The other day I got to thinking about blogging and if there is ever a time when a blogger should just call it quits. Specifically, I started something of an internal dialogue about what would happen if there comes a time when everything has been said already and any future publications would just be redundant.

I’ll take a hypothetical situation here and expand a little on it.  Let’s suppose that Jane decided to start a blog about cats.  She publishes a few articles a week and covers topics such as feeding, health issues, behavior problems, etc.  Eventually she notices that all her knowledge and experience on this subject has been published on her blog, any related news stories have been covered, and she has nothing new to add.  What now?

Some may say to maybe  revisit older posts and touch on them again.  But even if you do this, how long would you want to continue in the pattern of repeating information that is already on your site?

With the exception of perhaps tech blogs, I am leaning towards the opinion that any topical blog really does have what could be termed as a lifespan.  You may have an incredible blog that is a virtual encyclopedia of information, but eventually your blog will become an exhaustive authority on the subject where nothing new of value can be added.  It would be a bittersweet moment if and when a dedicated blogger reaches this point.

What do you think?  Do you think that a blog can continue to provide new and relevant topical content indefinitely, or do you think that eventually they can become “complete” and maybe should be shelved?

Earlier today I found myself in a doctor’s waiting room.  Having nothing else to do I did what most people do; read their magazines.  I was reading an interesting article on sharks and how they are able to locate their prey with these “super” sensors that are capable of sensing minute electrical charges.  These electrical sensors that are located on their head are so powerful that their perception was likened to dropping a AA battery in the ocean in New Jersey and sensing the electrical charge in Florida.  That is one intense sixth sense!

The article reminded me of how some of the most successful blogs are created.  Unless you have a monopoly in your market, you will have other people competing for the same business (or visitors, readers, etc.) that you are.  The most successful bloggers are the ones who can “sniff” out what others can’t.

Think about that for a minute.  If you are trying to promote your business online you can be certain that most of your competitors are doing the same.  And chances are that most of these people are doing similar things with their blogs to gain visitors.  So what does a “blogging shark” do?

The answer is as simple as it is vague: they can sniff out what non-sharks can’t smell.  Their blogs offer people something a little different or maybe they’re offering just a little more value.  The sharks can see when certain waters are unproductive so they head out in a different direction.

Any blogger would be wise to study the blogging methods of the sharks in their field.  What are they doing with their blog that you aren’t?  What are they doing different?  And most importantly, can you apply their successful techniques to your blog?

Not every tool that a blogging shark uses may be applicable to your blog, but you’ll probably find that most of them are.  By applying their tricks to what you’re doing, your blog will improve and become an even better addition to your business.

There will always come a time when you just are not going to be available to maintain your blog for a period of time.  Whether you are taking a vacation from work or just a vacation from blogging, it would be beneficial to somehow keep your blog updated while you are away.  This is when you want to put your blog on “autopilot”.

Configuring your blog to update itself on its own while you are away is a great way to take a break from blogging without breaking your blog.  It is possible to take an extended amount of time away from your blog while still updating your blog with new content.

The easiest way to update your blog while you are away is to write new articles for your blog but set them to be posted at a future date.  Wordpress makes this a really simple process.  Instead of automatically clicking on the “Publish” button after finishing a new post, edit the time and date that you want your new article to be published.  After choosing the date and time click “OK” and then click on “Publish”.  Your new article will then be published at the time of your choosing.

If you go with this route you can easily create a backlog of future posts that can be used to update your blog during your absence.

Another way of putting your blog on cruise control is to enlist the aid of another writer.  Creating a new author account for a willing writer is a good way to keep your blog updated while you are away.  The only drawback to this approach is that you will probably not have a chance to review the content before it is published, so be sure that you are aware of your guest author’s capabilities.

If you aren’t sure of your guest author’s abilities you can also just have them forward their written articles to you and you could add them to your future postings as well.

If you find yourself desperate fora way to keep your blog updated while you are gone and do not have the time to pre-write articles then you could consider posting articles to your blog from RSS feeds.  I don’t normally recommend this kind of action, but sometimes it can work out nicely.  There are RSS plugins available in Wordpress that will allow you to publish articles from other blogs directly in your blog.  Discuss this with the owner of the blog you plan on syndicating and if it’s an agreeable proposition then you have another source of new material that will be auto posted in your absence.

These are 3 easy ways to set your blog on autopilot if you ever need (or want) to be away from it for an extended time.  With a little preparation it is entirely possible to leave your blog for a while without your readers leaving you.

If you have been blogging for any length of time you can probably look back through all the articles you have published and find a common thread running throughout all of them.  Well, you might not be able to see it, but it is definitely visible to others.  That common thread tying all your posts together are your intentions.

