, hustle and marketing that goes on behind the scene..................That's why only very few bloggers make above $1,000 per month.

Nice one! You hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, Nigeria is a copy cat country no doubt. When this new bloggers discovered they can't cope with the challenges they abandoned their sites.

Blogging is all about passion and knowing what your audience wants!

Everyone now markets ebook.

That is what obtains nowadays. Amateurs lifting whole contents from webpages without acknowledging the source.

yeah you are very right, i am also a blogger and i know how much effort, money and time it took me to keep my blog going, my passion for publishing relevant content to solve problems has held me on.... i can post just one topic a month and i make sure its valuable and helpful. and take note build a list while blogging that is where the money is...i laugh when i see bloggers creating a news gossip blog site and splashing adverts everywhere hoping to make millions overnight.

nairabase: yeah you are very right, i am also a blogger and i know how much effort, money and time it took me to keep my blog going, my passion for publishing relevant content to solve problems has held me on.... i can post just one topic a month and i make sure its valuable and helpful. and take note build a list while blogging that is where the money is...i laugh when i see bloggers creating a news gossip blog site and splashing adverts everywhere hoping to make millions overnight.

Frankly speaking, the entertainment niche is one of the worst options for any newbie hoping to make it big as a Nigerian blogger. Yet everyone and their dog is an "entertainment and celebrity gist blogger."

@webincomeplus thank you very much for your observation and candid advise. I ventured into blogging because I see it as an extension of a forum i've always had. I have passion for supporting entrepreneurs in term of the knowledge angle. Kindly help go through my blog and advise on how I can make good success with it.

I have good intentions. My forum was inspired by nairaland but I hate the valuable time people spend talking and commenting on frivolities and mundane issues.

People should function in a business community that enhances their productivity in life. I am not in a hurry to start reaping from blogging but by God's grace, I will get there.

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Emi na ni gbo gbo e. ...lol

Thanks sir

I blog on export businesses, can you check my site and pass any useful comment: www.exportfromnigeria.info

Thank you.