Neglecting blog maintenance could cause serious problems on your blog. You might have heard or read of bloggers’ horror stories of losing their entire blog from a single, tiny step they missed. This is the worst-case scenario, but the other consequences of a neglected blog are just as bad.
Links that go to 404 error pages, spam comments, outdated plugins… when your audience spot these, what does that tell them? It can definitely lessen your credibility.
These little things could cost you money as well, either from resource drains or lost opportunities.
I divide blog maintenance into two categories. Front Room deals with everything from your forms to your external, internal and inbound links, and blog comments. They’re what the world at large sees and interacts with. Backstage deals with web hosting, backups, updates, security. Everything that keeps your blog running smoothly.
Frequency of Blog Maintenance
Of course, there’s the frequency of checks. Some blog maintenance checks will become a daily, weekly habit, some will need reminders in your calendar. And some monthly checks can become a weekly check when your blog grows. For the sake of simplicity, I arrange the maintenance checks with an average blog in mind. We all aim toward that anyway. And beyond that, you seriously need part-time to full-time staff to keep up with everything!
The trick is to NOT overdo the maintenance that you waste time on them. If you’re prone to micromanaging, input your tasks to any of these productivity/reminder tools.
Give each task a cubbyhole so they know their place and don’t scream at you and try to invade your day. If they’re not scheduled right now, they’ll keep until tomorrow or later, when you have free time.
Tools to use: Wunderlist, Trello, IFTTT, Todoist, Google Calendar, Toodle-do
Why I recommend them: These tools are all versatile online, offline and across platforms. (Android, IOS, Mac, Windows) And shareable! If you have a virtual assistant, a web developer, a writer, or a graphic designer, assign tasks and know what’s getting done.
The Efficiency of Tools and Delegation
You need tools. Set your browser to open the pages of the tools you need to use to check everything, and you’re done within an hour each morning.
If you can’t automate it, delegate it— either to someone else (a VA, a writer, a designer, a web dev) or to a specific time of day/week/month. Delegation doesn’t mean neglect and laziness– in fact, it’s the opposite. That task gets dedicated focus rather than a haphazard quick glance.
Do you have a VA? Do you do it all yourself? What tools do you/your team use? What do you find most challenging when it comes to blog maintenance?
Please let us know in the comments!
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