This is a familiar client/Writing Roads scenario:
Me: If you want to be part of the world online, you must have a blog (for all of these reasons and more)
Client: Okay great…how often will I have to post? Like once a month?
Me: Uh, no. A little more than that.
Client: Twice a month? Just tell me how often should I publish to get the most ROI?
Me: Honestly, as much as possible. But at least 2-3 times per week.
And then they pass out.
The thing is, I’m not just talking out of my arse.
Take this blog, for instance:
- I used to blog Monday – Friday. As a result, after about 9 months of steadily rising stats, I had an Alexa rank of 123,000. (Which is really, really good – Google is #1)
- Last spring, I got insanely busy and I decided it wouldn’t hurt to drop down on my posting. So I went to Monday, Wednesday and Friday posts, 3x/week. My Alexa rank steadily fell to the 300,000 mark. (Not anywhere near as good)
- About 3 weeks ago, I started posting every day, Monday – Friday, again. No less busy – possibly more, but I just wanted to (because I love writing this blog), so I did. And I’ve watched my Alexa rank rise 100,000 spots and my spider (and visitor) stats increase. That’s 100K in about 13 posts. As of this writing, my rank is 199,000 (and rising)
The proof really is, as they say, in the pudding. If you want your blog to do better, (one of the methods that works is to) write, produce and publish more good content that tells the world all that you know about your chosen topic.
The good news, for both of us, is that if you don’t have the time or ability to do all of this blogging, you can hire someone to do it for you. I know, it’s a brilliant solution. You can do what you do best (cut hair, build houses, train chickens, whatever) and I, or some other writer, can do what we do best – produce engaging content. It’s a win/win sitch. No heavy lifting required.
Image credit: The Truth About…
I’ve noticed the direct correlations between posts and traffic also. When I go through periods of being too busy to post, traffic drops really fast. But when I write every day, up it goes. It is a good and heartening reminder that good content is still what its all about.
.-= Charlotte Rains Dixon´s last blog ..Whole Abundance =-.
Couldn’t agree more. In fact, I’m writing some posts for an enlightened client right now.
But when pitching the idea of a blog to company owners the response I often get is, “It’s only writing, I’ll do it myself.”
Obviously the thing to do is, keep track of these people and their efforts. When you see them struggling, give them a ring, but be careful you don’t sound like you’re gloating when you do this or it’ll backfire on you.
.-= Mr Uku´s last blog ..Honest Scrap Awards: The Big Reveal. =-.
I was just looking at Alexa this weekend for my ranking! I was 12,829,290 at that time. At least I was ranked. My latest post has some stuff about it. I am really going to work on more and more consistent postings. Thanks for the post and the info
Justin
.-= Justin Matthews´s last blog ..Books: Audio vs. Print, Showdown in the Library! =-.
I completely agree. I started a new website back in September and immediately the ranking went pretty high because I was posting regularly. Then I started scheduling posts and got so busy, I didn’t realize they weren’t posting. My ranking dropped like a rock as they say. Even posting 3 days a week, I see a huge increase in rank and in traffic.
Thanks for the great post.
I think writing often is only part of the solution. For me it’s been about writing quality, *useful* content that people can actually use and get value from. For me, that’s what attracts links and subscribers and regular visitors.
Thanks for the candid post, I love when people actually analyze things by looking at the stats. Keep it up!
.-= Josh Kohlbach´s last blog ..Creating Linkable Useful Content =-.
Yes! Josh I totally agree which is why I made sure to write both ‘good’ and ‘engaging’ content up above in the post. I didn’t want to be condescending – because I talk about quality a lot…but I did think about hitting everyone over the head with that reminder. Thanks for driving it home in your comment!
When it comes to blogging quality and quantity go hand in hand!