How do you know whether to schedule your blog posts or publish them all at the same time? Does it help your rankings to schedule them consistently throughout the month or just publish a dozen or so at the same time?
Successful blogs schedule their blog posts to automatically publish on a predetermined schedule so that you have a constant supply of excellent content on their blog for their readers to read. Scheduling posts allows you to post at peak times when they are most likely to be read and shared.
You may be wondering how to schedule posts and for what times to get them to read and share to gain the most traffic. If you would like to learn more, please read below.
How to Use WordPress to Schedule Your Posts
WordPress has a built-in scheduler for you to post your blog posts at a set schedule of your choosing. Once you have finished writing your post, whether directly on WordPress or somewhere else, you can schedule it to post on whatever day and time you want. Once you add the article to your WordPress dashboard or complete writing, follow these instructions:
- Look under the Document tab in the right column of the edit screen.
- Then click the Status & Visibility panel.
- Click on the Immediately link next to your publish option.
- A calendar will pop up, and you can then choose the month, day, and year and the specific time you would like it to show up. Be sure to select either AM or PM. This option will allow you to choose whatever future date you want.
- The publish button changes to a schedule button if you choose a date in the future for publishing.
- Click Schedule, and WordPress will automatically schedule the post. The blog will appear on your website at that date and time without having to do anything else.
If you later find you need to change a scheduled post, you can go back into your editor, and there is an option to switch it from Scheduled to a Draft.
Other Reasons Scheduling is a Great Option
If you know you will be out of town for a vacation; you can easily set up your post to still publish instead of taking a chance that you will remember or that your internet might be sketchy where you vacation.
Life happens! Cars break down. People get sick. There are hundreds of reasons you might not be about to post on time if you do not set up scheduled posts for your blog.
Scheduling ensures you are consistent if you commit to staying on a schedule to write your blogs ahead of time. Many bloggers try to keep up an entire month ahead of schedule to know that they are still covered if there is an emergency.
Scheduling helps keep consistently providing content for your readers. If you do not have any set schedule, it is too easy to procrastinate and make excuses why it is okay to miss your regular schedule.
Creating an Editorial Calendar
An easy way to create an editorial calendar for your blog is to type dates you plan on posting blog posts in a Word doc or on Google Docs. Take a list of possible titles or topics you want to write for that date. It is good to plan at least three months out.
Once you know a tentative schedule and the probable topics, you will want to plan when you will complete your research for each one and add it to your calendar. Next, add the date you will have your first draft completed. Next, add when you will have your edits completed, SEO, and add images or other graphics to the article.
By adding these things to your editorial calendar, you will ensure you complete each task on time so that you are never late posting your blog to your website.
It is a good idea to schedule time for promoting your blog posts on social media and any other places you can share them.
You may find having a checkoff list helpful to make sure you do not forget any crucial steps.
To Conclude
When content is pertinent to your success, you will want to ensure you have ample time to complete each task and meet your goals. Scheduling your blog posts and having an editorial calendar helps you stick to your schedule.
