I am thinking about moving my blog to self hosted and before I do I wanted to do an experiment to see if when I blogged would change my statistics and if it would be beneficial to me in wanting to take my blog to the next level.
I am just finishing up on blogging every single day for 6 weeks. Usually I post about 5 times a week but I decided near the end of December to see what would happen if I posted every day but kept everything else the same. Meaning I would spend the same amount of time reading and commenting on others blogs, posting in social media and only changed how much I posted.
I need to continue this experiment. January and December are usually my best months statistically but this January I had 2,200+ more views, 900 more visitors, and views per visitor rose by .5. For my blog that was a huge leap. I recently attended a workshop on social media saying that it is not how often you blog but rather that you show up when you say you will. If you say you will post on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday that you honor that commitment to the readers. I don’t know.
How often do you blog and do you think the number of times you blog during a week raises or lowers your statistics?
What's for Dinner Moms? 
I’ve found, in my short tenure (9 months) that the more I post, the more views I get. This is consistent with all of the social media marketing advice I’ve read.
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Savvy advice from one of my favorite followers, JoAnn!
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I like to do a post sat, sun, then at least 2 mid week. Those days can vary, however. I may post on a special day (ice cream day or cake day) or the first of the month.
I would love to be able to post daily, but have a really hard time juggling that with other commitments. For me right now, it’s still just a fun hobby sharing a little of something I love with the world.
I also have a hard time with getting traction with Google referrals because all of my posts are pictures. Almost all of my referrals come from WordPress tags. 😊
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Nice. Do you notice a difference if you did say only weekends and every Tuesday and Thursday? I am trying to figure our if it is consistency or frequency or a combination.
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I get more traffic on weekends from casual readers – more followers and business bloggers/twitter feed folks during the week days. The week-day posts that target a theme day get the most traffic. I think that is because people realize it’s a special day and then share for their business/social network promotion.
I don’t do Facebook – I think that it would increase traffic, but I’m happy with just the blog and link to Twitter.
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I have FB but it isn’t active that much. My Twitter feed is more active but I cannot tell why. Hmmm. Thanks for the information!
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I’ve considered switching the format of my blog too. Also, I find that Sundays I get a bunch of traffic…. But I haven’t done a thorough monitoring of it. Eager to see what you find and decide.
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Thanks! My best day is Monday. I think people are back to work and kids are back to school by then. My stats show mostly women with Pinterest as my main referrer. I will let you know what I decide!
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I tend to blog as and when, but normally my best views are at the weekend, when I am sharing other people’s posts, but I think that has more to do with the fact that my blog shows up more on the reader.
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So the more you post the more views you get. Makes sense. Thanks!
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very much so, also although it might not be relevant when I showcase other blogs, I get new people finding my blog, based I think on the tags I use
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I only post twice a week. I’m sure I’d get more views if I posted more but I just don’t have the time at the moment! Good to hear You’re getting lots of views from Pinterest – I always used to get my meal ideas from there so it’s somewhere I’d like to get a good following. I’ll try and find you on there
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Thank you! Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/koolaidmoms I will follow back!
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I’ve already found you (if I don’t do things straight away I forget 😂)
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Following you too!
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Brilliant, thanks
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I think it’s a balance between consistency of when you post, good quality posts, and the quantity of posting. I’ve been so busy, that I haven’t been following my own advice. My best in terms of visits and views was when
I posted three or four times a week on the same days, with one being on a Saturday. Of course, you need to have things people want to view. Your blog, definitely has that. Good luck with your experiment, but please keep those simple but delicious recipes coming. P.S. when you post is important. Remember, many of your visitors are from overseas, or on the other side of the world. It’s strange, but I would set my alarm, get up and post at 2:00 am. At this time it;s 7:00 am in London. Australia is 16 hours ahead of us, so it’s 6:00 pm. When people in America wake up, they’ll check their reader, and find you, because you only posted four or five hours ago.
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Thank you! You are correct most of my following is US, Canada, and UK. I may need to adjust my time a bit. Thanks!
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I only post once a week, and for me that’s more than enough. I’m not sure I’d have the time to deal with more traffic and keep in touch with commentators and other bloggers if I’d post daily. I also know that I myself find it hard to follow/like too many blogs that post daily.
But of course it’s all individual and depends on what you’re aiming to achieve. If you’re aiming at profiting from the blog, it’s not as easy or substantial now that almost every person has a blog, even if you have lots of views. So obviously, you will need to invest a lot more time in it.
