What’s the best schedule for blogging?

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How often do you update your blog? How often SHOULD you post?

Excellent questions! But let me clue you into the real secret to a successful blog:

Regularity.

See, there’s no “right” answer for how often you should update your blog. (I have an opinion I’ll share!) But the real key is to pick a schedule and stick with it as if your business depended on it.

While your whole business probably doesn’t revolve around how often you post, your regularity in posting is a good barometer of your overall business health. When a brand-new visitor comes to your website, where do they go? Most likely, to a blog post!

Blog articles are like food to search engine spiders: lots of yummy content they can serve up to people looking for information. But spiders don’t like old content! They like to see things being refreshed regularly.

And think about your reader: sure they may ENTER your blog on a post dated 5/12/12. But they’re certainly not going to stay there! After reading the info, they’re likely to click to the first page of your blog and start reading. If you have content that is all 60-day old or older, that’s the digital equivalent of a retail store with burned out light bulbs, and cobwebs and dust bunnies on the shelves.

Your website is a gateway to everything you do online. It isn’t the be-all, end-all of your business! I totally get that. And I know a lot of coaches who don’t even sell anything directly from their website – it’s used to gather opt-ins and book strategy sessions. Their website is something they HAVE to have – but it’s not a money-maker in and of itself.

But if you’re going to have that little BLOG link on your website, you need to post regularly. This is how you show the folks who just “drive by” your website that you’re still around.

So how often should you post?

Monthly Blogging
Is really better than nothing. But it’s too easy to let it slip by the wayside. And when somebody comes today and you just posted yesterday, you look great! Fresh content = a vibrant business. But when they visit for the first time 29 days from now… crickets.

Right or wrong, the seriousness of your online business is judged by how often you update your blog!

Should you post the date on your posts? Find out here!

 

Bi-Weekly
I know LOTS of people who post every-other week. And this is great! This is actually what I recommend – it’s often enough there’s regular content and no so often that you overwhelm yourself.

Weekly
This is what I do. Why? Because I know myself well enough to know that I had to COMMIT to a weekly practice or I’d let it slip by the wayside. Some weeks, I really wish it was an every-other situation. But I committed to the weekly schedule and have stuck by it for 14 months.

The advantage here is that content can only EVER be 7 days old. That’s fresh!

Daily
There’s only one time I recommend this: when you have NOTHING else to do and your blog IS your business. I blogged daily for about a year and a half on TheOutdoorPrincess.com. And you can see exactly where I became burned out. Let’s face it, that’s a LOT of content!

The key is regularity. Pick a schedule and stick to it!

I’m not a supporter of picking a TIME of day to post – I’m fine with a day of the week. Because let’s face it, some days are just more hectic than others. I’m completely content if my post goes up sometime (anytime!) on Tuesdays.

I’m also semi-regular on my Friday Writing Quotes. I love this segment to my blog, but I’m not as committed to it as I could be. Does the inconsistency detract from the brand, freshness, and overall presentation of my website? Of course it does!

But my readers and guarantee that if they show up on Wednesday morning, a new article was posted on Tuesday!

Moral of the story: Be consistent. No excuses.

THIS is the key to #blogging! Click To Tweet

Here’s a challenge for you:
Visit the websites of some people you KNOW are in business. If all you saw was their blog, would you think they’re still around or not? Leave me a comment and tell me what you’ve discovered!

 

Kim Galloway
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