Tag Archives: Blogging Tips

With what frequency should you publish your blog

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People often wonder how many times they should post on their blogs in order to create a successful presence. There is no set rule. It depends on what you are actually trying to achieve through your blog. If your blog is new it is better to publish daily and sometimes (again, it depends on what you’re trying to achieve) even multiple times in a day because this may get your blog indexed by various search engines quickly. Once I published on a particular blog 4 blog posts every day and sometimes even 10 and its links started appearing on the first page within two weeks.

Quick publication can be counterproductive too if you write only on a particular topic because your readers may not have enough time to go through so many blog posts on a daily basis unless they’re solving some purpose. In such cases, you are fine with just one blog post every day.

Although publishing everyday may not be very crucial for your website/blog it can help you build your content fast and attain visibility, and consequently, recognition for publishing high-value content on a regular basis. People remember you better when they see or read something from you every day.

If you are simply gathering content under your website/blog you can post on alternative days or with whatever frequency that suits you (or your budget if you’re getting your blog posts written by a content writer). Some of my clients go with just one blog post every week and recently I started writing for a client who wants one blog post every second week.

Benefits of publishing regularly

There are many benefits of publishing blog posts regularly:

You build keyword-rich content faster

The more you write the more keywords and key phrases you cover with your content. As you keep on adding new blog posts to your blog the search engines gather and organize your links and then rank them according to their keyword relevance. Blogging everyday is the fastest way of getting good search engine rankings.

Better social media and networking exposure

Social media and networking is about rampant activity. Something is always going on and everybody is vying for attention, whether organizations or individuals. Hence it is very easy to forget names and brands. If you post every day it gives new fodder to your followers and friends. You encourage them to reach out to you and share their opinion. You constantly engage them and give them a reason to visit your blog daily.

It establishes you as an expert and an authority

I don’t mean to say that if you publish everyday and even if you’re publishing trash you become an authority in your field — no it doesn’t work this way. But it helps if you’re content is of high-value and frequent. Visit Seth Godin’s blog and you will notice that he gives remarkable advise without missing even a single day. Although I haven’t personally checked it people say that he posts even on Christmas. He is known for his great advice and he is also known in the blogging world for not missing even a single day of posting. Besides, sharing knowledge makes you more knowledgeable too as each time you publish something related to your profession you need to study and come up with valuable, usable information.

Aside from these benefits, again, it depends on what you are trying to gain through your blog. More than frequency what matters is quality. Even if you publish one blog post every month make sure that it is high-quality because eventually that is what gets you recognition from people as well as search engines.

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Creating blog posts that really make an impact

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Yesterday I talked about why your business needs a blog, so today, let’s briefly talk about creating blog posts that produce real results. Now what do we mean by “real results”. For that you gotta figure out why you blog.

Are you simply blogging to improve your search engine rankings? Although there is nothing wrong in that, if you are blogging simply for SEO, you are missing the whole point of blogging. Blogging is a branding tool, it’s a communication means, SEO happens – a good thing though – as a byproduct. If you publish blog posts that can really help your visitors (they should return enriched) then you are automatically improving your search engine rankings.

Enough with the SEO gripe; if you want to create effective and impactful blog posts, there are two ways of achieving that:

  • Following the herd
  • Evolving your own, distinct style

Both these methods work. For instance, these days lots of blog posts are created in a list style, something like

  • 5 sure shot ways of harassing your neighbors
  • 10 social skills you shouldn’t try in public
  • 55 jQuery plugins to totally destroy your website
  • 7 psychopathic tendencies that make your baby adorable

…you get the drift.

These lists abound on the Internet, and they’re really great in terms of collating great information and presenting it without having to write well. I mean, you don’t need to stretch your writing skills much if you’re creating monosyllabic bullets.

Evolving your own style is difficult, but it’s a better way of embarking upon your blogventure. It gives you your own voice and renders you a unique personality.

Other than these, there are standard ways that help you create impactful blog posts:

Give enough time to a new idea

Stop having blog-post-publishing dreams as soon as you hit upon your great 21st century idea. Jot down the notes and prepare a draft. I don’t mean you should take hours preparing posts that can be prepared in 20 minutes, but if there is an idea that warrants some prolonged thinking, give it some time, even a few days. Remember that it’s not important how many posts you publish, but what’s the quality of those posts.

Create titles that draw attention

By reading your title your prospective reader should be able to make out precisely what you offer in your latest blog post. Learn from the “screaming” newspaper headlines. They are created so that you immediately grab the copy and start reading the news.

Your readers may come across your blog post title anywhere: on your blog, on a search engine result page, on another website or blog, or on a social media bookmarking or networking website. A dull, uninspiring headline is never going to make them click the link. But don’t mislead your readers; if your title offers chocolates, don’t give sugarcanes in the actual post.

Stick to a single topic

Handling a single subject has many benefits:

  • It paves way for multiple blog posts
  • One concept is easier to understand and remember
  • It’s less confusing
  • It’s more focused
  • You can keep coming back to it to add more value
  • It’s easier for your readers to save or bookmark your link under appropriate categories and tags

Offer a workable solution

Avoid offering probabilities, as anybody can do that. Offer solid solutions in your blog posts. When a reader leaves your blog, he or she should feel that, yes, the world is a bit better after reading your blog post. Providing solid solutions also encourages people to

  • Bookmark your link
  • Promote it on social media and networking websites
  • Link to your blog post from their website, blogs and newsletters

Ask for opinion

Blowing your own horn after a while tends to get boring. There needs to be some involvement and engagement. Make your readers an active part of the thought process. Ask for opinion. Nudge them for a feedback. Question them, probe them, you can even incite them. Your every blog post should try to trigger a reaction.

OK, I have got only this much time for today’s post. Got some ideas for creating great blog posts? Share them in the comment section and I’ll include them here with a link back to your website or blog.

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