How To Grow And Maintain Your Site With These 9 Blogging Tasks

/ Stuart Danker

A group of people doing gardening outside flowers

Maintaining a blog means different things to different people, and ever since I started taking things seriously (circa May 2020), I’ve realised that there are a certain number of blogging tasks required to put forth a respectable front.

Sure, when I launched the site in 2014, all I ever wanted was to share my inane ramblings. Sometimes I posted once a week, sometimes once a month. I was as casual as casual got.

But like any beginning blogger, I also wanted a readership. However, it would take another six years before I actually put any effort into this blogging thing.

And while I’m nowhere near my aspirations of being the next Mark Manson, I’ve still managed to grow my engagement from something cosy to the all-time high I have today thanks to your support.

Part of the reason why is because I’ve started experimenting with the blogging tips available all over the internet, and today, I’ll be sharing what those blogging tasks are, in hopes that you can take what’s useful and apply it to your own site.

So let’s get into it, shall we?

First, what are blogging tasks?

If you’re a blogger, you probably already have a list of your own. Log in, draft a story, check for comments, log back out. Mine have grown little by little over the past year, and I’m looking to add more to my plate as I get used to the workload.

For the sake of clarity, let’s just say that blogging tasks are things that contribute to your blog either through your direct efforts, or through the indirect investment of your time (such as SEO).

You should also know that it’s not enough to just write anymore. Blogging is still relevant in 2021, but with the caveat of needing more channels and media to round up the experience.

So it’s no longer sufficient to rely solely on your website. Social media is now important. So too are videos and audio. Mailing lists, infographics, backlinks—the list never ends.

The good news is, each of these channels have a shallow learning curve. The only thing that could stop you from growing your own blog is the amount of elbow grease you’re willing to put in. And nothing can take more effort than the first task in this list.

1. Work the crowd

I can safely say that I spend more time writing comments than I do writing my actual blog posts. But it’s the single most effective thing that’s helped me grow this blog for free. Also, it’s helped me make so many new friends too.

That’s why I’ve never missed a day of commenting on WordPress. My typical flow goes like this:

Reply comments: Not only do I reply comments on my post, but I actually take the time to browse their blogs to see if there's any way I can reciprocate. They've already taken the time to comment, so the very least I could do is check out their work as well.

Browse my feed: Next it's off to the Reader, where I check out the blogs I follow. Most of these bloggers tend to be regulars, so I'm sure to come across a good post or two every single day.

Browse new content: Finally, I move on to strangers' posts, usually by browsing tags relevant to my niche. I read and comment on at least 20 posts a day, and I try to leave as valuable a comment as I can, even if it's just three sentences. It's the reading that takes up most time here, as I abhor leaving two-worded comments or emojis.

Ever since I started my networking journey on WordPress, I’ve never missed a day. Not when I was in the hospital after tearing my abdominal wall, nor when I had a 15-hour shift at work. And I’m pretty proud of that.

Frequency: Daily

Crowd at a rock show being showered in confetti

If there were confetti in the comments section, I’d be showering you all with it. Photo: Elena de Soto

2. Work your idea muscles

These aren’t necessarily blog-post ideas, though they do intersect from time to time. I got this idea from James Altucher, who recommends coming up with 10 ideas a day, just to work the mental muscles.

So I come up with a bunch of things that may or may not work.

Maybe I can host a book giveaway even though delivery fees to the US (where most of my readers are from) cost five times the price of the book. Or maybe I could host a critique circle through email. What about Zoom interviews with the regulars on WordPress?

Technically, this isn’t a task task, but it’s still related to maintenance and growth, and so any time spent here is considered a blogging task.

Frequency: Daily

3. Look stuff up

Once I have a bunch of ideas to work on, I start the research phase, which may or may not take loads of time.

Sometimes, said ‘research’ involves recalling my own experiences. Other times, I actually have to trawl the web or read specific books to get what I need.

There’s no real method to this, but I can sometimes fall down the rabbit hole and spend too much time on irrelevant pursuits.

Frequency: Daily

4. ‘Sketch’ articles

For every post that goes live, I have five more drafts that never see the light of day. Most of those drafts are what I call sketches. Pieces that I play around with just to get a feel of a story.

I try different angles, flows, introductions, endings, all without the intent of actually writing. And if any particular draft stands out, I go ahead and start writing the story for real.

I do this with pen and paper too. Try it. No-commitment writing is fun. This is separate from my other daily writing projects.

Frequency: Every few days

A man in sweater sketching a caricature - Maintane

You can sketch with words before you actually start drawing. Photo: Irene Strong

5. Whip stories into shape

All the drafting in the world isn’t going to help unless I actually put out real work, so this is where I edit my posts into something presentable.

