Banking on Your Blogging

Blog posting consistency is one thing all bloggers need to maintain in order to attract and retain traffic. Another variable involved concerning posting is the frequency of which fresh blog entries appear on a site. There is little doubt that in the early stages of blog building the frequency of posting is a major factor in the growth rate of a site. In order to attract any blog traffic you must have posts on your site for readers to view. Obviously in the very early stages you need to build up an ‘inventory’ of content therefore your posting must be more frequent. Once a blog has begun to attract a regular flow of traffic however is posting frequency still a factor?

Here is a discussion comparing the pros and cons between posting schedules concerning their frequencies and how readers and content may be affected.

1 - Frequency/Quantity

Strengths

a) Continuously fresh content is being posted to the blog.

b) The more frequent the blog entries the more frequently search engines will ‘crawl’ your site. This normally results in a higher search engine ranking.

c) The more entries that are posted the more likely the content will be shorter in length and therefore easier and quicker to read.

Weakness

a) It stands to reason that the more frequent the posting the less research and depth the material will contain leading to a decrease in content quality or originality.

b) Posting quite frequently can also lead to a tendency to run short on relevant material. This may create ‘temporary’ circumstances when content is not relative to the theme of the blog.

c) Once again the ‘rush’ to post an entry may result in content that contains information with as much depth as you would expect to find in a comment left on a blog. When your aim is to make money blogging your posts should be more useful to the reader since you expect them to spend money at your site.

2 - Length/Quality

Strengths

a) When posting infrequently blog entries tend to be longer in length and contain more comprehensive quality content. This is especially helpful when your intentions are to make money blogging since readers can see more of an investment of your efforts and contributions. This tends to have a more positive influence on their purchasing decisions.

b) With more time between entries there is generally more insight included in the content due to the time invested in developing it.

c) Posting less frequently to your blog may in fact be more appealing to many readers who have hectic schedules. This gives readers more ‘breathing’ room between their visits allowing them to keep pace with any new updates.

Weakness

a) Many who visit blogs tend to rush through what they read due to eye strain, time schedules, multi-tasking or other reasons. As a result of this readers may lack an appreciation for any additional research or depth a post may offer since they may prefer a ‘lighter’ and quicker read.

b) By posting less there will be fewer visits by search engines which can result in a decrease in blog traffic due to lower search engine rankings.

c) If a post appears longer in length after an initially scanning it, some visitors may opt to skip over it completely. This is not unusual especially on the internet where people tend to ’scan’ content more than they actually read it.

Although a frequent blog posting schedule is needed in the very early stages of its development that may not be the case once the site is established. There appears to be some merit to posting infrequent blog entries as long as content quality remains high. Once your site establishes a regular flow of blog traffic these readers place more importance on quality than quantity. Frequency seems to be of more importance early in the blog building stage to simply attract ‘attention’ but quality tends to better sustain the popularity of the site. In the end it all comes down to what your readers have become accustomed to but one thing does remain consistent, your content must be worth their time.

Blog building is a process that takes time and is not something you can expect to accomplish overnight! When creating a blog your primary intentions need to be based upon your passion for the subject matter. Even when you blog to make money, you will not succeed unless you posses a genuine passion for what you write about. Every successful blog demonstrates this passion through the consistency and quality of their posting efforts. Even though passion plays a significant role in developing a blog, there are other key elements that need to be considered.

Here are 5 blogging tips that you will find useful in developing a loyal following with the people for whom you blog.

Put Purpose First

If you pursue your purpose or passion consistently the results will follow! A common problem many who blog to make money have is that earning an income is their top priority and it shows. Your readers could give a damn whether you make money or not, they simply want a welcoming atmosphere and quality content to read.

By getting caught up in earnings, rankings or the size of your subscription base, you will lose your focus and produce sub-par content. This is the only thing readers are concerned with and once the quality of your material drops off so will your readers, one by one.

Interact with Visitors

Read the comments left on your blog on a regular basis and if they require a response do so accordingly. Also monitor the readers’ conversations and do not be afraid to ‘jump in’ and contribute where you have something of value to add. When creating a blog you want to create an atmosphere where people feel free to comment and/or respond. Your own participation will only help to add to this type of environment.

Useful Posts

One of the most common blogging tips you hear and should pay close attention to is to make sure your posts are useful to your readers. This is what attracts readers and this is what keeps them coming back. Posting information your readers enjoy can be considered the backbone to any successful blog.

