So how do you manage a blog? Do you dedicate time everyday to writing about something? Where do you get your content ideas? What if you want to take a day off? or what if your schedule or mentality just doesn't allow for daily writing and posts? Here I am going to give away my secrets. How I do what I do and why I do that way.
First of all, I am not a do something every day at the same time in the same way kind of person. It just doesn't fit with my brain chemistry. Sometimes I get really "inspired" and feel like writing all day long, but posting 27 posts in one day will not help my blog traffic and readability grow. So when I am in writing mode as I am right now, I write away, write as much as I want about as many different topics as I like and I schedule them out, one day at a time. This increases credibility in the search engines for fresh content. It allows me to take advantage of my inspired mood and affords me to opportunity to go back and look at a post one or more times for improvement before I deliver to the world.
If you are using wordpress for your blog, as I suggest you do, then you go to the upper right hand corner block titled Publish and on the last link where it says Publish Immediately edit - click on edit and change the date. When you are done the blue publish button changes to schedule, Click it and there you have fresh new content posting to your blog some time in the future when you are busy writing the next new thing or laying at the beach soaking up some vitamin D.
How do I find content to write about? Well my mentor, Greg Writer, taught me to watch the search trends. What are people searching for? What is the interest of the week? Find something to write about that keyword and you will rise in the rankings. I also have a Google Search Alert for topics, for this blog I use Twitter News as my search term and automatically every morning there is a list of topics that are current and relevant to my blog, I read them and if I have an opinion on one of those topics, I write about it. I also look to my social media network and see what questions pop up often and how I may be able to contribute to a solution. Then of course there is the financial side of things. I read my google analytics report, find out what search terms got the most hits and write another article with the same keywords or look at my adsense and see what article paid me the most in the past and write another one just like it.
When I start writing about something I usually find something through my research that peeks my interest and turns into a full blown article on it's own. Like the Guy Kawaski thing the other day. It appears he is no longer using Twitter, so I have a notepad off to the side of my wordpress window that says - Why No Twitter for Guy - Where did he go - and when I get the urge to actually do the research I will go back and write that article.
I wrote the other day about original content. I am not in any way shape or form suggesting that you steal content. I do suggest that you do some research as to what others are saying about your given topic. Form an opinion and write about it. Cite the authors and link to their sites. This also builds up your credibility in the search engines along with your readers. Back up your opinion with actual facts and other websites like this:
Hmmmm having trouble - i have spent 4 minutes searching for an article to cite and have yet to find one but I did find a great website that I had forgotten about Daily Blog Tips This website is basically a collection of blog posts from other people on the topic of blogging. There are ton of different styles, thoughts, modes, practices and motivations. David Turnbulls 37 Ways to Make Blogging Easier is interesting enough, not that I agree with all of them but it's a pretty good list.
My number one tip, write when you feel like it and write a lot, make sure you have enough content to cover the days you don't feel like it.