It’s not the writing that gets me here, but the damned images. Who knew that searching, resizing, and uploading images into your article could be such a time sink?

And my problem with WordPress stems from the weird captions in the Block Editor, so I have the added step of using the Classic block every time I want to upload a photo.

All peripheral editing comes in here as well (slugs, tags, alt texts). Throw in the formatting and titles and you have a surprisingly long time spent on the nitty-gritty.

Frequency: Weekly (as per my posting schedule)

6. Set deadlines and schedule posts

I’m in the tough love camp when it comes to my writing. That’s because I had my own share of taking it easy on my blog. I know how that feels, and I don’t like functioning that way. So now I make sure that I put out a post every Tuesday, no exceptions.

In fact, the Schedule option is a pretty decent motivator.

What I do is schedule my first draft—uncapitalised sentences and all—the moment I start drafting. That leaves me with the choice of editing my post to completion, or letting it go live in that state.

I never double back once I click the button.

Sure, I can regret that choice sometimes, especially when work starts piling on the hours. But you know what I’ve gotten out of that? An unbroken posting schedule for more than a year now.

That’s how I’ve learned that deadlines work, self-imposed or not. Speaking of which, I’ll probably schedule this post now, even when I haven’t written the half of it.

Frequency: Weekly

7. Upgrade your knowledge

There’s always something new to learn about when it comes to blogging. Heck, there’s always something new to learn in writing on its own. I don’t think I’ll be able to learn everything, but I can at least be better than I was yesterday.

So here’s where I browse for any new books or courses on blogging and digital marketing. Even if I’m not actively learning, I’m browsing sites like Udemy to see if there are any topics I could be missing out on.

This is a great practice for me to determine what’s what in my chosen niche, which also means that I can provide valuable content to my readers in return.

Because there’s only so much ‘facts’ I can pull out of my ass. That’s why I also reach into other people’s asses.

Frequency: Daily

Man in sweater and jeans looking at a

There’s no end to learning, no matter what niche you’re in. Photo: Matthew Feeney

8. Improve your old posts

Funny how I mention learning, because I just came across this interesting tip that I’m now passing over to you: Update your old content.

Not copy-paste the entire article and republish it, no. But has the information changed since you last posted it? Is there anything you can do to improve SEO? A title change perhaps? Or an answer to a common question from your comments?

Turns out, being a blogger isn’t just about hit-and-run posting. You also need to take responsibility of your entire archive, for both your readers’ comfort and for better platform optimisation.

Frequency: This is new to me, so uh… weekly?

9. Connect with the outside world

And by outside, I mean beyond WordPress.

Social media is an important part of blogging now, and being able to connect a face to your words gives your readers that added personal touch that’s needed in this oversaturated world of algorithm-based writing and visuals.

This is my weakness, and I’m working to build traction on Facebook and Instagram. Perhaps I’ll look into YouTube and Pinterest too, but those are entirely different cans of worms on their own.

Ditto advertising and marketing.

Frequency: Not as much as I hope to. Will ramp this up soon.

It’s a job

There are many other tasks you can employ in your blogging arsenal, such as newsletters, but these are the main blogging tasks that I do in my day-to-day.

Perhaps when my email campaigns run in full swing, then I’ll return to update this post. In the meantime, feel free to share what you do on the daily to maintain and grow your blog. I’m very curious to know.

Plus, now you know that I’ll definitely reply you the next time I log in.

If there was a #10, it’d be email newsletters, so here’s the button to join the community. Get exclusive content or interact with me by clicking on the button below!

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173 thoughts on “How To Grow And Maintain Your Site With These 9 Blogging Tasks”

  1. Really good idea with scheduling a post as soon as you start drafting it. I just learned about the importance of a consistent posting schedule, and this scheduling idea will force me to stick with it. Really enjoy your posts.

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    • Oh yeah. And I have to say that what’s more effective for me is the fear of pain rather than the pursuit of achievement. That’s why the scheduling trick works for me. Hope it does for you too. And I’m so grateful for your lovely words, Suzanne!

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  3. This is a great post, love this kind of blogger-to-blogger post since I’m still a newbie. Do you find it hard to come up with topics to write about after writing for a long time? I can’t imagine what I’ll be writing about a year from now. Thanks for the post!
    Roze

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    • On the contrary, I’ve found that the more I write, the better I get at generating ideas. Or maybe that’s just placebo and I’m about to hit a rut soon. It’s been what, eight years since my first post? And I still have more ideas in the pipeline. So don’t worry about that. Thanks again for stopping by!

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  4. I actually gasped when I read you schedule your first draft of a post haha. That would certainly be a motivator to get back to the post and edit it!

