Posts
It is May ... right after A TO Z month.
in order to recuperate from the daily grind.
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?
We work hard to gain followers. Me, I am on my 10th 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 Social Media's
You provide new content for those lonely Non-Social Media 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 April --
especially with December Madness looming over the horizon.
WHAT KEEPS YOU WRITING YOUR BLOG?
Oh, there have been times I've considered giving it up. Returning visits is easily the hardest part for me (I'm now on the fourth consecutive hour--have no idea how Alex does it).
ReplyDeleteI keep going because it's the best promotional tool I have, it's opened so many doors for me, and I've met some wonderful people through it.
There's probably going to come a time when I simply can't maintain it any longer, but I'll keep plugging along until then.
We use what we have, right? Best to have a blog and arrange it so it does not HAVE us! :-)
DeleteExcellent points! Have you thought about joining the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop? I think posts like this is just what our group needs :-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should utilise my side-bar more...
Ronel visiting on #IWSG day: Help me, please!
A blood run is calling me right now which underscores how little time my life is allowing me for my dream! But I will definitely consider joining your group. ::-)
DeleteI like writing. Blogging is about coming up with a stream of fresh but short bits and quick feedback. Can't get better than that.
ReplyDeleteNot in this short attention span culture! Good seeing you here!
DeleteAll very good points. You don't know what someone will search for that lands them on one of your posts.
ReplyDeletePeople better be visiting today, because my Feedly is overflowing with posts!
You are a Powerhouse, Alex. Like J. H. said: I don't see how you do it!
DeleteThis is my 10th year, too. I don't blog as much as I used to, but would like to again. I still get a lot of hits for past posts I've written.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
I guess that makes us Decadians! :-) My post on Friendship still gets lots of hits though it was written years ago.
DeleteAll great reasons to keep blogging! I have considered moving to WordPress but it seems like too much work. Did you do A to Z? I am so impressed by the effort of bloggers who do so!
ReplyDeleteYes, I did just for the challenge when I thought it beyond me! Go figure. :-) Your help to other writers is an inspiration to me.
DeleteThis is some very useful advice, particularly the book in the sidebar bit.
ReplyDeleteI haven't even started visiting A to Z challenge blogs yet. I participated in waaaay too many challenges in April. It made me extremely testy.
I have rapid cycling type 2 bipolar disorder. When I'm in a hypomanic state, my mindset is "to hell with it if anyone visits ever. This is great stuff here, truly a work of art! Screw 'em if they can't see it!"
When I'm in a euthymic state, my mindset says "if they come, they come. If not, they don't. So it goes. I'm going to create it anyway."
When in a depressive state, the mindset is: "nobody likes me, nobody ever did like me, nobody ever will like me. I'm worthless, I'm scum. I should destroy everything I've ever written and then top myself."
I'm used to the roller coaster, but although I know what to expect, it doesn't stop me from actually feeling those things.
You are a survivor, and I am proud of you for your sticking with the up's and down's. Life is a Poker game, and sooner or later an Ace will come your way.
DeleteBy the way, I hate Wordpress, both as a blogger and a commenter. I tried it for a while and didn't find it to be nearly as user-friendly as Blogger. As a commenter, my comments get eaten by the overly aggressive spam filters a lot of the time. No likey!
ReplyDeleteI tried Wordpress for a bit, and, like you, I was not happy with the result. :-)
DeleteYou have some savvy tips for bloggers.
ReplyDeleteI started my blog to motivate myself to write when it seemed there was no time to write. I've had a lot of fun with it and never intended it to become a top-visited blog.
The best move I've made is joining IWSG - I've made some amazing contacts with all manner of wonderful writers, people, who like you, I consider friends.
I consider you a friend, too, Lee. I once did a daily post serial for awhile which turned into my book, Ghost of a Chance. Hey, it let me hang out with the ghosts of Marlene Dietrich, Mark Twain, and Bogey!
DeleteGreat reasons. Most of them fit me. I do freelance writing on tech in ed and am amazed how many new customers find me through my blog and guest posts on blogs.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you here, Jacqui! Yes, if we keep writing there is no telling what neat things might happen.
DeleteI always say that if it got to the stage where I could only manage/keep ONE social media platform, I'd opt to keep my blog. It's a valuable platform that we don't use effectively.
ReplyDeleteThink of it this way - social media platforms are always changing but your blog is the one place you have the most power.
Yes, we control the images, content, and heart of our blogs. :-)
DeleteVery good points about the power of blogging and highlighting some of the benefits that I had never even thought about.
ReplyDeleteThere have been times where I have taken blogging breaks or slacked off, but I can't imagine quitting blogging completely
BTW spooky cover - looks great!
I'm glad you like my latest cover. :-) I have grown weary in blogging, but if I do not believe in my writing, why should I expect anyone else to, right?
DeleteBlogging was my first 'step' as a writer way back when. I've made SO MANY great friends through blogging. Can't give it up because I'd lose track of them! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was my first step, too. And like you, I do not want to lose track of my cyber-friends. :-)
DeleteI wasn't able to do any blogging for IWSG Day until now, but I did noticed a significant drop in comments. I noticed the same for April and knew it was from A to Z. There weren't as many posting for IWSG Day last month, either, but things will get back to normal next month. :)
ReplyDeleteVisitors will taper off again during November, too. :-(
DeleteI have a serious case of Blog Weariness. I used to post daily! I can't believe I did that; then I dropped to once a week. Now I'm at once a month. You make some excellent points about continuing to blog, and I'm hoping to regain my "enthusiasm" after I take a break in June.
ReplyDeleteI use to post daily, too, but then I realized that my cyber-friends were getting weary at all those posts ... and they took so much out of me to write them!! :-) Enjoy and recharge in June.
DeleteVery encouraging! Thanks for posting this, sometimes I need the reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer. I hoped to help a few fatigued friends out there. :-)
DeleteI've blogged for 14 years now. It's great search engine fodder. And like you said, free advertising.
ReplyDeleteIt's no magic cure-all, but it's free and it works ... sometimes. :-)
DeleteRoland - you have no idea how much I needed to hear this. I may need to post it and read it again. I have struggled to see the worth of my blog this last year. I started a Wordpress site, but didn't keep it up. I need to actually take stuff down from there and get everything back to my blogpress.
ReplyDeleteI think the Search Engine stuff is probably one of the key reasons to keep it going - and my friends via the blogsphere. The encouragement is priceless. (And, thankfully, free.)
Just came in from a late blood run, Tyrean. Sorry for the delay in replying. We all need to hear that there is hope in our struggles to be appreciated whether in our writing or in any part of our lives. Glad you got something positive out of my post. :-)
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