Too many farmers and homesteaders set up a blog, put up two or three posts, and then leave their website in idle. This is unfortunate, because so many readers are eagerly waiting to learn more from these erstwhile content creators! Every farmer has experience to share and a unique perspective that cannot be provided by anyone else.
If you are running a farm business, the results of abandoning your blog are particularly detrimental. Not only will search engines tend to stop ranking your site in the upper tiers of their results, an outdated blog suggests (perhaps incorrectly) a defunct business to visitors who stop by. To keep customers coming back, you must maintain your site!
Having a hard time coming up with new posts for your blog? Try these ideas:
- Keep an idea list. Type out ideas as you browse the Internet. List post ideas in your eBook reader. Take a notepad with you when you work in the garden. You never know when and where inspiration will strike. Keep your idea lists handy so that you never run out of posts to write.
- Read. To write, you simply must read. Your life experience is a crucial source of inspiration for your writing. However, reading the writing of others can give you new ideas, as well. (Looking for fresh reading material? Check out our bookshelf.)
- Notice what’s missing. If you are actively engaged in country living, you can surely think of a few questions that you might have liked to have had answers to sooner. What aspects of farming or ranching are commonly overlooked online? What specialized expertise can you provide?
- Follow up on reader questions. Not just via email, although that is certainly appropriate. Really good questions deserve a post.
- Check your stats. Notice what type of content is consistently popular on your blog. Look at search queries to find out what questions bring readers to your site. Then provide more of what they love.
One final tip: Consider establishing a posting schedule. When you write regularly, writing becomes a habit. You’ll find that you can come up with fresh sources of inspiration and new topics to blog about quickly and easily!
Homestead on the Range 