4 Things I Don't Care About As A Blog Writer
I’m not sure if it’s just me being knee deep in the blog content scene or if the world is FINALLY starting to realize the true value of blogs in their business (it’s probably a mix of both), but I’ve been seeing a lottttt more blog talk on my social media feeds lately.
And tbh, I love it! In fact, I kindaaaa had a feeling this was going to happen in 2024 – I even wrote this blog post about 10 Reasons I Believe That 2024 Is Going To Be The Year of the Blog.
So far, that belief is playing out.
But with all of this blog content, you see different advice, trends, and expectations being thrown around and as a business owner it can feel overwhelming when you’re bombarded with endless tips on how to boost your traffic, increase engagement, and create the best blog content that the internet has ever seen.
The truth behind it all is that concepts are few, but methods are many. Meaning, there isn’t just ONE right way to implement blog content in your business and I don't buy into the fact that you have to follow all of these “rules” in order to feel successful with your blogging efforts.
Because of this, I decided it was time to share four things that, as a blog writer, I've learned to disregard in favor of focusing on what truly drives meaningful content creation and connection with my audience.
From the pressure of posting on a rigid schedule to the relentless pursuit of perfection, these are the aspects of blogging that I've consciously chosen to let go of in my journey as a blog writer, both for myself AND for my clients.
So, if you’re wanting to implement blog content in your business, but find it more overwhelming than what it's worth OR you already use blog content in your business, but want to make sure you’re doing it “right,” keep reading for some of my hot takes. 🔥
4 Things I Don’t Care About As A Blog Writer
1. The day that you post.
When people first start blogging in their business, one of the things that trips them up the most are the logistics. What day should I post? What time should I post?
And I get it – as humans, we like to know when exactly something needs to be done! But guess what? I actually don’t care WHEN you post your blog content.
I simply care that you post them at all!
When deciding when to post your blog content, my two main pieces of advice are this:
Choose a day that makes the most sense for YOUR business
For example, I’ve chosen Wednesday’s to be my new blog post days and the reason for this is strategic! My newsletters go out every Friday and I want to be able to link my most recent blog post in each newsletter. So, posting my new blogs beforehand allows me to do just that AND promote on social media accordingly.
Make it consistent
Next, I advise you to publish fresh blog content on the same day every time! This is especially important if you’re promoting your new blog posts to your audience, so that you can establish a routine for them to expect.
Again, for me that’s Wednesdays and overtime, I’ve trained my audience on Instagram to know that it’s coming.
Additionally, consistent posting can also have SEO benefits! Search engines may crawl your site more frequently if they notice new content being published consistently, potentially leading to better indexing and ranking, which is a huge plus.
2. The amount of blogs that you post each month.
In an ideal world, I would advise that you post new blogs weekly, but I can’t expect every single business owner on the planet to have the capacity for that.
Although that’s what I’ve personally chosen for my business, that doesn’t mean it’s the only “right” way to do it.
When it comes to deciding the frequency of your blog posting each month, what I care about more than ANYTHING is the quality of the content you’re putting out.
The good ole quality > quantity rings so true here!
In my professional opinion, it's better to publish fewer high-quality posts that provide value to your audience than to churn out a high volume of mediocre content just for the heck of it.
And guess what? Google (AND your audience) prefers that too! If your content doesn’t meet Google’s helpful content standards, it won’t rank as well as you might hope, which can feel extremely disappointing after all the hard work you put in.
Additionally, if you’re posting just for the sake of posting, your audience will be able to tell. So, instead of obsessing over how many blogs you post each month, focus on creating content that is well-researched, informative, and engaging.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t choose a frequency to aim for, however! In fact, that’s the first step in my tried and true 4 Step Blog Content Planning Process.
Pick a frequency that makes the most sense for you and your business right now and if you feel like you need to adjust later, do it!
