An anonymous reader of Problogging Success asked me this question: What could be the reasons that someone is not updating their blog regularly?
I’ve asked this question myself several times. I see several blogs that are started with so much enthusiasm and then the passion fades off. And those blogs sit there un-updated for quite a while.
And then the blog owner updates those blogs whenever they find the time and energy. Hence the blog’s update/publish frequency goes irregular.
Now how important is a blog’s publishing frequency?
It all depends on why you started blogging in the first place. Blogging starts for some people as a hobby, for some it is to show their online presence, some want them to be heard and for some it is full time income generator.
Whatever be the case, a blog can be successful only if it is updated regularly (with quality content).
But why should we talk about updating at all? It is because that is what makes a blog better than a website. The word blog, derived from web log, essentially means “logging” something. That is, take note of, maintain a diary of something. This implies that it is updated on a regular basis.
Well, you don’t have to update your blog regularly unless you have at least a handful people who read it regularly (apart from yourself and your mom, of course).
But when you have some people reading it closely, you are automatically committed to providing updates to those people because they expect from you.
If you are blogging for some serious reason - say if its your company blog, or the blog that attracts you clients, you should be updating your blog regularly in order to capture leads effectively and also “keep” your current customers/followers engaged.
But I see that there are so many blogs that are not updated on a regular basis - some even stay un-updated for months and its quite disappointing.
There are two vital things these un-updated blogs miss
(i) readers would want to visit a blog regularly that is updated, if there is nothing new, they wouldn’t come back
(ii) a blog can be easily indexed by bots and search engines only if it is updated regularly with fresh content
There are thousands of blogs that are started every week, but how many of them do really become popular? Some just stay there on the web! So is updating a blog a hard task?
Is it something that can be done only by talented or ‘chosen’ people? It can’t be so!
Here are some reasons why a blog would be left there to die without updating.
You chose an alien niche
Well newbie bloggers start a blog for two reasons -
The first reason is good and will lead to a successful blog (if the blogger follows a good strategy) but the second reason is terrible (but you know what? You can’t help this since more than 50% of the blogs are started just like that, for no reason?).
You may want to start a blog for several reasons, but your primary reason should be the niche you choose. Unless and until you are passionate about what you are writing and you do have sufficient knowledge in the topic, you are not gonna be able to update it! Choose a niche in which you belong to.
Now I know many of you will say, passion is not the only thing that we need to be considering while choosing a niche. I totally agree. There are other things like…. you know, if a niche is really profitable or not, and other factors.
But if you have no interest (a much reduced version of “passion” at the least) you cannot cope with creating content in any niche. Even if you pay a writer, if you don’t know the ins and outs, you won’t be able to create a good content marketing strategy, monetization plan, effective email marketing and run a successful business off that nice.
This applies for both authority blogs and anonymous niche sites. If you have been closely following Pay Flynn of Smart Passive Income with Niche Site Duel 2.o, he does a lot of research in starting a niche site. He neglects those niches in which he finds no interest or that he finds to be an “alien” topic!
You ran out of ideas
This usually happens if you choose an alien niche - but not always - you could run out of ideas even in a niche you are highly passionate about.
So this sometimes happens in any niche but you need to be bit creative to overcome this.You simply could not come up with an idea to a new blog post. Or you may simply could not write or expand on an idea. This is called writer’s block (although I don’t believe it exists :)).
Try mind mapping, linking to your old posts and generate thoughts. You might also want to elaborate on one or two key points you have already discussed, or discussed by someone on a different blog.
You could look into your comments section. There are various ways to overcome the writer’s block and that itself is a topic for a separate blog post (see how I got an idea to a new blog post while writing one?).
You are not motivated anymore
Blogging is sometimes tough and you can easily fall in the net if your motivation level falls at any point. Not getting enough traffic, not being able to generate enough income, not being recognized on the web are some of the reasons to lose motivation, but hang on, this is a process and not a magic.
Success cannot happen overnight, especially blogging success. There is no such thing called luck. And, you have to work hard to reap success. That is how the equation is. You cannot find a shortcut to it.
You chose a very narrow niche
It is generally told that while choosing a niche for a blog, you have to be focused. This is true to some extent, but given all the factors above and too much competition, a very narrow niche will let you down.
You might not have enough content to regularly update your blog. So choose a reasonably sized niche so that you don’t run out of topics to talk about.
