By Wendy McCance
Do you take a day every week, month or a few times a year to make sure you are doing all you can to maximize your blog? I believe a successful blog should be treated like a business. Every so often you should schedule time to regroup and refresh your blog.
Let me give you an inside peek into what I do to stay on top of my blog.
1. I sign out of my blog, then I go to my blog site to see how everything looks from a reader’s perspective. I want to make sure that things pop up correctly, that the page loads quickly and I will leave a comment, to make sure the process is easy.
2. I look my blog over and tweak it. I might add or delete widgets (for example). As time goes on, and my blog evolves, some widgets might not make sense to use anymore.
3. I go to all of my social media sites and make sure my posts are still popping up. I look at my profile and make sure all of my information is up to date. I check out what’s happening on the site to see if anything inspires me to try something new.
4. I do some research and add new social media sites to share my information on. I also delete myself from some sites if the site isn’t relevant to my blog anymore.
5. I read to answer questions, learn new things and get inspired. I will look over what I have bookmarked to see if there is anything new and relevant. If not, I will delete the bookmark because I don’t need it anymore. I try to keep things as clutter free as possible.
6. I look on Twitter for new connections that are relevant to me and add them.
7. I write down new goals, ideas and plans for my blog.
8. I read my followers blogs to get a better idea of what type of people are interested in my blog. I also want to support the people who take the time to read my blog. When I stop by, I try to comment or at least like a post. I always feel bad when I can’t figure out if there is a place where I can do that on a blog.
9. I research freelance opportunities and write some queries.
10. I look locally to find literary groups and blog groups to get involved in.
It feels good to have a few days each month to do a little maintenance. It helps to keep me organized and focused on what I want to achieve. What about you? Do you have days where you do a little maintenance? Do you find it valuable? What are some of the things you do to stay organized and on top of your blog?
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Wendy McCance
To contact Wendy McCance about a writing assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]
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Hi Wendy,
Here’s a prime example of why maintenance is important. I recently became {.net}. I went to update the rss in feedburner and my reader count went from over 200 to 20. I have no clue what happened, but all I could think of was this post. I am now a subscriber to my own blog so this, hopefully, will not happen again.
Karina
I’m so glad you were able to get it fixed. That’s crazy that your reader count went down so significantly. Have a great day.
Friendly and practical advice.
Thanks so much.
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Great information! I am a new blogger and am starting to realize that there is so much more to it than just writing! Thanks for sharing!
Anytime. Glad you found it useful.
Hi Wendy, I’m an avid follower of your blog & find your whole outlook inspiring. Can I ask if your blog is a full time thing? Between home/mother/wife duties of course. I’m juggling things at the moment, but would love more time to work on my own blog so I’d love to know how you manage. Thanks Wendy.
Thanks so much for the lovely comment. As for me, I have 3 kids and work as a real estate agent. My goal is to become a full time writer, but I’m not there yet. As a real estate agent, winters are slower and a great time to take advantage of my writing. Last summer, I was writing an article 3 or 4 times a week because I was so busy with work. Hope that helps.
My blog may not be successful but it is mine and I am happy with it
What’s success anyway? I think being proud and happy about your blog IS success!!
Hi Wendy,
I try to do that also. This month the flu has spread rampant through our household and so inspiration took a back seat. I tried doing maintenance, but inspiration was lacking this month. I think sometimes it’s important to “maintain” ourselves too. That fact came to the forefront this month. Thank you for always having something worth having a conversation about.
Karina
Hi karina, I hope everyone is feeling better. I agree, you have to take care of yourself first or your not going to get things accomplished.
You do such a good job of outlining what is a best practice. I am doing just that now. I have much to do because I have neglected that for longer then I should have… LOL. I am a constant seeker and try to learn from many sources regarding how to improve and push my blog forward to my ultimate goals of being self sustaining.
I tend to go the direction I’m feeling that day. Some days are writing, others researching and others just general maintenance. It’s nice not to have to stick to a rigid schedule. It makes me feel more creative to just go with the flow of my mind.
Thank you Wendy for the helpful hints. I did not think about maintenance on my blog but now that you mentioned it I will start doing it. I was wondering where do you find local blog groups? I would love to meet with other bloggers to discuss. Thank you again keep up the good writing!
Google meetup groups or google the name of your state or county and blog groups. Meetups are all around the country so you should find a group easily. You can also look for local groups on LinkedIn.
The last few days, I must really be on the same wavelength as my reader’s. You are the third person in two days who said they had just had that on their mind. So weird. Suggestions for sites depend on your personal blog and what sites have the same type of content. Some that will work with any blog would be what I have under the sharing buttons below each post.
Thank you for this great post! I post 3 times a week, so on the off days I do what you suggest: I look over my blog to see what needs to be added or deleted. I also spend time reading about blogging so that I can improve my ability to use the techology or to learn what other bloggers find important. I treat blogging like a job that I show up for at least 5 days a week. It’s a good thing that I love my work! I recently signed up to follow you and I’m glad that I did.
Thanks for the follow and the kind words. You sound like me. I treat my blog like a career. I’m kind of obsessed with it. They say to do what you love and the money will follow. Curious to see how that works out.