Why we must keep on the blogging machine

It’s so easy to lose track of your blogging – in the blink of an eye you can go from being a loving and devoted blogger to leaving your blog starving and neglected. It’s somewhat like going to the gym – it can so easily become inconsistent and therefore pointless.

So why is it so important we keep our words flowing and how often should we do so?

Most of us should be putting ‘pen to paper’’ consistently in order to keep traffic at a certain level. Some bloggers can generate search engine traffic to older posts sufficiently enough to not have to worry about generating new posts. Most bloggers however will not be so lucky, and this majority will need to keep on the running machine in order to shift the pounds. New posts will ensure that subscribers keep coming back for more, that new pages are added to search engine indexes and that social media votes keep on the rise.

In this day and age when you’re running a business, doing the school run, trying to maintain a hobby and walking the dog – I realise its hard to find time to go to the gym/update the blog. We just need to remember that posting consistently doesn’t mean you have to post every day, it just means that new content needs to be published on a regular basis.

Don’t get disheartened – Consistent Traffic Is Almost Impossible

Posting does need to be consistent but unfortunately that doesn’t automatically mean that traffic levels will keep consistent too. Two days in blog world are not the same and your traffic will have good days and bad days. Take the rough with the smooth – enjoying days when the traffic is high and remaining on the blogging machine when times are slower. The fluctuation should cause excitement so don’t quit when the going gets tough.

Balance

Keeping your options open and creating a varied source of traffic sources will cover your back if one source turns out to be particularly inconsistent. For example –  Social media traffic can be quite inconsistent so just because you’ve been getting a lot of traffic from there doesn’t mean you can always bank on receiving it. Search engine and organic traffic ranks are by no means a permanent fixture either so I would advise against relying solely on search engine traffic – spread yourself thin and then you’re covered for all eventualities.

I also think we should remember to  have an ‘every penny counts attitude’ when it comes to thinking about sources of traffic. Not all the sources you invest in will send you hundreds of visitors but every visitor is valuable to you. You might find participating in forums tiring but the few visitors you might gain from this activity can prove to be very valuable – they’ve chatted to you in person and are more likely to be a consistent reader of your blog.

Keep your friends close

A strong network of other bloggers, friends and colleagues will help you out beyond belief. These people can provide you with links to your blog, become your fans on facebook, follow you on twitter and motivate and inspire you with your blogging.

Tags: Facebook, Organic traffic, search engine, Social Media, Twitter

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 3:04 pm and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.