Your intentions in blogging are what guide you to do the things that you do with your blog.  Whatever your goals and intentions from blogging are, your blog will do an excellent job of projecting them.

You may have started a blog with every intention of using it to promote your business by providing relevant content and interacting with your readers.  If those are your intentions, then you will instinctively be operating your blog in a manner consistent with your desires.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, it is!

But it’s not so easy to fake your intentions through blogging.  If you post consistently, then eventually your intentions through blogging are going to become visible to others.  A person can only “fake it” so long with blogging.

For example, I used to work for an online wholesaler, and they used blogging to help promote their business.  Just recently I noticed that they started a new blog, but it was not focused on their company; it was put in place to provide information on all wholesale companies.  I have kept tabs on this blog and have noticed that about a third of the posts published on this blog have links and information pointing to their business.  What would you say their intentions are?

So what I’m saying is that no matter what your intentions are with blogging, your blog will eventually reflect those desires.  If you want to connect with your customers, your blog will show this.  If you’re just after backlinks, then this will also be apparent.

What are your intentions with blogging?  Do you state one thing but have alterior motives?  If you do not want to risk your alterior motives being discovered then I would suggest changing your intentions before your blog calls you out!

A very common problem among bloggers, especially niche bloggers, is coming up with new and fresh content when you feel you have already blogged everything there is to blog about your particular topic.  Many people battle with this roadblock and there are some things you can do to combat this.

First, there is always something else you can say!  You may have had a niche blog for several months and feel you have hit the point where you have said everything you ever wanted to say about the subject.  If you are operating a specialized blog that is targeting a specific keyword, then you should expand your range just a little.  Instead of just focusing on “red widgets”, branch out a little and touch on “red brick widgets” or “colored widgets”.

If branching out a little doesn’t strike your fancy, what about creating new blog posts based on a reader(s) comments?  If you’re like me, you often find that your readers will bring up points you may have overlooked.  Take what they said and expound upon it and you have a new source of material, and you also promote the fact that the views of your readers play an important role in your business blog.

Creating new blog posts that explain a concept using different methods is also a good way to keep your blog fresh and relevant.  For example, let’s suppose you started a blog on graphic design to help your main graphic design business site.  In your blog you have posted a few “how to” posts on creating some graphical goodies for websites using Photoshop.  How about providing new content on how to do that with other programs, such as GIMP?  By doing this, you keep adding new content while also expanding the appeal of your blog to different visitors.

Sometimes having a fresh set of eyes is the best thing.  If you feel that you are “stuck” with your blog, let someone else take a look and/or author a few posts.  Guest posting is a very popular trend among bloggers and having someone else provide content for your blog is mutually beneficial.  You get fresh content with a unique perspective, and the guest blogger gets more exposure for his or her blog.  It’s a win-win situation.

These are but a few ways to break out of stale and repetitive content for your blog.  Do you follow these tips, and if not, what are the steps you take?  How do you continue to provide fresh and new content for your blog after you feel that you have already said everything it is that you wanted to say?

One of the important reasons to have a business blog is for the SEO benefits it will impart on your main business site.  Some people make this their only goal in business blogging and make their reader’s experience an afterthought.  By blogging this way you are actually handicapping yourself and hindering the progress you could be making.

I have seen many business blogs, and I’m sure you have too, that are not built for visitors at all.  I have seen blogs where their general posting formula is a few paragraphs of overly keyword rich text with a couple of outbound links to their main site sprinkled in there for good measure.  Generally the content of these blogs are of little value to people; they are made for search engines only.

Why do people visit blogs, and what makes them come back time and time again?  Having great content and engaging with your readers are the key factors that make people return to your blog.  When you think about it that way you come to realize that your blog isn’t “yours”; it really belongs to your readers.

Successful blogs all have this in common: Repeat visitors

In order for your blog to be successful, you have to have an established reader base that continues to visit your site.  If you don’t have that then your blog is destined to be little more than a blurb in the search engines here and there.  And if you want to have a permanent reader base then you must operate your blog with your readers in mind.

When you blog for your readers you are giving them what they want.  You’re not just filling post after post with keyword orientated drivel designed to make Google happy, you are whipping out material that your customers can actually use.  It’s quite OK to have keyword targeted content on your site and I would definitely encourage that, but keep in mind who you are writing for.

Writing for Google can get your blog ranked high and can also boost your main site, but you can only go so far if this is your blogging method.  This type of style can often be awkward and useless for your readers and keep them from coming back.  When you write with your readers in mind you can accomplish everything you would as if you were writing solely for the search engines and more.  That is because happy readers will aid you with your SEO goals.