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It is a tough decision. Do I want to do more or just keep it where it is? We shall see in the coming months. Thanks.
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Hi Marci, I am also moving to a self hosted blog. I haven’t been blogging that long (16 months) but I want unlimited space for photographs. I definitely find my stats increase the more I post. I post more on weekends when I am not working but I find I get more visits during the week.
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What platform are you moving to? I am considering WordPress.org but not finding it easy.
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Yes, I am also using wordpress.
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I used to blog regularly and yeah, that affects the numbers in how often you post, how regularly, and whether you comment on other blogs. But since I just do this for my own enjoyment and have been doing it for 7 years now, I don’t pay much attention to the numbers anymore. I guess it really depends on why you want more numbers to make it worth it. Are you planning on monetizing the site when you switch over?
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Thanks. I am thinking about monetizing it. Even if I only get a $2 a month I figure it will help pay for the hosting of the site. Also, I cannot use the plug-ins to help grow the site from WP.com. If I want to grow to a certain point it is good but if I want to grow larger it is restrictive. I am not sure what I want to do yet. Just dipping my toes in the water.
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That’s great Marcie, have fun with it whatever you end up doing!
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If you have 3000 followers and only 40-70 likes per post, then you know that the numbers in the blogging world are not worth a damn. 🙂
As for visits, that’s different. Every day I have around 200 visitors that still read my old smoking posts from 3-4 years ago. (Go figure) I think it doesn’t matter how often you post and it sure doesn’t matter if you post daily or weekly, even monthly -it only matters what you post. Quality over Quantity!
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I’ve experimented before, and find sticking to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (with the occasional ‘special’ post thrown in) works best for me. Monday seems to be the slowest day of the week for some reason. (As an aside, since I created a Facebook page for the blog, with daily extras, traffic has definitely increased.)
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Thank you! My FB is lame. I need to figure out what to do with it. My referrers are mostly Pinterest (makes sense for recipes) and Twitter.
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Surprisingly, I don’t get as much from Twitter as I thought I would. Maybe too many movie bloggers competing for the same audience? I don’t know. I get more interest in my sports-related posts there… BTW, Go Patriots!
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Lol! Can I say go Eagles? The Patriots are a rival of my beloved Bills.
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That’s a really good idea – “extras”
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I think that frequent blogging is important. People know what to expect and appreciate it. That’s why I always announce when I am in the need of taking a break because I cannot handle the time to post and reply to comments. People know why I am not around. On the other side, if I don’t announce it I am making all possible efforts to keep up with everything as usual. Having frequent posts also allows posting something “out of the routine” the frequent posts are the solid basis.
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I love that you announce a break. I always worry about people when they don’t announce a break. Did something happen to them? To their family? I am a worrier.
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Yes, exactly. I feel the same. Due to how close they are I email them to see if they are ok.
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Good for you to trying something different. I enjoy reading your blog. I wish that I had time to post more often. I am new to this and still trying to figure out what works best for me, but I agree consistency is key.
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Thank you. I won’t be able to keep up this pace all year. It will be interesting to see how it all works out. This has been fun but the pace of life is picking back up in our house so time to blog will be in short supply. 😉
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I have a specific post I do Monday through Friday and I try to be consistent. All my other posts are spontaneous . I don’t know how this affects my blog traffic.
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Thanks, Sylvester! Everyone knows when to expect things from you like Romantic Tuesdays so that probably does help your traffic. I know there are certain days I can think, oh I haven’t seen a Sylvester post and go look for it!
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You’re welcome, Marci! I appreciate it a lot and I try to show up as planned!
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I have only been blogging for a few months now, so my site is kind of slow. I try to post something every Wednesday and Saturday, that is all I have time for at the moment. I might have to cut it back to once a week or concentrate on the website and shop which I haven’t done anything with lately, it’s still all new to me. I wish I could do a blog a day. I love your recipes and always look forward to each yummy meal you post…thanks.
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Thank you! One if the social media gurus swears that consistency is more important than frequency. I will not be able to keep up this pace all year so it will be interesting to see how it all works out.
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I just started blogging so I’m learning a lot from this discussion. I find on days when I post, my views go up. Still trying to figure out Pinterest and how that may result in views.
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In looking at your blog you are perfect niche for Pinterest! Saving money on food is perfect. Next to WP most of my views are Pinterest.