You don’t have the time
This is the most popular issue among the newbie bloggers today! They just can’t find time to write for their blog. So what else are they doing?
They are either on Twitter, Facebook, checking emails, checking Adsense income every half an hour, checking the traffic to their blog, worried about the ad clicks, changing their blog templates, looking for widgets in Google and so on.
Socializing with fellow bloggers and reading other blogs in the niche are all part of the game, but there need to be a fine proportion of all of it. The focus should be on creating content and giving your best to your readers!
You have to learn. But you don’t have to be an endless learner. Rather, you have to start creating and contributing to your niche.
Stay up-to-date with the information in your niche. But stay focused and provide best content to your readers.
Why is a blog not updated regularly?
Well I have given some of the most popular reasons I see with bloggers for not updating their blogs. Knowing these reasons will give you an idea as to why you are stuck if you are not being regular with updating your blog.
Many of my clients rush me to set up their blog; they do invest money in purchasing a theme and pay me for web design. But after everything is done and when I go back to their blog after a few months I can only see the welcome blog post (or nothing in some cases). This is really painful.
… which is why I’m writing this post. So ….
Are you updating your blog regularly? If not, what is the reason that is holding you back? Do a self-analysis and get back on your feet again.
A blog is a great opportunity for you these days. Don’t let that opportunity go waste.
Nice post on why a blog is not updated regularly.
Thanks jane for your posting! Yeah,…i absolutely agree with you, the hardest thing on blogging is consistency
I usually consider a blog without updates a dead one
Choosing wrong niche either too narrow or too broad would also lead to misleading or failure.
You are right Tinh. Many newbie bloggers fall into this trap of choosing a wrong niche (they normally go for profitable niches rather than choosing a niche they are passionate about), and later on quit blogging without being able to cope up.
Cheers,
Jane.
Jane…
Nah! I don’t think newbie bloggers go after profitable niches… they blindly go after niches others go… thinking there must be profitable for one reason or the other… beginners (even veterans in the game) have no clue how to properly select their niche
In my 10+ year marketing online (my niche is health & wellness) I learned that there are two types of niches one could go after:
info niches (where you teach others, share tips, etc…)
product niches (where you review products and do item comparisons)
I decided to go with the second option from day one, and never looked back.
Too many bloggers go with the first option, and that’s why they’re not making much money. They think the money is in the “How-to”…
Any input on this?
Hey John, yes I’ve seen the other side of the crowd as well. To be honest, I’m part of one - teaching/helping people via info products/services and making money - but it has worked well for me.
I so much love the product niches side, but to be honest, I don’t have enough guts in terms of how genuine I can be in trying and testing all the products I write a review about. You should be doing a great job. Do you personally try every health/wellness product before writing a review or how do you do this?
Thanks so much for your input!
Jane,
that’s a general assumption that you have to personally try all products… not, I don’t do it… unless I have to, or feel the opportunity for a test-drive some of the latest supplements or natural items I recommend…
I have writers who scour the web, analyze the product/other reviews/target audience as much as possible, and write about it from multiple angles
I put it this way: reviews should be honest, and help readers/users make an informed buying decision… I want to help as many people as possible, in all kinds of niches and sub-niches… I can only spend a few hours personally reviewing these products myself… instead I employ teams of skilled content marketers and research specialists to help more people with more reviews …
Does it make sense?
Hi Jane,
Seems like you really gave us all the reasons people don’t update their blog regularly. I know when people are just starting out they are so thrilled and excited to get started but after awhile, if they chose the wrong niche, their motivation plummets. The blog gets abandoned or they just get tired of messing with it.
When I visit a blog that hasn’t had a post updated in awhile, I’m not eager to comment or return. Bloggers that really are passionate about what they do will continue to share relative and helpful information with their readers.
For those that have gotten discouraged, don’t give up is all I can say. You will find what is right for you and boy will you ever enjoy the ride.
Thanks for this, enjoyed the post.
Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
Thanks for joining me in encouraging all the newbies who are thinking of giving up.
Cheers,
Jane.
Hi Jane… I worked with a client last year who was starting a new blog. One of the things we did right from the start was create a list of topics that she could write about. We outlined 3 posts a week for the next six months and this really helped her stay motivated and keep writing.
Although it’s a little extra work on the front end, the benefit of not having to worry about running out of topics makes it worth the work.