Happy visitors become your SEO & marketing firm

Visitors that like what they see on your blog often do things that will help you achieve better rankings in the search engines.  They bookmark your sites.  They link to you from their own websites.  They encourage their friends to visit your sites.  They email your posts to other people.  If you blog for your readers and not for the search engines it’s almost like your visitors have turned into a marketing and SEO movement!

If you want the maximum SEO return from your blog, then don’t solely write for the search engines.  Search engines may index your site, but they don’t “read” it.  Your visitors are the ones who will read your posts and your visitors are going to be the deciding factor in how successful your blog is going to be.  Use blogging methods that focus more on what your readers want and you will also get more of the SEO benefits you desire.

When it comes to producing all the content for your business blog, who is the person who handles this?  Many companies who use blogging to help boost their business are actually doing themselves no favors when they outsource their writing to other people who are not associated with their business or familiar with what they do.  If you want your blog to truly be a factor in your business you should do all your writing in-house.  And there are  reasons behind this, so let me point out  what can happen when you outsource the writing for your blog.

First, when you outsource your writing you are most likely hiring somebody who has no knowledge of the inner workings of your business or industry.  Much of the content that this person comes up with may only be obtained through a simple Google search.  Information obtained this way tends to be very generic and often duplicated on other sites.  Content such as this really doesn’t offer the extra value that an industry insider can often bring.

Some companies outsource their blog content writing to people in foreign countries in an effort to reduce labor costs.  This can be a good thing for the business in question, but I would say that the majority of these instances are doomed for failure.  Hiring someone where your language is not so familiar with them usually produces results that are not professional and contains many grammar and spelling mistakes.  You want your business blog to be an extension of your business and to portray a sense of professionalism and personality.  Having blog posts that are full of errors does not induce confidence and can have very detrimental consequences to your business.

On the other hand, providing your blog content from “within the ranks” usually means that the content is much more focused on the target audience you are after and the information is more relevant.  After all, who knows your business better than you?

Now I’m not saying that everything needs to be done in-house, but that you should consider producing the content for your blog from either you or someone from within your company.  Other aspects of your blog or website could easily be outsourced as is explained over at ThatMLMBeat.

When you provide content from within your business you know that the information you are providing is accurate and (hopefully!) beneficial.  You can’t always get this guarantee when you hire someone outside your company to take over your business blog.  If you are concerned about the quality of the content on your business blog (and you should be), then you should require that all the writing comes from you or an able employee.

Yes, blogs do require more attention and maintenance than regular websites.  But the benefits of blogging can far outweigh the investment of time and effort if you approach it the right way.  By sourcing your writing in-house as opposed to outsourcing it you ensure that your content is unique and relevant.  Your reader base will become much more satisfied this way and you can count on a larger base of repeat visitors if you source your blog material from within your business.

To maximize the potential gains from business blogging you need to approach it from the right direction.  If you approach blogging with the right perspective you can gain an immense amount of customers.  The improper use of business blogging can have negative effects to your business with the consequences being anything from mild to severe.

To know what type of business blogger you are you have to look into your motives for blogging in the first place.  Sure, we all want to use blogs to bring in more business and higher rankings for our other sites and that is not a bad thing.  It is one of the major reasons you should have a blog for your business in the first place.  But don’t let your SEO and financial goals totally dictate what you’re doing with your blog.

To gain the loyalty and interest of people visiting your blog you have to offer them something they want.  Let me say that again.  People come to your blog only if you are providing them with something they want.  If what you offer on your blog is of little value you cannot expect to reap great rewards.

This principle really comes into focus when you take into consideration the  main types of business bloggers.  Generally speaking, most people who blog for their respective companies fall into two different categories: Those who are looking to connect with their customers and those who are just trying to direct people to their commerce site.

If your blogging is focused on just throwing up some text and adding a few links to your site then you probably aren’t providing anything your potential customers want.  Even worse, your blog would appear spammy and the negative connotations of this can be devastating.  The appearance and tone of your blog reflects directly on your business.  If your blog appears to be “spammy” then your company can develop a bad reputation.

On the other hand, if you are a business blogger that is concerned with connecting with your customers then you are more than likely taking actions to do so with your blog.  You pay attention to what your visitors have to say and look for ways to provide the content their looking for.  If you are interacting with your readers and providing the content they’re after then you have a strong start for a successful business blog.  Visitors to your blog that find what their looking for are more apt to becoming a customer than those who accidentally stumbled onto your blog only to find information that was of no benefit to them.

What kind of business blogger are you?

Do you focus on providing useful information for your visitors or are you mainly concerned with generating links and traffic? Do you actively respond to comments on your blog, or have you disabled the comment option on your blog?  Are you a mixture of blogging qualities that are good and bad?  If you have some negative traits flowing through your blog it’s never too late to turn things around and start in a new direction.