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Thanks so much!!!!! I started a few boards, but I don’t know how it works – Do I start by getting followers and, if so, how? -Jill
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Post it on your blog! Start a media share post. You follow others if they leave their links and ask them to follow you. I will. Start following others on Pinterest that have similar interests too. Make sure you are posting each blog post to Pinterest on a board that matches your blog name to help keep your brand consistent. Hope this help!
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I just read your post – You’re pictures are so amazing! I saw you have a son on the spectrum. My son, Joshua, is also on the spectrum.
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Yes. My 14 year-old son is HFA, more Asperger’s we think, but still labeled with autism. He has made great strides over the years. I write about him from time to time on the weekends as I do most of my family. It’s tough when you are a 6’2″ 14 year-old and are no longer cute. The adults and kids in your world don’t always understand or forgive as much anymore.
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Yes, my 17 yr old is HFA/Asperger’s. He goes to a really great school in Odessa, FL that is for students with LD. He has done great there! Has a high score on his ACT and headed to Fl Polytech when he graduates! If you are in the Tampa area, I highly recommend the school.
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We are in SW Michigan. My son is in a much better school than when we lived in NY. But, I am responsible for most of his help. Meaning I have to drive him to other schools if we want him to get the advancement he needs. Once or twice a month I drive him 2 1/2 hours and once a week I drive him an hour. Thankful that I can do this or he woudn’t get what he needs. So happy for your son. I hope you will stay in touch because I would love to hear how it goes for him.
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I read this at the right time. I’m posting more with the self-love campaign, but I’m “blogging” the same and just making sure I keep up with comments. Those are important to me. I’ve already noticed there’s a leap in engagement. We’ll see.
Also, did you say ^^^ you’re in SW Michigan? Where? I went to Western Michigan and my grandmother lives in Covert (near South Haven).
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Glad it may have cleared something up. I also notice when I read and comment more on my blogs and others it seems to show a rise in my blog engagement. Wow! My son takes classes at Western and I am in St. Joesph, south of South Haven.
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Yeah…commenting is the key. AND wow is right! That’s amazing! Hope he’s enjoying his time (and learning a lot too) lol
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I am trying to post more each week, at least two times. I have started to create different series posts, which seems to get a lot of posts. In the future, I do want to move my blog over but I also have to prove that I will put in the work. If you do switch over, could you do a post on the process? Thanks.
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Thank you! I will. So far I feel like a dunce. I thought I was fairly smart until I began this whole process. I am now working with a computer person. 😉
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I noticed when I take breaks my stats suffer. I’m not a stat watcher, but I get it. Engagement is important for other bloggers.
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Thank you! Especially as I am looking to transition to the next level I am deciding whether or not it is worth my time and energy or do I stay here and keep my blog going in this direction. Decisions, decisions, decisions….
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I started in December and committed to 90 days straight. Most of the time I post in the morning, but some days it must be postponed. I’m not sure what I’ll do next month. I’ll be interested to read what you do. I do think people have more time on the weekends, so possibly doing Monday, Wed, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday could align well with grocery shopping, weekly planning. Just a thought!
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Thanks for the idea. I tend to shop on Tuesdays, restock days at the grocery stores, so I never think about it. Thank you!
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This is a really interesting experiment. Which days of the week did you have the most activity? I just started my blog a week and a half ago, but I have been blogging for a week non-stop and posting about 4-5 posts a week, so I’ll continue with this and see what happens! 😀
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My days with the most views and comments are Sunday and Monday. My least popular days are Saturday and Wednesday. I think people just get busy in the middle and end of the week. Have fun blogging! I have learned so much and continue to learn new things each day!
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All very interesting! I had decided after reading another post to limiting myself to 2 times per week, but maybe (as long as I’ve got the content) I will go with the flow and continue to post every couple of days. Thank you to all the people who commented too.
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Good luck with your new focus. Having a plan is always better than just winging it. I try to post once per week, usually Sun-Tues. I chose the days based on my work schedule, but it was completely arbitrary and not based on any data for how to gain readers. I’m passionate about my subject and write because I love to write. There have been weeks over the last year where I was overwhelmed by other stuff and couldn’t find the time. And there have been weeks where I couldn’t come up with a topic that inspired me. Rather than just put words on the page, I waited for the inspiration. I’m happy to know that there are people visiting and reading my posts, since it means I am not just talking to myself. I primarily use FB and Twitter to get readers. I’ve also noticed that certain subjects generate more interest.
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Thank you. I am starting to pay more attention to the patterns. I notice I have fickle readers who love salads and rich desserts!
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Then you have to decide whether you’re going to listen to your muse or give your readers what they think they want
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