postfreq.jpgHow often do you write a new article on your blog? Some blogs like John Chow post several times each day, while other blogs may post only once a week. It is important to understand posting frequency and how it plays an important role in building traffic and visitors. There is nothing wrong with not posting everyday, but there are some rules you should follow to help make your blog more successful!

Whatever your posting frequency, stick to it.

It would get really confusing to visit a blog or be subscribed to their RSS feed and not know their posting frequency after a couple weeks. If you are usually on a weekly posting schedule and stop posting for 2 weeks, people will naturally begin to think that your blog is dead. And truthfully, if a blog keeps failing to stick to their usual amount of posting, the overall amount of visitors will begin to decay. RSS subscriber counts will also drop simply due to the fact that your blog hasn’t been updated for awhile. I highly recommend working to stick to a certain posting frequency because it lets your readers know what to expect of your blog and when they should return to check for updates.

A good frequency helps build momentum

I personally try to post one new, fresh, quality article on a daily basis. It does require a bit of work and discipline, but I’ve personally found that posting 1 time per day helps keep my train of thought from the previous day flowing, allows me to generate ideas easier, and keeps me in a productive rhythm. I compare it to going for a long run: though it may be a bit tough to get started, once I get going it is much easier to keep my momentum than to stop for a 5 minute walking break and try to start up running again. An object in motion tends to stay in motion, a blogger in motion tends to keep achieving. You may have noticed that sometimes I post late at night and sometimes I post early in the day, but I always shoot for 1 post per day to keep my blogging “momentum” moving forward.

A consistent posting frequency helps my writing abilities

Each post I make, I find that my writing abilities slightly improve. Keeping a disciplined posting frequency seems to build my writing skills, which in turn makes things easier. If I am out of practice with writing, it is definitely much tougher to get started than if I’ve been writing everyday for 1 year! An integral part of having a good blog is writing good content. It’s way tougher for me to write a new post if I walk away from my blog for 1 month than if I post everyday. If I don’t get around to posting each day, I don’t stress over it, but know that my momentum could be slightly slipping along with my writing abilities. Being good at anything requires practice — including writing! Want to be a great blogger with something interesting to say? Then start consistently working at it.

Try not to sacrifice your quality for quantity

Posting frequency should never be increased if you must sacrifice the quality of your posts. I’d take one, quality 1,000 word article any day over a site with 100 rushed, trashy articles. If you are only able to type up a few rambled sentences and click publish just to meet your personal daily posting requirement, you will probably lose a lot of credibility with your readers and visitors. It is never a good idea to sacrifice quality for quantity in order to make a post everyday. If you are posting 2x a week and you are able to do quality work, then good for you! If you feel that your quality would be compromised by posting everyday, then certainly don’t do it!

What posting frequency is right for you?

You need to be the judge of the optimal posting frequency for your life. Some people blog as a hobby and may post once a month, while others are trying to make a living from blogging and are posting at a minimum of once daily. Whatever you decide on, it is important to commit to that frequency. When you make a commitment to a certain posting frequency, it is much easier to stay organized and disciplined. Taking a break from posting each day isn’t a good strategy for me because I tend to get off track and may lose focus of my goal. It is important to evaluate how busy your schedule is, how often you have time to blog, and how often you want to blog. It all comes down to personal preference. If you like to write long, 1,000 word + articles, you may want to only post twice a week. If you like to write very short articles, you may like to post once a day. Know what works best for you to help keep you focused, yet still balance blogging with life.

What happens if you miss a post or two?

If you currently try to post 2x per week, but something comes up and you miss one of your days, let it slide and don’t get too stressed. It’s definitely not something worth stressin’ over. If you miss a post or two, there’s really no damage done. When you start missing 3, 4, then 5 posts in a row, then there may be a problem. People make mistakes, and no matter how good you plan in advance, things can “come up.” Don’t let it throw off your game or your confidence. Get right back on the grind and shift back to your normal posting routine. I personally don’t recommend posting extra articles on a certain day in order to “cover lost ground.” Just get back into your normal rhythm as soon as possible.

What if you want to change your posting frequency?

If you are going to change your posting frequency, consider making an announcement to your readers. Especially if you will be cutting back on posting, it is important to keep your readers informed so they don’t get the impression that you’ve abandoned your blog! If you are going to increase your posting frequency, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to make an announcement so they know to check your blog more often! By making an announcement and giving them a heads-up, it shows your readers that you value their visits and care about your blog.

If you are currently trying to stay consistent with your frequency, yet are running out of blogging ideas, check out these phenomenal resources:

After you’ve checked those out, be sure to read over: Blogging Productivity: Writing Concentrated Articles and knock out a new article in less than 1 hour!

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