    I find it interesting that you don’t list Twitter in your list for social media. Do you find you have more success with the other options?

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    • Actually, any platform works as long as you spend the time cultivating your account. Twitter doesn’t really work for me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t for you. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, and yes, scheduling posts is a very good motivator to complete your work! :P

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  5. Funny how I’m reading this today when I started my blog yesterday… Thank you Stuart😊 this certainly feels like I got cheat answers to a test I haven’t even taken lol

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    • Lol, these are terrible cheat answers compared to what you’d get from your own practice though. Wishing you all the best on your journey, and I look forward to seeing you thrive on WordPress!

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  8. Pingback: How I Plan to Read More – itsveronicaguys

  9. Pingback: Here Are Some (Not So) Secret Tips To Coming Up With More Writing Ideas | Your Friendly Malaysian Writer

  10. Oh, how I can connect to the part about reaching outside of WordPress world and asking for assistance from social media. I totally don’t dig into social media; I’ve always told my friends and family in response to questions related to ‘fb id’, ‘friend request’, ‘insta’: “Nope, social media is not for me.” Now, when I decided to ‘seriously’ develop my blog, I found out how I’m almost lacking a limb while moving through the blogging world because of zero social networking. It’s really hard to build your social net-footprint from scratch so late into the game, you know. But I’m working for it (sigh) I’m glad I stumbled into your blog before anything else when I decided to learn, by the way. It has been both help and assurance for me.

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    • Gah, I used to be a mentor for digital skills, and I STILL have very little traction on social media. It’s actually work, and it’s the time needed that stops most people from their growth, myself included.

      Wishing you all the best with this quest, as I’m going to focus on other aspects of my online presence, and do keep us updated on how you do it from time to time. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  11. Hey, great content and thought process. Could you help me figure out on how one should start out their blogging career. I’m new on this platform and unaware of the technicalities. I just wrote 1-2 blogs but have not got any views on it lol. Am I doing something wrong here ?

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    • Yup, the main thing you’re doing wrong is expecting views, lol. Of course, any ‘advice’ I have is based on what I actually did, so I can only say that you should only focus on putting out quality content (according to you), consistently. Everything else is beyond your control. Wishing you all the best with your journey!

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  14. I am SO grateful for your comment, because I’m so grateful to have found your blog! Your writing is so brilliant and very human and you actually make it feel like it’s possible for me to grow my blog! So thank you :)

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    • Aww thanks Angie! I definitely try to make it very human, especially after writing almost an entire post with AI and realising that the days of the machine are coming, lol.

      And I here am super grateful for your comment as well, because it’s made my day. Thanks for your time!

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  15. Great post! I’m new to blogging and I didn’t realise how much blogging also relies on interacting with different blogs on the platform or what level of maintenance it requires. I’ll try and use your tips to build a routine and see how it works ☺️ Thank you!

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    • Oh definitely. Blogging really requires much more time than we actually set aside. By the way, I’d love to check out your blog, but it seems the link on your profile (justchasingsummer.wordpress.com) isn’t up. Just a heads up in case you want to update the link. Wishing you all the best with your blogging journey!

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  16. Heyyyyy!
    Thank you Stuart for this piece of information as I’m new here I will definitely apply this for my site… actually I found it little complicated at first day but now after 5 days I feel great to be here

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  17. Hi Stuart Another good post, great pointers. Thanks ! I can totally relate to points no. 5 and 7. As we ring in the new year, just want to say Happy 2022 and Happy writing !!

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    • Heya Lifan! I can totally see you doing points 5 and 7, because you ARE already learning with each post you write, with all the interesting books you’re reading. Plus, your summaries of them are pretty detailed too. Anyway, happy 2022 to you as well, and may you crush all your goals for the year!

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  19. Hmm… Blogging is something that you have to be invested in to achieve something good. It requires you to put in time and effort, make researches, think deep and not being lazy. This advice is really good. Thank you 🤗

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  20. Hi Stuart,
    I just discovered your blog and I’m glad I did. I have some trouble sticking to a routine when it comes to my blog. So I’ll try using your tips. I think writing down several ideas everyday and preparing drafts in my spare time will keep me motivated. Thank you for writing this.
    Happy holidays!

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    • Whatever we need to keep us motivated is exactly what we need, and I’m glad you came up with something that may help with that.

      It’s always a battle of motivation, isn’t it? Here’s to wishing you find your groove and up your blog output! Also, thanks so much for stopping by!

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  22. Awesome post! I feel like my blogging journey has taken a similar path to you. Though I still haven’t stopped casually dating WP just yet! Trying. Seeing your post, gave me an extra oomph. I want to start with 8, but worried that’s my procrastination talking. Really great tips and the comments are super useful too. Thank you :)

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    • Lol yeah I think number 8 should be done later on, when you’ve addressed all the low-hanging fruit. I myself have set it on a low priority, because research and writing the actual articles do take up so much time.

