Posts
It is November ... NaNo month.
in order to have more time to throw bucketfuls of words onto their computer screens to make that dreaded deadline.
Your number of visitors may tumble. Don't worry.
It's all good.
Sounds illogical doesn't it?
What possible reasons could there be for blogging if no one is reading?
1.) SEARCH ENGINE BENEFITS
This may be the most obvious benefit of blogging.
Search engines give preference to websites that have fresh, relevant content.
Hubspot research shows that updated blogs get 55% more traffic than blogs with old posts —
even if there are no readers!
2.) INFINITE SEARCH ENGINE
Your content keeps working for you month after month!
I research my most often visited posts. Many of them are years old. Some are from last week when I was sure no one was visiting.
People Google all manner of subjects.
Who knows when someone will be looking up something you wrote a post on?
Associated with that thought --
Damyanti Biswas had an intriguing post in her IWSG article:
https://damyantiwrites.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/iwsg-ever-felt-jittery-about-your-blog-writing/
She is considering moving her blog to a domain,
but not all of her followers may be able to be switched along with her move.
We work hard to gain followers. Me, I am on my 6th year. My followers are my friends.
To lose one would hurt.
It is often harder for people to remember to visit if you change addresses ...
Sometimes that one extra step to visit costs you a frequent visitor.
Why take that chance?
A thought:
Several of my friends have switched from blogger to Wordpress, thinking their old posts would always be there on Blogger.
Not so.
Now, their addresses have been given to food and fashion blogs. Two of them in languages I cannot read.
I work hard on each of my posts.
They are my cyber-diary entries.
To think all that effort and creativity would evaporate into nothingness feathers the insides of my chest with icy wings.
Just something to keep in mind.
3.) A VERY COST EFFECTIVE AD!
If you write interesting posts, readers will glance at your sidebar
and perhaps decide to take a chance on one of your books ...
even if you never mention them in the post.
4.) YOUR CONTENT ENGINE
Your investment in a consistent stream of quality content
can be leveraged in many ways to support a content marketing strategy.
I use links from blog posts in some of my comments on other blogs with posts that relate to them.
They may garner visits. They may not.
But links provide the possibility of more visitors, right?
5.) PR
A constant stream of new posts will encourage old readers to drop in after a time to see what new things you are talking about.
Should an old or a new visitor speak of your post on their blog or web site,
you have an opportunity to garner a new audience for your work.
6.) NOT EVERYONE NANO's
You provide new content for those lonely Non-NaNo souls looking for something new to read.
Your blog may be stumbled upon by someone who hears of you from a link or from an email.
7.) YOU MAINTAIN THE HABIT and KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE.
Get out of the habit of steadily writing new posts,
and Life will find a way to fill in that vacuum of time.
You may find yourself without new content for weeks after November --
especially with December Madness following NaNo.
WHAT KEEPS YOU WRITING YOUR BLOG?
One should never delete their old Blogger blog. If they don't no one will take it an use it for spam. They can keep the old content, shutdown comments, and post about the move. Or they can deleted the old content - but not the actual blog. The spammers check for high volume blogs that go up for reclaiming and grab them up.--Yes, I learned this the hard way too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Holly. I have a friend who deleted or shut down their blog and now spammers are having a field day with her poor deserted blog. :-(
DeleteYou made me want to look at my old blogs that this has happened to. I searched around and found this: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/42577?hl=en
DeleteYou can report it. I did just now. Have your friend do this too. It's worth a try. I'll let you know what happens.
I've had several blogger buddy's abandoned blogs get taken over by the strangest things...
ReplyDeleteOne of my most popular posts was the reveal of the Thor poster. Go figure.
What keeps me writing are the friendships. The fact that I have so many followers helps those I feature. And of course, the IWSG will keep me going a long time.
You are an icon, Alex, because you care and it shows. :-)
DeleteLike Alex, I blog for the friendship. People I have not, and may never, meet - who are friends just the same.
ReplyDeleteYes, the friendships with you, Alex, Inger, D G, Teresa, Helena, Hilary, Denise, and others keep me visiting and writing.:-)
DeleteTo keep in touch with those who do read my posts.,, since I don't have a large following. However some of my posts are constantly getting pageviews (one about a legend Siegfried and Brunhildr, and many of my Paris posts and A to Z posts. Those still keep bringing in readers.I gave my blog link to the owner of the company that rents apartments in Paris (where we rented from) and he gave it to his staff so they could send travellers to read the posts. Of course I reviewed his company first. I have lots of material under my tabs at the top to make it easy to find old posts. It means work updating it, but it makes it easier for the reader.
ReplyDeleteThat owner must have loved your posts. And what a novel idea to get people to your blog. And keeping in touch with my friends like you, Inger,VR, and others keeps me in the game :-)
DeleteI would worry about losing my blogger friends toooooo! Plus I like my cyber journals out there, for others to read. You've inspired me to get back in a routine of blogging. Now, if I'll only do it.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have inspired, Teresa. I look forward to your comments and posts on your own blog. Yes, I would hate to lose my cyber entries in my cyber journal as Mark Twain calls i t. :-)
DeleteRoland, I've got to say, I am very impressed with your Blogs. What impresses me the most, is your daily reflections, and how you find the time to write as busy as you can get.
ReplyDeleteYour blogs are a welcome read with my am Java. Your mind, seems to always have very worthy subject matters, and always worth the read. To heck with the LA Times. They have nothing on you Roland-Mon Ami.
Weekends are harder for me as I work solo both days and am on first call, too. Ouch!!
DeleteThanks for the nice words. I try to make my posts interesting for everyone, whether writer or not. :-)
Thanks for sharing really informative!
ReplyDeleteHi Roland - thanks for including me in your friendship listing - the blogging world is amazing once we get our heads around it ... I just morphed into it and those friendships. The learning is wonderful too - about how people are healthwise, and how they hear of people coping with their past lives, and present ones ... then the educative content I enjoy - but importantly all the knowledge bases for authors etc ...
ReplyDeleteCheers and thanks so much for being here - hope the weekend isn't too frantic for you - Hilary
This weekend wasn't too frantic except for driving in blinding rain on Saturday.
DeleteYes, the friendships we make here seem to be pillars often holding us up when times are hard.
Thank you for your constant friendship. :-)