Allow Comments

One quick note here is that if for whatever reason you are not allowing comments on your blog than what is the sense of even launching one? Blogs are interactive communities and that is what they base their life and success upon. Always allow comments both good and bad since this stimulates thought and interaction which are VERY valuable components of any successful blog.

Network

Maintaining a blog can be very time consuming but do not allow that to keep you from becoming active within your community. Visiting others sites that have similar interests to yours can lead to new ideas, traffic via back links and the development of allegiances that could prove useful.

Blog building is something that will take time and patience and if you have neither than you will likely find little satisfaction. When creating a blog it is important you identify your intentions whether you blog to make money or for some other purpose or cause. Regardless of whatever your intentions may be however there are certain things you need to accomplish in order to make your blog a success. The 5 blogging tips we reviewed here today will help you to build a community atmosphere which leads to the loyalty you need to establish a popular blog.

If you know how to set up a blog for launch correctly you can generate a lot of momentum in the early stages of your site. It is common for many when creating a blog to inadvertently overlook a few ‘minor’ steps that could slow their progress. The blog building process normally takes a bit of time before progress can be seen. By preparing your site and yourself properly BEFORE launch however you can expect to see progress sooner rather than later.

If you are blogging to make money it is a sure bet that you will be motivated to see progress as soon as possible since money tends to strengthen our motivation. With that said here is a simple 9 step process to use when creating a blog you want to establish as quickly as possible.

Establish Your Niche

The first order of business is to select a market or niche that your blog will focus on. Now you want to be sure that the niche you select has some sort of following. If you are building a money making blog you need to be sure that these people are willing to spend money or else you will be wasting time and effort.

Establish Your Hosting and Domain Name

In the earliest stages of creating a blog you will need to select both a hosting service and a domain name. The name you choose should have one of your main keywords in it which will make it more relevant in terms of search engine rank.

Choose Your Theme

Select a theme for your blog that is appropriate for your niche and your intentions. Generally if you are blogging to make money you will want a more professional looking theme however your target audience also needs to be considered. Selecting a ‘playful’ theme or one with a lot of color may be a better fit for your purposes.

Prepare 20 Posts

To get a quick start and build momentum early on you will want to prepare about 20 HIGH QUALITY posts BEFORE you launch your blog. By doing so you will have plenty of content that you can post to the site to stir up an interest while also giving you time to produce more posts. Continual posting is a large part of the blog building process.

Determine How to Capture Names

If you are blogging to make money you will want to set up some way to capture names of the visitors to your site. You can position an opt-in box on the blog itself or you can channel traffic to a location off your site. This is your choice but if you place a box on the blog make it easy to find but NOT dominating in size.

Establish Twitter Account

If you have a Twitter account great and if not go sign up for one since this is a great way to increase the exposure of your blog. Twitter has an app called twitterfeed that allows you to ‘tweet’ every new entry you post to your blog. With the large membership base Twitter has and the automation of this app you can not beat its effectiveness and ease of use.

Get Comfortable Writing

Oh yeah, while you are busy during the launch of your blog you MUST continue to create content to post to your site. The more content you post the more traffic you will receive therefore if you want to attract lots of readers you will need to give them plenty to read. The blog building process takes time but if you stick with it you will be rewarded especially if you are blogging to make money.

Use Social Networking

Get involved with other social networking sites to helps increase the exposure of your blog. Blogging takes a lot of time if it is done right so choose a few social network sites you are comfortable with and start making some friends and spreading the word.

Build Backlinks

Go out into your niche and visit other blogs that are relevant to yours. Check out the posts and comments and participate in any discussions. When making any ‘meaningful’ contributions to these discussions you will find people notice and ‘follow’ you back to your site. If your comments are beneficial to others, the blog owner will also notice and visit your blog to see what it is all about. If they like what they see they will link to your site creating a backlink that helps boost your search engine ranking.

Knowing how to set up a blog correctly can save you a lot of time after launch in establishing yourself in your chosen niche. The blog building process will take some time no matter what you do but a strong launch can capture you a lot of momentum. This momentum is especially important if you are blogging to make money since who does not want to profit as soon as possible. The 9 steps reviewed here today will help you generate and capture momentum immediately upon launch to establish your blog as quickly as possible. Of course the final destination of your blog will ultimately be influenced by the level of your commitment and efforts after launch and throughout the life of your blog.