      Thanks for sharing your journey here, and here’s to seriously dating WP in the coming year!

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    • Yeah, the real problem with #3 comes when you start ‘hoarding’ information for no real purpose, lol. That’s a very real danger for me, and sometimes ends up becoming a waste of my time. But that’s how I better myself. By finding all my problems, one small step at a time, lol. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  24. Having just started and being totally new to this world I’m in complete awe at the amount of work and design that goes into trying to capture people’s attention I really admire that and for someone who just wants a place to put their story up it definitely could be useful information for the future so thank you!

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    • Well hello, neighbour from across the Causeway! Yeah, it always starts out as ‘I just want to put up my stories’, but you’ll always find something to tweak or improve in. Sooner or later, you’ll find what works for you, and this list is just my personal way of doing things. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find an even better way of going around it. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

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  26. Here in American we have these short, pesky 24-hour days. A lot of those hours are taken up with fulltime work, commuting, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, playing with the bunny, exercising, hobbies, and other seasonal chores (shoveling in winter, gardening in summer). I manage to get two blogs and two podcasts out (on average) each month. Methinks in Malaysia you must have 86-hour days. ;) These are all great suggestions and I do read and comment on others’ posts when I can, but I can’t do much more without quitting my job, losing my livelihood, and falling into poverty and homelessness. I don’t doubt that adding in other social media is a big must, especially for those of you who are published authors. I have always marveled at (and appreciated) your thoughtful comments on my own blog. You are the poster child for what a bloggers should be, and you should be proud of that.

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    • You have a stacked life, to be honest. Putting out podcasts is no small feat. I can’t imagine having to deal with the different seasons on top of that. At least here it’s the same all year round. Easy to get into a routine. But cleaning though. There’s always something new to clean, no matter how much you do beforehand.

      And lol about our days. Actually yes, our sun rises and sets much later in general (7am and 7pm, we’re in a weird time zone) so maybe that has something to do with it :P

      Can’t say I’ve been called a poster boy for anything before, and you know what? I’ll gladly take that. Thanks so much for this wonderful comment!

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      • I’m over in England at the moment and holy cow do the days feel short here! Feels like sunup is 8am and it starts to feel like dusk at 2pm! I’m sure the persistent gray cloud cover doesn’t help. :)

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  27. I’m happy you share these lists because I don’t know anyone else who writes about writing (and blogging). And it is so, so helpful. I want to be better about #1. Sometimes the commenting process takes longer than writing, which I don’t mind because I love it, but I often don’t budget enough time!

    Also #6, I started scheduling a post every week and it was the BEST thing for me. Both to have a self-imposed deadline for when I’m lazy, and to pump the brakes when I feel like dumping a bunch of content at once.

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    • Lol, the scheduler has many purposes, but I’m not sure if ‘making sure I post on time’ was its intended use. But hey, if it works, it works, eh?

      Yup, commenting is a time investment indeed, and like being healthy, it’s not something you can just hack your way out of. But it’s so awesome to actually connect with people on here, instead of treating WordPress like just another social media platform.

      Thanks so much for your wonderful comment, Lizi! I really appreciate it!

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    • Thanks so much for your kind words! My knowledge doesn’t mean much in the blogosphere in general, but I’m so stoked you would say that. I myself am grateful that you took the time to come here, so thanks once more!

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    • Lol oh yeah, being social really is the bane of most writers and bloggers. You definitely don’t need to take my advice though, but I am humbled that you said you would. Here’s to being more social together!

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  35. Great tips! Hoping to apply these soon. I really want to make my blog a priority going forward. I feel like it’s a lot like exercising where “you never regret a workout” is a common saying. I never regret writing and putting it out into the world makes it feel that much better. Thanks for this post

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    • Oh yeah, that’s a great way of looking at things. You never regret putting effort in writing indeed, no matter how crappy or good you think the end result is. What a wonderful point to bring up. Thanks for this!

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    • It sure doesn’t look like you’re a new blogger, judging from the quality posts on your site!

      Setting deadlines really does help us creatives, because like you said, it’s so easy to just sit on an idea and ‘wait for perfection’. But being forced to publish no matter what allows us to let go of the little things that don’t really matter in the big picture.

      Perhaps my biggest motivator is the realisation that I chose to be a writer, and if I’m not taking the steps every day to realise my writing goals, then what am I doing with my life?

      Thanks so much for stopping by and for dropping this wonderful comment!

