For the first few years after I started writing about Internet and affiliate marketing in 2001, I posted one article and sent out its corresponding newsletter to my email subscribers pretty much faithfully, every Tuesday.
Writing and publishing one article per week was all the time and energy I could devote to this blog, in order to leave time for my affiliate marketing efforts on 101Date.com.
Pushing myself to write more often would have resulted in lower quality content – of which Google does not approve. 🙂
In other words, low quality content results in lost readership which Google notices and then lowers your site's organic search result placement.
Writing weekly worked well for me as my readership / subscriber numbers grew steadily week by week.
Then life got in the way. Family, health and other issues made it impossible for me to write once a week. I've been lucky to be able to generate one worthwhile article per month over the past few years.
The result?
Stagnation.
As defined in by Dictionary.com/, stagnation is:
- the state or condition of stagnating, or having stopped, as by ceasing to run or flow:
- a foulness or staleness, as one emanating from a standing pool of water.
- a failure to develop, progress, or advance:
- the state or quality of being or feeling sluggish and dull:
Foul, failure, sluggish… UGH!
So, in 2015, how often should a blogger post articles to their site to achieve growth and happy pats from Google?
That depends on the blogger, their topic and their audience.
If you are motivated and have the time to write great quality content every day, I'd say do it.
Some bloggers choose to write short posts daily. Check out Seth Godin's blog – he gets tweeted over a thousand times every day for his pithy daily posts.
There is a downside to posting every day, however, especially if you've set up your autoresponder account to send out email notifications each time you post. Your readers will either get bored or overwhelmed with information.
Think about the last time you signed up for those “daily ____ tips”. How long did you keep that subscription? Two weeks, a month – 3 months at the outside? Now think about why you cancelled your subscription and apply that logic to your own content creation and delivery plan.
Daily posting may work well for jokes, quotes, inspirational notes and celebrity news, but it won't wash with the a dog training or fly-fishing site readership, who might need some time to digest the information you share.
If you can write good quality content every day, consider placing it in the WordPress queue for delivery every second day, twice a week or even weekly. You will be well-stocked with content for those times when you take a vacation or just need a break from writing.
So, how often do YOU blog and how's that schedule working out for you? Have you tried different posting frequencies?
As for me, I'm returning to my once-per-week-on-a-Tuesday plan… more often if the situation warrants. 🙂
Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!
Cheers,
Hi Ros,
Always enjoy your posts and this one rings so true. It’s caused me to enter ‘paralysis analysis’ because I have so much to write about – much of it timely, but not nearly the time to do it all. Then the issue/topic passes and instead of being the person out front to tell my readers, they question me if I even know what’s going on with that issue/topic. In fact, it’s pushed me to re-evaluate my business structure and consider hiring independent contractors to do the day-to-day work that bogs me down now.
Because of the complicated nature of my work, I would agree with you and others on this blog that 3-4x a month would be best with an occasional ‘special’ blog for those stories that pop-up.
I look forward to your future posts on this topic.
All the best,
Art
PS – For those of us among the original SuperAffiliate customers are you planning any additions or updates anytime soon?
Hi Art,
Thanks very kindly for taking the time to leave your comment and I’m glad to hear you enjoy my posting / proselytizing. 🙂
You suffer from an affliction common to so many of us – myself included – and I know how difficult it can be to have your mind swirling with ideas and to settle on just one. Sounds like you’ve come up with an effective solution though… so good for you!
As for Super Affiliate Handbook updates… I’m still working on the Kindle version (slowly) and as soon as that is released, there will be a new PDF version available as well.
All the best to you!
Cheers,
Ros
Yep, the key it seems is consistency, so that you set your readers expectations when you will be posting. A few famous bloggers I read recommend an editorial calendar so that it makes it easier to decide what to write.
Hi Ome,
Thanks for sharing and as for the editorial calendar, I’ll be writing about that soon. 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
Very good info. Lucky me I discovered your site by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve bookmarked it for later!
Hi Ros.
Everything that you said are correct. I started a new language blog 4 months ago. I am trying hard to write good quality content now . , but I am doing 3 weeks
I guest since I am a beginner , I will get better a long the way. I am just trying to get everything done rigth.
thank you for the advice . I am still reading your book to know more.
Thank you
Hi Rony,
Have patience. It takes time to turn a blog into a business and yes, you will get better along the way. 🙂 Kudos to you for knowing that!
Cheers,
Ros
I have subscribed to many daily email newsletters over the years, but have only persisted with those that really provided quality content that was valuable to me and my situation.
For most people, producing that type of content on a daily basis is way out of reach. You need a team of writers or the quality suffers.
Looking forward to your guide to content development.
Thanks for all the tips your provide Rosalind, they are appreciated.
Graham Apolony
Big Note Marketing
Hi Graham,
Thanks for sharing! and I’m looking forward to writing about content development as well! 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
Most of the time I post around three new articles monthly. Since Google is concerned with freshness these days, when I rework/update older pages (that have fallen out of favor with the SERPS), I blog those too. OR if I’m promoting a product, those pages might be blogged at some time during the month.
PS LOVE the new layout. It loads way faster than the older one! Thanks Ros!
Hey Carolyn,
Thanks for getting in touch and sharing. Glad to hear the site loads speedier for you too!
I totally hear you about re-working and updating older posts. I plan to chat about that when I talk about content development in the near future.
Cheers,
Ros
Hi Rosalind,
While you are absolutely right about blogging more, if you cannot keep up with the pace and the value suffers, it’s really not worth it. I try to stick to at least once a week and sometimes a special post every now and then.
Have a great new year.
Hi Monna,
You are so right. The most important point is to maintain content quality or you’ll chase your readers away and then there’s no point to blogging at all.
Cheers,
Ros
bonsoir rosalind
je vous remercie pour ces conseils;moi personnellement je ne sais pas quand je dois poster un article c’est pas facile d’ecrire un article,mais une fois ecris je le poste.
je suis bien classé chez google.
amicalement à vous!
Mustapha
Félicitations Mustapha ,
Il est bon d’entendre que vos articles sont trouvées rapidement par Google .
En passant, je utilise Google Translate pour écrire cela, donc , si ça sonne drôle / bizarre, ce est pourquoi .
Des cris de joie ,
Ros
Ros,
You make some good points. Quality is important for readers as well as Google.
Another thought is to ask your audience how often they would like to hear from their blogger – daily, weekly or less frequently. This can be done with a survey form or a simple question.
Letting consumers have a choice is always a great idea.
Regards,
Bosun
Hello Bosun,
You make a very good point about surveying your readers to determine their preferences.
What day do YOU prefer? 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
Happy New Year to you. I would have to agree with many of the points you’ve made on
this post. Thank you.
Thank you and Happy New Year to you as well, Sue!
Cheers,
Ros
Hi Ros,
You may not remember us, but we conversed with you for awhile at the System seminar in Chicago, May of ’05. I have a question…how did you decide to send out notifications on Tuesday, rather than, say, a Saturday or Sunday, when logic says more people would be at home? Other than that, I agree that weekly posting is a good habit most of the time. As you indicated, I have unsubscribed from every daily email blast I have ever tried. I just don’t have time for them.
Thanks!
Hi John,
Almost 10 years, but yes, I do recall having spoken with you! I even remember what you were wearing.. kidding. 🙂
You ask a great question and I’ll write about that this coming week.
Cheers,
Ros