3. How many views your blog posts get RIGHT when you post them.
The biggest thing you have to learn when implementing blog content in your business is that it’s not an instant gratification type of thing. Unlike many of the platforms that you’re used to, you can’t expect for your blog posts to be flooded with engagement right away.
Not to mention, engagement for blog content is measured wayyyy differently than that of Instagram posts and TikTok videos. Your blog doesn’t have a double tap feature and the comment section likely won’t receive a lot of attention.
(Side note: you can actually choose to disable the comment section on your blog to avoid spam comments – that’s what I do!)
Your blog post performance will instead be measured by the traffic that it receives and you can examine that through various analytic tools, with Google Analytics being the most popular!
But here’s the kicker: your blog posts probably won’t receive a tonnnn of traffic right away. That doesn’t mean the content isn’t good!
What I care about way more than the views your blogs get right away is how they continue to perform overtime.
My motto is that blogs are a long game, which means they will continue to work for you overtime. In fact, there’s a story that I heard recently that perfectly proves this…
On this podcast episode, James Clear mentioned a time where an old blog post of his was picked up by the New York Times and from there he was invited for an interview on CBS.
The cool part about this is that this happened all before James Clear was the Atomic Habits guy.
An interview invite on one of the largest broadcast networks in the country all because of ONE blog post written months or even years ago?! SIGN. ME. UP.
Speaking of analytics, while I’m no data expert, I have learned what to look for when it comes to analytics in my business and it’s always good to have a pulse on what content is driving the most traffic to your website.
If you’re like me and tend to hide from numbers, I recommend connecting with someone who makes all the numbers a lot less scary – Rebecca Caldwell of Three Groves Marketing is my go-to!
4. How many words your blog post has.
Okay, I’ll admit, this one has a tiny caveat. For your blogs to perform best SEO wise, there is a minimum word count suggestion, but even still you’ll hear different things.
Some sources claim that you MUST be within the 1500 - 2000 word count range, while others claim that as long as you hit 500 words you’re good.
I’m not an SEO expert, but I do have my own thoughts on this as it’s a question that I receive a TON!
First things first, I always remind people that blog content is meant to be longer form, which means that it SHOULD be longer than what you’d typically write for a social media caption or something of the sort.
As for the actual length, however, it will always depend on the topic. Some topics will require more in depth information while other content will be more straightforward.
What I don’t want you to do is add extra fluff just because you have a certain word count in your mind. While I always recommend that people aim for at LEAST 800 words, don’t force it.
If you’re creating high-quality, valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience, then let it be! Overall, Google's algorithm prioritizes content that is informative, authoritative, and trustworthy above everything else.
For me personally, I tend to fall within the 1500-2000 word range, but I don’t stress over it. In fact, I don’t even look at the word count until my content is fully written. And even then, I rarely add more just for the heck of it.
My last piece of advice concerning word count is that if you find yourself going over 2000 words, it may be worth considering doing a Part 1 / Part 2 version of the blog topic or creating a series in order to really maintain your audience’s attention.
The last thing you want is to pour so much energy into a blog post only to lose people along the way. Remember quality > quantity.
For more SEO related education, be sure to check out the queens over at Duo Collective – they’re my go-to’s for all things search engine optimization and have SO many resources around the topic.
And there ya have it – 4 things I don’t care about as a blog writer!
As for the things I do care about? Well, that list is a bit longer.
To be semi brief, I care that:
You create different types of blog content
You actually ENJOY writing your blog content (which is why I’m a big fan of romanticizing your writing environment and even created a writing membership to help you fall in love with writing content in your business again)
You have blog content pillars
You start with blog content FIRST when it comes to your overall marketing strategy
There’s a lot more where all of that came from, which is why each week in Notes From Natty I share a weekly writing tip to help you level up your blog and email content writing.
Subscribe here to get the next entry – they hit your inbox every Friday morning. 💌
New to my world? Nice to virtually meet ya. 👋 I’m Natalie, but everyone calls me Natty (you can too) – blog and email writer for creative business owners and service providers.
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