Avoid These Online Mistakes With These Online Branding Success Tips.

Avoid These Online Mistakes. Discover the top 10 mistakes most beginners make when building an online presence—and how to avoid them for faster growth.

🚫 Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Online Presence.

And how to avoid wasting time, energy, and momentum.

Building an online presence in today’s world is like stepping onto a crowded stage — you’ve only got a few seconds to show the audience why they should pay attention.

And if you’re anything like the folks I work with, you’re juggling a lot: blog posts, email lists, social platforms, product ideas — all while wondering, Am I doing any of this right?

Well, here’s some good news: you don’t have to figure it all out the hard way.

Over the years, I’ve seen the same common traps trip people up. Not because they’re lazy or inexperienced — but because no one told them how to avoid these online mistakes.

So today, I’ll do that for you.

Let’s walk through the 10 biggest mistakes I see new (and even experienced) entrepreneurs make when building their online presence — and how you can steer clear of them.

1. ❌ Neglecting Your Brand Identity

A strong brand isn’t just a pretty logo or fancy fonts. It’s the personality your business shows up with online — the tone, the look, and the message that makes people feel something when they land on your page.

If your brand identity is all over the place, people won’t know what you stand for — or worse, they won’t remember you at all.

Your brand is how people recognise you when you're not in the room.

✅ What to do:

  • Define your tone: Are you bold, quirky, calm, or authoritative?
  • Create a mini style guide with your colours, fonts, and messaging pillars.
  • Use the same profile photo, bio, and description across platforms.
  • Let your values shine — consistency builds trust.

2. ❌ Ignoring Website Basics

laptop website

Look, your website doesn’t need to win design awards.
But it does need to be fast, clear, and mobile-friendly.

People make snap judgments — if your site loads slowly or looks outdated, you’ll lose them before they even read the first line.

✅ What to do:

  • Test your site speed with Google PageSpeed or GTmetrix.
  • Keep your homepage clean — one main goal, not twenty.
  • Make sure your mobile layout is easy to navigate.
  • Use white space! Let your content breathe.

And always have a clear next step — a CTA (Call To Action) that tells the visitor exactly what to do next.

3. ❌ Skipping SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Here’s the deal: you can create the most amazing content in the world, but if nobody can find it, it might as well be invisible.

SEO isn’t just about keywords — it’s about making your site easy to find, understand, and trust.

✅ What to do:

  • Use keyword tools like Ubersuggest, Keysearch, or even Google autocomplete.
  • Write blog posts that answer real questions your audience is Googling.
  • Optimise your page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text.
  • Link to your own posts and trusted outside sources.

SEO is a long game — but every little improvement builds momentum.

4. ❌ Inconsistent Content Posting

You don’t have to post daily. You don’t have to be on every platform.

But if you vanish for weeks (or months) at a time, your audience starts to forget you.

Inconsistency doesn’t just kill reach. It erodes trust.

✅ What to do:

  • Pick a frequency you can realistically stick to — even once a week is great.
  • Batch your content creation — record or write multiple pieces in one go.
  • Reuse and repurpose: turn a blog into an email, an email into a Reel, a Reel into a Pinterest pin.

The goal is to stay top of mind — without burning out.

5. ❌ Not Engaging With Your Audience

Engagement isn’t a vanity metric. It’s a trust signal.

If you’re not talking with your audience, you’re just talking at them.

✅ What to do:

  • Ask questions in your content: polls, comment prompts, DMs.
  • Respond to comments and emails — even short replies go a long way.
  • Use email replies to start conversations (“Hit reply and tell me where you’re stuck…”)
  • Celebrate your audience’s wins — make them part of your story.

Remember, people don’t follow brands. They follow people they feel seen by.

6. ❌ Relying on Just One Channel

social media marketing graphic

I’ve seen businesses crumble overnight because they put everything into one platform — and then the algorithm changed, or the account got flagged.

Don’t build your entire online presence on borrowed land.

✅ What to do:

  • Use your social media to drive traffic to your email list and website.
  • Repurpose content to extend your reach — a blog post can become an email series, a podcast, and multiple pins.
  • Diversify slowly — focus on 2–3 key channels and build from there.

Own your audience. Don’t just rent them.

7. ❌ Ignoring the Data

If you’re not looking at your numbers, you’re flying blind.
And in today’s digital world, data is your best feedback loop.

✅ What to do:

  • Use Google Analytics to track what’s getting traffic.
  • Watch your email open and click-through rates.
  • Monitor which posts or pins actually bring in subscribers or sales.

You don’t need spreadsheets and dashboards. Just look at what’s working — and do more of it and avoid these online mistakes.

8. ❌ Under-using Email Marketing

Social media is noisy. SEO is slow. Ads cost money.

Email? It’s your direct line to your warmest leads.

But many people either don’t start a list… or send one awkward email every six months and wonder why nobody clicks.

✅ What to do:

  • Create a helpful freebie that solves a quick problem (like my Recession-Proof guide).
  • Send a welcome sequence that introduces your story and how you help.
  • Email your list consistently — even every 10–14 days builds momentum.

If your list isn’t growing, neither is your business.

9. ❌ Forgetting Social Proof

People are skeptical — and for good reason.
They’ve been burned by empty promises and too-good-to-be-true offers.

That’s why proof sells more than pitches.

✅ What to do:

  • Ask for reviews and testimonials — and don’t be shy about sharing them.
  • Use screenshots of positive feedback or DMs (with permission).
  • Add “before and after” stories to your site and emails.

Let others do the talking — it builds trust faster than anything else.

10. ❌ Resisting Change

resisting change

The online world doesn’t sit still.
What worked in 2020 doesn’t always work now.
And what feels comfortable might be what’s keeping you stuck.

✅ What to do:

  • Stay curious. Set aside time to learn and explore (like you’re doing now).
  • Test small changes — new headlines, opt-ins, or platforms.
  • Let your brand evolve as you evolve.

Growth requires motion — even imperfect motion.

💬 Final Word from Max on How To Avoid These Online Mistakes

Here’s the thing: every creator, coach, and business owner I’ve ever met — including me — has made at least a few of these mistakes.

But what separates those who succeed is this:
They keep going. They keep learning. And they keep showing up.

Your online presence is a living thing. It doesn’t need to be perfect — just consistent, authentic, and yours.

So take what you’ve learned here and make some smart moves.
Tidy up your site. Send the email. Hit publish on the post you’ve been sitting on.

Because your audience is out there — waiting for someone just like you.

Let’s avoid these online mistakes and build it together.

— Max Lockhart


Free Side Hustle Guide by Max Lockhart

If you’re serious about building an online presence that actually earns — especially in uncertain times — you’ll want to grab a copy of my free guide:

The Side Hustle Starter Kit.

You don’t need to have it all figured out to start something amazing.

In this free guide, you’ll discover:

  • How to uncover your most marketable skills—even the ones you’ve overlooked
  • Simple steps to test your idea without quitting your day job
  • How to organise your time so your side hustle fits into your life (not overwhelms it)
  • Real talk about roadblocks—and how to beat them
  • How to tell when you’re ready to grow your hustle into something bigger

This isn’t a get-rich-quick gimmick. It’s your realistic, motivating starting point.

👉 Enter your name and e-mail address in the box below to get it free.


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