Hey Roni

It’s me, The Blog Fairy! I’ve thought about something and I want your take on it. Do you pay attention to what time of day you post your blogs? Do you think it’s better to make sure that there’s something new for your readers each morning, or do you just write whenever you feel like it? It seems like blog traffic is highest in the morning and the evening, just wondering if the stats play any part in when you do your postings.

Emily – The Blog Fairy

Hi Emily! How’s the headers going? :)

This is an awesome question! One that I, myself, have thought about a lot and one I think can drive bloggers absolutely crazy. First, time is completely relative. One thing we tend to forget is the web is global. Sure, we may have a concentrated readership from a particular locale but that may not even be in our own time zone.Take a look at Roni’s Weigh‘s top 5 regions according to Google Analytics. California, Texas and Illinois are all not in my time zone. A majority of my US readers are actually 3 hours behind me. Not that big of a deal but something that needs to be taken into consideration.

If we continue to peak into my stats you will also notice I have a steady stream of visitors from 9AM until just about midnight.

I could plan my posts for about 3AM as it’s my least busy hour. I would be guaranteeing a fresh post for my visitor stream that starts around 9AM. However, that doesn’t work for me and my blogging style. See I’m, what I like to call, a "real time" blogger. Normally my posts are written in the first person and about the present. I write as if I’m telling a friend about my day. For me it doesn’t make sense to craft a post and then schedule it to be released at a certain time or day. I want to share with my readers at the moment what is going through my head. Even if that means they may not read it until hours or even days later. Why? Well for my style it actually helps me write. I look at my blog articles literally like journal entries. I take a very organic approach. It works for me and my style.

Now I know other bloggers who are the complete opposite. Take a look at Tanya from IAteAPie.net. I had an interesting conversation with her in Chicago. She told me her posts where written at least a week in advance. I admire this type of blogger. That’s what works for her and her blog style. Me? I think my creativity would be stifled. I enjoy sitting down at the end of the day and sharing my thoughts (or what I refer to as dumping my brain). It’s a completely different writing experience and it’s really why I blog.

Here I go… Babbling again. Let me get back to the point. I think it’s great to know as much about your readers and your blog’s statistical trends as possible. BUT I think what’s more important is what works for you. As a blogger you could drive yourself crazy trying to make everyone happy, trying to find the "perfect" time to post, etc. When push comes to shove your readers will learn your groove and come to expect posts based on your own blog’s flow.

I generally post in the evenings and my audience knows that. Some read last night’s post the next morning others read them them as I publish. From each readers perceptive there is always something new on my blog as I post daily (at least I try to.)

I hope that helps, Emily. Maybe we can get other perceptives in the comments… How about you guys? When you do you post? Why do you post then?

Here’s some more thoughts on Posting for certain times from around the blogosphere…

• What Time of the Day is Best to Post to Your Blog
• What time of day do you like to post?
• What Time and Day Should I Publish In Order to Get The Most Traffic?