Dahlia, this is a wonderful tip. I’ve done it many times myself. Doing some work upfront really helps keep things simple in the long runs - hence it is easy to keep the motivation up. In my case I usually outline posts for a month in advance. Works perfect all the time and keeps stress at bay.
Jane, aloha. Nice job of highlighting the reasons people may not update regularly. Oftentimes, I think that people do not make a commitment to their blogs when they begin. In other words, they decide to “try it” to see if they will like it. When there is not commitment, the follow through, or in this case, the updating is not there.
You are so right that readers will not come back if info is updated. In my opinion, if someone is going to update very infrequently, they should post on the blog that they update it once a week or twice a month. That way, if readers do like the content, they can plan to visit again at the time the next one is due. That way the frustration of checking back repeatedly only to see o new content is avoided.
At the heart of it, I believe, is knowing why you started your blog. Secondly, if you decide a niche is not for you for any reason, know that you can take the blog down or change it and just let your readers know what you are doing.
Thx for your thoughts. Aloha. Janet
Janet aloha. Very true and it is one of the vital aspects that every blogger first knows why he started the. If they can identify the purpose of their blog, catching up with things will be a lot smoother.
Cheers,
Jane.
Hi Jane,
To post regularly on a blog takes drive and purpose. If you lose sight of that, you can easily fall into the trap of not updating regularly and losing your readers.
I’ve seen this happen with people I thought were very successful. It kind of makes me worry about them. For example, one blogger I knew posted every day, sometimes 2 or 3 posts in a single day. Then, last October, the posting stopped. No warning, just nothing.
You’re right, in that to keep your readers, you do need to update regularly. If I visit a blog that hasn’t been updated in a while, I can’t leave soon enough.
Awesome information. Thanks for sharing!
Gregory
When there is inconsistency, I see the blog as amateurish. The number of blog posts/updates can increase with time, but certainly not decrease. That is why it is a must that we start with some very low frequency to check if we can cope up with posting.
Thanks for your comment Gregory.
Jane.
Hi Jane,
I like your hype-free break down of blogging. Blogging is a beast and it requires constant improvements and updates until a blog is really established. Most people simply underestimate the ncessary efforts, including the networking efforts.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
I start thinking that I ran out of content to write about once a week. But honestly there are millions of things to write about. That is a head thing. I get lazy and attempt to lie to my self and say ehhhh there is nothing to write about while stomping my feet, crossing my arms, and making poopy face.
I think a lot of ppl start out blogging on a mission to make millions and after a month they say well that is not going to happen, what can i do now to make millions?
If bloggers go in to blogging knowing they are not going to make a lot of money in the beginging they will be set.
Instead of looking at google adsense look at google analytics. If the graph is going up your doing something right. Keep doing it and the adsense chart will also go up eventually!
Hi Jane,
Great post on updating your blog on a regular basis. I have been blogging now for about 4 months or so and I know I find it tough sometimes to come up with new content to post. Even in my niche (network marketing) which is a huge niche. My biggest problem is writers block. I have many ideas and notes written down, but when I sit down to write, lots of times things just go blank.
I have found that I personally do my best writing late at night (weird right.) Most people will tell you to write in the morning before you do anything else, even checking email, but I am not a morning person, so I found what works for me.
I guess my point is, that only YOU know what works best for you, so experiment, find out when you should be writing and when you shouldn’t.
Thanks Jane for this great read and have a great day!
A rule is quite simple. The more content at your blog - the more traffic you will have with time. Each blog post will provide you with some ammount of traffic in the future. Adding new articles at a blog you will increase popularity of a website step-by-step. Also, users will visit your resource more frequently to see updates and obtain new information. I think that it is necessary to update blogs with new content at least 1-2 times per week.
MinSooHee says
The word “regularly” can have different meanings for different bloggers around the Internet. Some may blog once a day, while some like to update your blog 8-10 times a day. If you really want to get a broad base of readers of your blog at some point, you should be religiously and regularly blogs. After Google launched its first Panda update in late February 2011, many webmasters reported experiencing a drop in traffic, not because its content was doubled over the Internet, but because it maintains a wide range of updating its blog. Google has its own ways of teaching the webmasters, which I think is the best thing about it.
MinSooHee says
To publish regularly, on a blog leads to unity and reason. If we lose sight of that, you can effortlessly fall into the trap of not updating frequently and the loss of their readers.
