Tuesday, March 16, 2010

How often should you blog?

One of the blog readers asked to share my experience on the topic of how frequently the blog should be updated to reach the best outcomes. Let’s see what the expert’s advices are.

So how do you decide how often to blog? What’s the magic formula? There’s no definitive approach to figuring this out. Instead, take time to ponder the recommendations offered by WebWorkerDaily to help you find what will work for your blog.

  • Review your business goals. Increasing blog readership is a worthy goal, but how does the blog support your business’ goals? If your web site itself is the income generator, then you’ll need frequent fresh content. If the blog is for promoting you as an expert in your field, which in turns supports your consulting business, then you probably don’t need to blog daily.
  • Know your audience. What jobs do your readers have? How much of their time do they have for reading blogs? How active are they on blogs and social media? What industry do your readers come from? Are they reading during the workday or after hours?
  • Identify your contributors. Is your publication a one-person blog or a group blog? Group blogs cut the chances of burnout.
  • Look at the length of your posts. Some people with large followings write 1,000+ word posts; these people tend to publish less often. Readers may better tolerate daily posts when they’re shorter: 200-400 words. Some bloggers mix it up with longer posts on a weekly basis, with shorter posts filling in the other days.
  • Check web site stats. After adjusting your blogging frequency, check to see if the stats have changed. Remember that while a change could be associated just with the frequency or posting, it could also be because the content quality or level of blog promotion changed.
So, Mister S., did you get the answers? Probably, no… Because, the question on the blog publishing frequency has multiple dimensions, and does not have a magic answer. Let’s say, more you write, you have a higher chance to get the wide-spread exposure in a shorter amount of time. Not only do new blog posts give people a reason to return to your blog, but they also help your blog in terms of search engine optimization. Each new post is a new entry point for people to find your blog through search engines. The more entry points, the better the chances are that new readers will find your blog.

However, do you have abilities and time to publish several quality posts on a daily basis? In most cases, frequent publishing is a sign of a splog, not a busy blogger. So, be sure to offer the attractive content as much as you can. But, do not lose a fun of writing and do not get burn out, rushing for publicity. I would say that consistency of the posts is more important than frequency. If your readers are used to your two posts a week, do not disappoint them by long gaps. They might just leave and never come back.

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