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    • Lol, but your blog looks so well-kept, I’d be surprised if you said you didn’t spend a huge chunk of time maintaining it. By the way, it’s been awesome replying to all your lovely comments. I really appreciate you taking your time to go through these posts!

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      • Thanks for checking my blog out! It’s funny, I loved yours and your Writing so much that I’m actually honored that you stopped by mine 😁
        I have manic episodes of wanting to take care of it, then I go on a hiatus until I remember to come back 😅

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  38. I created a domain yesterday and just getting started. I thought I might share with you that I searched SEO in relevance and this blog post came up. I read the whole thing top to bottom, minus all your comments. I found your content helpful and funny :-)

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    • What a lovely comment to read today! Thanks for letting me know how you found me, because that really does help in my future tagging process.

      I’m so excited for you for having a new blog in the works! Will be sure to check it out once it’s launched. All the best, and thanks once more!

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    • And your comment resonated well with me too :)

      Rhythm is a very personal thing, and it’s hard to just ‘find’ it, but I’ve found that what works for me is to simply publish regularly, and that act alone helps me get everything else in place.

      Thanks once again for stopping by!

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    • Lol at this rate I sometimes just use a ‘quicker’ app like Pages. My computer is slow, and sometimes the entire thing on Chrome can lag, which is why I prefer offline writing. There’s no escaping the lag once it comes to editing though. Anyway, thanks for stopping by, Danny!

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  44. This comment is a vibrant example I have found #1 really helpful. I usually like and live a two- or three-word comment on an article here and there. I understand I should leave more thoughtful comments and do this more regularly. At least 20 comments per day is still daunting for me—for now. I will definitely start with a more manageable number. Thank you for sharing this!

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    • Oh yeah, interestingly enough, networking on WordPress has brought me so much more engagement than if I were to do the same on Twitter. Maybe my social media game isn’t strong enough, what with the memes and stuff. This comment is plenty thoughtful, and I really appreciate you taking the time to do so, Bachir!

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  47. I’ve been bloggong off and on now for years. It hasn’t been until recently that I’ve made an honest effort to get a post out at least weekly; sometimes two a week depending on what has gone on.

    Your posts make me laugh because I see myself in them. No pussy-footing around the language, and I like that.

    Blogging does take commitment, hard work, and the occasional f-bomb (okay, maybe several), but once a person gets into a routine it’s much easier. I haven’t scheduled any of mine yet, but I do foresee that being something I start in the not-too-distant future.

    Thank you for the advice, laughs, and eh’s. Makes me think there’s some Canadian in there. ;D

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    • Haha, wow, having some Canadian in me sounds pretty awesome, especially seeing how far I live from that part of the world.

      And your comment is pretty damned amazing. You have your typical comments, and then you have well-thought-out ones like yours, which are always a treat to read.

      I appreciate you for your kind words, Diane! And do note that you’ve made a writer from across the world feel very happy today :)

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      • I see I couldn’t spell the other day. Oops!

        It’s the writer in me that can’t just say “great post”. I know as a blogger I like to know which part(s) of my posts have made a difference to someone. It helps me improve and be able to offer more value to my readers.

        It was the “eh” that made me think Canadian. It’s part of my everyday vocabulary and I picked up on it right away. :)

        I like to see others do well, and if I can offer some advice or insight that helps, then it has made my day.

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  48. There you go again, telling people to communicate with others. Gosh!

    On a serious note, I am quite proud that I have been able to keep a schedule (aside from the period where my computer almost caught fire). It does get hard and requires a lot of hat tricks and mental gymnastics to make things work. But I think the upgrading knowledge part works quite well with my book review side blogging, because I can study how other people write while questioning what makes them tick. (Or how they got 5 stars on Amazon)

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    • Oh yeah, and not just the books themselves, but checking out how others review books also do add to our repertoire of skills.

      Getting 5 stars from Amazon is something I definitely could learn, since I plan on testing out the self-publishing waters in 2022.

      Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by as usual, JB!

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      • The thing about the 5 star rating is that it can be rigged, though. I’ve bought a few 5-star books that were first-draft quality (like the one I’m reading, now) because their friends/family propped them up. And maybe bought some bots, too? I’m not sure what the formula is for a genuine 5-star rating, besides the high quality part, but I’m in the try-and-keep-trying band. One day we’ll get there, though.

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  49. Great tips! Twitter is also a solid place to share your writing too with the hashtag #WritingCommunity. Glad to hear I’m not alone when it comes to the blogging journey. It started off casual for me as well, and I’m just now looking into making it a thing. Cheers and thanks for sharing.

