How Often Should You Blog?

You know you should blog. It brings customers to your website, helps build your brand identity and funnels fresh rankable content to Google.

But, how often should you update a blog?

From my experience working with a variety of companies, ranging from non-profits to mega-brands, there’s no single perfect answer. It all depends on your blogging abilities and what your audience expects to see.

Above all: Only blog when you have something to say or helpful information to share. If you’re in a blogging rut and fill space with fluff because you’ve been told to get words on the page — you’re doing it wrong.

Google will quickly penalize you for low quality content and your readers will see the lull in enthusiasm, and spend their reading time elsewhere.

Do it Right, Or Not at All

Whether you’re blogging for business or pleasure, you must schedule time to do it well. I like to break it down into three separate blocks of time:

Brainstorm topics, angles and keywords. Keep a running list of possible blog post ideas so you’re rarely looking at a blank screen. I keep notes in my purse and on my phone.
Draft the post and find photos or graphics. Just get words and ideas out of your head and into a document. They don’t have to be perfect or pretty.
Polish, publish and promote the post. With fresh eyes, look at your initial draft. Now it’s time to cut, rearrange, clarify, elaborate and shine the post until it sparkles. Then publish, and start you promotion campaign.

Consistency Builds Audiences

After you determine how much time you can spend blogging, and what resources you can devote to the process, do it consistently. Your audience will come to expect your daily morning posts or your Friday afternoon articles. If you publish at random, scattered times, it’s harder for readers to follow along and anticipate your next piece.

I like to stay organized by using Google Calendar to break down the blogging process, both for my clients and for my personal blogging. This system ensures I always have time scheduled into my day to tackle what needs to get done by a specific deadline.

With all that said, most clients I work with post daily, three times a week or once a week. I can’t think of any business that posts less than once per week.

So, how often do you post to your personal or business blog? Let’s chat in the comments below. Use Facebook or the comment form. ~Angela