What Not to Post on a Blog: Avoid These Blogging Mistakes

You’d be surprised at how many bloggers trip up before their blog even gains traction. Forget about fancy intros or sugar-coating: what you put online can stick with you for years. Some mistakes can tank your blog’s reputation or even get you in trouble. Looking at Google’s 2024 crackdown on duplicate content, and a record 140,000 DMCA takedown notices sent to bloggers just last year, it pays to be careful about what you share. So what should stay off your blog?

Personal Information That Risks Your Privacy

Ever googled yourself and found stuff you forgot you even posted? It happens more than you’d think, especially to rookie bloggers. Oversharing personal details can come back to haunt you. Basic contact info like email is usually fine if you want to connect with readers, but your full address, precise travel plans, and sensitive financial details should never make it online. Identity theft is a real thing: according to India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, personal data leaks from blogs jumped 42% in 2023. Scammers scrape blogs for clues—something as simple as posting pics of your front gate, or sharing your birthdate coupled with hometown stories, makes you an easy target.

It’s not just about privacy; it’s about safety for you and your loved ones. Family members who never agreed to your blog shouldn’t have their faces, names, or stories posted without permission. There are stories of kids being bullied at school because of what parents published on a family blog. Also, revealing future vacations or business trips is just asking burglars to mark their calendars. If you run a business blog, never post client data, contracts, or internal company drama—one leaked screenshot and your reputation is gone.

The lines between transparency and oversharing are blurry, but the trick is simple: if it can be used against you, or you’d cringe if your boss or a stranger read it, hit the delete button. Stay clear of sharing bank details unless you use an official payment gateway plugin. Blur or remove identifiable info from screenshots. And if you’re posting about someone else, double-check—they might not want their story online. Keeping it respectful is non-negotiable.

Illegal or Copyrighted Content That Can Get You Sued

Most new bloggers don’t realize how easy it is to trip up on copyright law or get flagged for illegal content. Let’s break it down: you can’t post anyone else’s text, photos, or videos unless you have permission or they’re marked as free for reuse. A popular Indian food blog got hit with a six-figure lawsuit in 2024 just for borrowing four recipe photos from Pinterest without permission. Companies have entire teams (and bots) scraping the web for copyright violators. Google isn’t kind to offenders, either—your blog can get deindexed literally overnight if you build it on stolen content.

Illegal stuff isn’t just about theft. Hate speech, graphic violence, pirated software, or anything that promotes criminal activity has no place online. In April 2025, 2,400 Indian blogs were blacklisted for posting movie torrents alone. Even sharing embedded videos can be risky if you haven't checked the licensing rights. Never copy-paste news articles or Wikipedia content—the original authors can spot it, and so can plagiarism checkers. Some bloggers think paraphrasing is a clever workaround, but advanced AI plagiarism tools can sniff out disguised copying. Tables, infographics, and charts are just as protected as text.

Here’s a handy table to break down common mistakes and safe alternatives:

Stick to your own words. If you use quotes, always credit the source—ideally with a link. And when in doubt, ask. Most authors will give you permission for a backlink or small excerpt. Never roll the dice with vague fair-use claims; DMCA strikes can lead to your entire server being suspended.

Controversial or Harmful Opinions That Alienate Readers

Blogs are supposed to be personal. But being too raw or controversial can tank your brand before it grows. Ever see comment sections explode over a badly phrased opinion? It’s not just about hurt egos—your Google rankings can plummet if enough visitors bounce or hit ‘report’. In 2024, at least 17% of flagged blog posts in India were for hate speech or bullying, based on a Wordfence security report. Even if you’re joking, sarcasm rarely translates well in text and can get you misunderstood fast.

Stirring up debate is fine—everyone loves a real story or honest review. But posting angry rants, shaming others, or dropping divisive political hot takes narrows your audience to only those who agree with you. For example, a once-popular Bollywood gossip blog saw a 90% drop in advertisers after a single offensive post. Job seekers face the same risks; what you write now could cost you gigs later, because recruiters really do check blogs before making offers.

Watch out for these flashpoints:

• Personal attacks on individuals or companies
• Offensive jokes targeting nationality, religion, or gender
• Spreading conspiracy theories, health misinformation, or unverified claims (which can actually get your blog blacklisted by Google’s Medic update)

Keep things real but steer clear of going too far. The golden rule: post what you’d say in front of your grandma—if it’s cringe there, it’s definitely cringe online. Focusing on positive, helpful advice builds more loyal readers. Take feedback—including criticism—in stride and don’t pick fights with commenters. Not everything needs to be a hot take.

Unoriginal, Spammy, or Low-Quality Content

Here’s the hard truth: nobody wants to read a blog stuffed with rehashed ideas, endless ads, or zero value. Google’s Helpful Content System update in March 2025 nuked thousands of blogs from search results because of low-quality, unhelpful writing. If your posts just scrape the top search results and regurgitate the same info, readers will bounce—and search algorithms notice. Did you know that a whopping 82% of Indian bloggers who didn’t see traffic growth last year admitted to not spending more than 20 minutes per post? Lazy writing stands out.

Watch out for keyword stuffing, where you repeat your SEO term too much and the post reads like a robot wrote it. For example, if you cram what not to post on a blog into every paragraph, you might get penalized. The same goes for clickbait. Overhyped titles promising “10 Secrets That Will Change Your Life!” but delivering thin content frustrate readers and raise your bounce rate.

Spammy affiliate links everywhere? You’ll lose trust fast. It’s better to add affiliate recommendations only when they’re truly useful and clearly marked. A 2023 Indian survey by BlogAdda found that blogs disclosing their affiliate partnerships saw 34% better engagement and, guess what, more sales. Also, broken links and outdated info hurt your authority. Take time to fact-check and refresh old posts.

To avoid being boring or annoying, mix up your formats: lists, stories, infographics, tables, and real-life examples. Edit for typos and run posts through readability checkers. Here’s a list of red flags most pros avoid:

• Repeating points or phrases just to fill space
• Publishing automatically-generated AI content with no human touch
• Too many popups, autoplay videos, or distracting widgets
• Forgetting to proofread or check for broken images

Value shines through when you make it personal and useful. Find your angle, your voice, and work in facts—not fluff. The best blogs feel like a one-on-one conversation, not a lecture or a sales pitch. Ask yourself: “Would I share this post with a friend?” If not, rewrite until you would.