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    • I’ve used #WritingCommunity a lot, and managed to make some friends that way, so that’s awesome. But to be fair, I think WordPress’s ‘writing’ tag is much more effective than the #WritingCommunity hashtag, which can be pretty saturated. Either that, or I suck at social media (which shouldn’t come as a surprise, lol). Thanks so much for sharing and enriching the post, Melissa!

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  51. Well, by coming here and I’m definitely making use of your first point! And it shows the success of this point as far as you’re concerned as well! You’ve come to my blog and commented (and you having made the first comment of my brand new blog and first article makes it extra special) which is why I am here and doing the same! So thanks for that! Anyway I really like this list and will use it as I get back into the swing of things on WordPress.
    And you got a new follower! Cheers!

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    • It’s so awesome to have kinda like a testimonial from you. It really helps enrich the article, and I’m glad you decided to stop by.

      And yes, I really am rooting for you to get back to the swing of WordPress! It can be a pretty rewarding journey (such as the cool vibes I get from reading your comment). Thanks once more!

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  52. Great tips. The one about comments–people I talk to just hate that one. They think them writing the article is enough. No, it’s about community. Of all tips, that has made the biggest difference in both my blog and my book sales.

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    • I’ve been meaning to explore self-publishing in 2022, and your mention of comments helping with book sales is definitely giving me an idea how important it is to build something online.

      It sure beats putting some random work on Amazon and praying for the best.

      Thanks so much for stopping by, Jacqui!

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  53. Great post! I never considered doing number 8. I have another blog besides my art one and I haven’t even looked at the older posts for a loooooong time. I think I will do that! Love number 2 as well. A couple weeks ago, for several days, I made myself think of 50 blog posts a day just to get the ideas flowing. What was even cooler was I stopped writing them down and none of the ideas ever repeated. Enjoyed reading this, thank you. Lots to consider when blogging these days, it seems.

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    • Oh yeah. Number 8 is such a new thing for me as well, but now I’m starting to see the sense in it, especially since some posts do better than others, which means that I’ll need to make sure that those posts are as accurate as I can make them.

      The idea thing is pretty interesting, isn’t it? At the end of the day, where do ideas even come from? Something to think about, lol.

      Loved your comment, Jessica. Thanks for stopping by!

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      • Thank you for a great reply!! Yeah, well, after reading almost all of Julia Cameron’s books and doing the exercises in most of them, I like to think ideas are kind of like a combo pack of a lot of different things. Which is pretty cool, if a person thinks about it. There’s nature to draw from, things we’ve read or seen, and some sort of inner desire to create/ write something new and completely unique. Unique to ourselves, anyway. Such a beauty in that. Hope you have a wonderful day!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Wow, YOU’RE the one with the amazing comments. And yes, inspiration can come from anywhere indeed. And all these little sources make up who we are as people, something that’s uniquely us. That’s why copying is seldom as good as following our inner path. Thanks for this, Jessica!

        Liked by 1 person

    • Oh yeah, that’s always the challenge. Knowledge will never be a problem in this day and age, but execution has always plagued mankind, lol. Here’s to finding our best paths, though. And thanks so much for stopping by, Ian!

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  55. Brilliant advice as always. I post on my blog majorly as a motivation for me to practice writing and to read more widely, but I have recently been looking for ways to
    be better and to see if there is anything I am doing wrong.

    These definitely helped, Thanks a lot.

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    • That’s how it always starts. You want to find one way to improve, then all of a sudden you’re keeping a list of blogging habits that you never bargained for, which is a good thing, lol.

      Btw, just a heads up, I wanted to visit your blog, but the link on your profile (healththyliving.wordpress.com) seems to be down. Might want to update if you’ve changed addresses. Thanks for stopping by, James!

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      • Thanks, stuart I did not know that, I have updated it now. Must have been one of my experiments when I was trying to understand WordPress. Thanks a lot.

        Like

  58. You put a lot of work into your blog and it shows! I always love getting to the end and seeing how you changed your “subscribe to my newsletter” section to coordinate with your post. Social media is a major weakness for me as well. I deleted all of my accounts several years ago as a way to simplify my life and stay present. However, now that I am working on building a business, I know I need to dip my toes back in. For me, I think YouTube makes the most sense.

    I wish your book was available here! I’m going to look into if I can get it sent to my iPad through Amazon. I just need to check to make sure my iPad is compatible first! It is about 10 years old 😏. I really want to read it!

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    • Oh wow, it’s so wonderful to log in and read wonderful comments like yours, Suzanne. Where do I even start?

      I appreciate you appreciating the fact that I customise the newsletter bit, because I appreciate little things like that as well (once I visited a hotel where they labelled their slippers: right, wrong). It almost feels like no one cares sometimes, and it’s wonderful to have someone who actually does.

      I’ll be exploring self-publishing in 2022, and perhaps my books will be available overseas then.