I like the hype no breakdown of blogs. Blogging is a beast that requires constant progress and upgrades to a blog is actually well-known. Most people merely misjudge the hard work needed, as well as networking.
Thank you for sharing this great idea.
Time matters, I have not enough time during exam period to update blog. “Schedule Post” is one of the best feature which I used when I have enough time I always schedule post.
Thanks for this article.
Nice blog post with a detailed video about not updating the blog.
Few important stuffs i knew already Jane and I learned new information through your post.
I used to maintain a post frequency 2-3 posts per weeks even am busy at home.
Yeah, i found your video useful and agree with your five points.
You know am a passionate part time blogger and taking the time out to do blogging.
Thanks for presenting the awesome post with good video Jane, keep doing it for your readers
A blog that is not updated regularly definitely does not portray a good picture. One good tip to remember for a newbie blogger is to be sure that you have plenty of content (and ideas) ready before launching your blog. Sometimes it can be easy to get ahead of yourseld with enthusiasm and not plan your launch as effectively as you should.
The one thing that is most important with a blog is to keep the momentum going.
Most problems bloggers mostly face is they run out of ideas and they didn’t know what to post, that’s why they couldn’t update their blog regularly.
Leaving a blog to die is a sad thing, especially for those that have invested a lot of time in it. But sometimes I guess it is just a change of priority for people. It is a large investment, and I find it takes more and more of my time. But as a result of posting more often I have seen a large increase in readers (probably also due to other factors - social media increase and triberr) but still if you don’t post, no one has stuff to share. let’s see if it continues. Thanks for sharing, ashley
Hi Jane!
Time is definitely a big factor in many people’s lives. Most of us not being professional bloggers have full time jobs and often families to look after. Although motivation can dimmer after a while, running a successful blog ultimately takes time.
Hi Jane,
I agree with all the points you make in this post,
I think one of the main problems is that people start a blog expecting to make money from it straight away and underestimate how much work is going to be involved, so they become disillusioned. It’s not just the writing - the technical stuff can also defeat people, or keeping on top of all the blog hopping, commenting and associated social media stuff, which can be so time-consuming. People just starting out may not realise that blogging entails a lot more than just writing articles.
Sue
Hi Jane,
Thanks for bringing forth this topic from the question asked
Now I think the main reason many blogs get dormant and consequently taken down is the foundation - why the blogger started the blog. Many bloggers have the wrong knowledge at the beginning and along the line, they don’t get to seeing what they were told or what they thought at the very beginning. This is common with bloggers in the make money niche. Often, they think the money will come rushing after a few clicks but when the reality strikes, they start seeing differently. Many get discouraged and drop sooner or later.
Now, other reasons you have listed are of course very true. Whatever the case, I’m burning with passion every single minute for what I’m doing. I’m happy I started on a good footing
Hey Enstine - glad to know that you have your passion and motivation up all the time - this is not so common. And I agree with you on the people perspective about making money in a few click - truly the most widely hit population is the bloggers in the make money niche!
Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the feature in your blog
Having said that, some of the blog content does not date (unless it’s purely topical). I am involved in different sites, each with different posting rhythms. I noticed that one with the busiest schedule has one page that is viewed many, many times more than more recent posts. In terms of traffic, we could probably post less and keep up the same figures.
We are more careful about keeping that one up-to-date now, as the factual topic is clearly an evergreen.
A rule is quite simple. The more content at your blog – the more traffic you will have with time. Each blog post will provide you with some ammount of traffic in the future. Adding new articles at a blog you will increase popularity of a website step-by-step. Also, users will visit your resource more frequently to see updates and obtain new information
When I started a new blog recently I did it with a very strange goal:
Blog to nobody at all for six months.
Ironically, in my first month I started getting comments! Divorcing the “doing it” from the results was a big step for me.
Ah that’s the attitude Carmen
Sure its not easy, but once you do it, the rewards are usually great 
I agree with Carmen, We really can’t expect loads of traffic hitting us during the initial months. We need not get demotivated for that reason and stop blogging.
priya says
if i doesn’t update the blog regularly then is it affects on ranking? if yes then how static content have to rank.
Most of bloggers stops updating their blog because they failed to generate traffic ultimately revenue from advertisement.So they quits.Excellent post on helpful title , liked your video
I learned how not to excuse myself when I not updating my blog