      Again, it almost feels like no one cares about the book, so I’m pretty chuffed from your kind words.

      Finally, are you already on YouTube? Would definitely love putting a face to your name, video-wise. It’s always so cool to ‘see’ my WordPress friends in person. Anyway, see you around, Suzanne!

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      • Self-publishing in 2022 sounds exciting! I’m not on YouTube yet, that’s part of my 2022 goal. I’ll be sure to include links on my website and post here on WordPress when I have something available to watch.

        I got your book! I’ll let you know what I think after I read it. 😁

        Liked by 1 person

  59. Great ideas! I often come up with ideas out of the blue and have to jot them down wherever I am but I like your idea of intentionally sitting down and working that mental muscle! You’re bound to come up with one or two ideas or something you can later jump off from!

    Scheduling your post and forcing yourself to post weekly.. I SO relate! For a year I’ve been doing the same and telling myself NO DAMN thing will stop this train! Then I thought okay I’ve got a year down! Now I can relax but suddenly looking back at my compiled work for exactly a year now… I don’t want to stop… :) I want to stay on this moving train! :)

    “that’s why I also reach into other people’s assets” 😂🤣

    Mine are: post weekly, respond to comments soon as I can, keep up with my regular readers and their blogs (also write when I can, which is inevitably frantic writing on a Tuesday, the night before my post goes live).. 😭

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    • Aw yis. The ‘unbroken chain’ is real. I look back at my post calendar and feel the satisfaction of seeing the line stretch through the months. Now it’s much easier to keep publishing than to let things slide (relatively, at least).

      I can totally relate to ‘write when I can’. I definitely need to approach my drafting more systematically, and not rely on fear to get me going, though I guess whatever works, works, right?

      Thanks so much for your wonderful comment! Always appreciate thoughtful words like yours :)

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  60. Hi Stuart!
    This post was very informative. I was told some time ago that consistency is key and you’ve solidified that with some of the points you’ve presented amongst the other very useful pointers. Excellent post! And thanks for being a great example to new bloggers like me.

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  61. I love the way you break things down–whatever the topic–on your blog. I’d love to hear more about SEO from you, as I don’t *get* it. I know what the acronym stands for but like….how do you optimize the words and where in your posts for search engines to find them? Is there a dummies guide for this 😅

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    • That’s a great question, because I actually teach SEO in my day job (I don’t really practice it in my personal life, however, which makes me a bad advocate lol).

      Basically, SEO is the act of finding keywords people are actually searching on Google. So it’s not enough to write about ‘blogging skills’. You have to do your research on relevant keywords and see how many people are searching for it. Else, you find another keyword that’s similar, that also has the volume you’re looking for.

      Then you’re going to want to ‘optimise’ your articles based on those keywords. So when people search for ‘blogging skills’, there’s a high chance that you’ll show up on the front page of Google. What this means for you is long-term free traffic, provided you’ve optimised things well.

      Then there’s also the technical side of things. Is your website fast or slow? Is it mobile friendly? Do you have backlinks from authoritative sites? These help increase your score in Google’s eyes, all of which contribute to your SEO in general.

      That’s as best as I can summarise it in a comment, but if you have more questions, just ask away and I’ll see if I can answer. Hope this helps, Ashley, and thanks for your wonderful comment too!

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  62. So….. I guess what you’re telling me is that I have to…. put work into this? 🤔 But I don’t like hard work. All joking aside, I need to get better at generating ideas ahead of time. I think I just hate what I come up with. I do bit in a daily habit of visiting WordPress. Once you stop checking in, it becomes harder to stay connected as you fall behind. Great tips as per usual, Stuart.

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    • Oh yeah. It’s all about the momentum thing and whatnot. I find the same to be true about any habit, really. Just a few days off is all it takes for me to stop maintaining said habits, so yeah, there’s something to be said there. Love your comment, Hetty!

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    • Oh yeah, sometimes changing the perspective does help, doesn’t it? When I maintain this blog just for me, it’s a tad more laborious than when I write to connect with others. Thanks so much for your thoughts!

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  64. Back in the olden days of Xanga and Tumblr, blogging was just an act that was nothing more than my ramblings on a computer screen. But with switching over to WordPress, it’s become so much more and takes a lot more effort, too. I really like the idea of non-commitment writing and drafting a ‘maybe’ piece. I’m the type that likes to see things to the end, which usually includes posting, imperfections and all. Thank you for the advice Stuart!

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    • Aha, and take a step back even further to Geocities and Angelfire and it was all just a mess of trying to figure out HTML through Wordpad (which also included empty ramblings).

      I guess blogging has evolved so much now that it’s no longer enough to just do that, especially if we’d like to grow a readership.

      Thanks so much for taking me down memory lane!

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    • No problem! For me, if I simply use the Image block, the captions will look like the usual text (unformatted, large), compared to the smaller-sized ones you see here on this post. It’s just a little detail that got messed up once the Block editor came about. Doesn’t really matter if you’re not the type to care about fonts. Hope this helps, and just ask away if you want to know more!

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  67. Great post, one comment: don’t forget the very vibrant blogging community on Twitter. The most active day is Monday when a string of groups actively promote each other with the hashtag #MondayBlogs. I wrote a post about that on my blog. You get seen by new people, make new friends/followers, and most with a WP blog add you to their reader.

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  68. I spend most my efforts on #1. That’s how a blogger gets readers, not just followers. And it’s a great way to have wonderful blogging friends. If I see a question on Facebook that I can answer and then provide a link to a blog post, I do that. However, some groups don’t allow that, so I try to respect this rule. I always aim for quality content. I do post regularly, but anytime I feel inspired, I create a rough draft outline, so I don’t lose the passion. Thanks for a great post.

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    • Networking on WordPress alone is a huge plus, isn’t it? Couple that with external networking and we’re golden. I too enjoy sharing a lot on groups and external sites for the added traffic, but just like you, am very aware of any restrictions from the communities. Thanks so much for sharing your blogging tasks!

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  70. 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7, I have tried…they definitely increase readership and improve writing….actually the niche topic we write about is important when growing our audience….in my case, I find it difficult to write on abstract things like ‘how to be a good blogger’ lol, but find it easier to share on health, exercise, recipes and hobbies! Experience helps us be more authentic in our given niche I suppose. I do like reading about what others think about blogging!

    What I do to maintain my blog?

    1. I actually come up with a few titles a week and write them down in drafts….
    2. I craft my blogs and when 75% done with pictures inserted, I set a schedule to publish
    3. Sometimes after scheduling, I BIN the whole piece, revert to draft or BIN permanently 🤷‍♀️ I do this when I feel that the piece I wrote is no longer relevant
    4. I write on topics I feel I have enough experience to share on…that others could find interesting to read as well…

    I don’t spend alot of time at a go to create my blogs…I do my blogging incrementally on mrts and while waiting for my bus or in queues. Most of the time I do alot of thinking and take all my pictures before I even begin writing. 🙃

    It’s a past time for me…but I don’t rule out developing it more in years to come.

    Thank you for sharing your tips 😊 they are definitely useful and some affirmation to me that I am doing some things right!

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    • “It’s a past time for me…but I don’t rule out developing it more in years to come.”

      I love this sentence, because this is EXACTLY how I approached things. Now I feel that since I have a good grasp on the pastime style of blogging, that perhaps I could add in a thing or two to pursue.

      Thanks so much for sharing your blogging process! We all have different styles and topics, and it’s always refreshing to see how others do it.

      Always appreciate you here too :)

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  71. Stu Stu! He’s THE Man! If Stu has said it, you know it can (work)!! I’m just gonna bookmark this site on every web browser I use cos I totally don’t wanna forget anything here! I’m just gushin’ over with the exclamation marks because…well just because alright! As a young blogger with less than 3 years of experience, yours is the blog I always come to cos you never disappoint. Not when each week you keep dishing out these gems!! If only I have the energy and effort to do all these things you said here with such consistency and gusto. Guess a guy can hope one day ya? Anyway, keep banging out good advice and I’m just gonna keep comin’ back weekly to soak in all your wisdom Guru Stu! Rock on!!!!

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    • To be fair, we probably have the same blogging experience, because my early days don’t count.

      And I don’t know what you mean about not being able to do this with such consistency, because your posting schedule is so consistent, and you’re maintaining a higher pace too. In fact, we should also take some plays out of your book too, lol.

      I really appreciate your constant support though. It makes blogging a much funner journey. Thanks, Kelvin!

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  72. Thanks for the guidance. I am building up to each point you made. For me it is deciding just how much time this old girl will devote to blogging and prep. So far I have accomplished 7/10 and finding it fits well into my life style. A work in progress

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    • Oh yeah, I think you’ve used a great word there: Decide.

      At the end of the day, our blogging journey is super versatile, and we have the choice to make it as simple or as complicated as we’d like. And no matter what we choose, like your latest blog posts says, we’ll be where we’re supposed to be.

      Love your comment!

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  73. blogging does take a commitment, and I like how thoughtful you have been in mapping out what taasks are involved and how often you engage with those tasks. It’s great advice for bloggers new and old.

    I’ve never given much thought to number 8 – perhaps I should take a look at some of my old blog posts…

    Liked by 3 people

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