Taking breaks from blogging can be a double-edged sword for content creators. On one hand, it provides an opportunity to relax and recharge, but on the other, it can significantly impact blog traffic and engagement.

This year, I decided to experiment with two different approaches during my vacations to see how each affected my blog’s performance. From putting my blog on “vacation” to preparing content in advance, I learned valuable lessons about consistency, engagement, and the balance between quality and quantity.

Join me as I share my experiences from my travels and the insights I’ve gained about managing a blog while on the go.

A Vacation from Blogging

In July I went to Ireland for a couple weeks and put the blog on “vacation.” By that, I mean I wrote a blog post called Blogger on Vacation and then then told everyone to follow me on Instagram.

My views dropped down to half the normal rate for most of the vacation and my Instagram didn’t increase all that much. When I got back and started publishing again, it took me a couple weeks to get everything back up to where it normally is. So, my July traffic stats took a bit of a hit.

Preparing Blog Posts in Advance

I didn’t want things to drop again, so for this past vacation I decided to prepare a blog post to publish every other day (or close to it) while I was gone. I skipped my usual Monday Weekly Round-Up posts, but other than that, kept things running as normal. In fact, better than normal since I usually only post about three times a week. I wrote several new blogs and also republished a few old ones with updates.

The result? Blog traffic doubled! I’m not sure if it was from the blog posts themselves or from the regular posting schedule but I’m guessing a combo of both. So that proves the theory that posting more often does improve traffic. Probably no big surprise there.

However, I don’t think I can keep up with that pace. I enjoy posting and then having time to discuss it and share it. Otherwise I’m just cranking out articles and never really connecting with anyone.

That would be great if this were just some kind of mom blog machine, but I still like to keep it personal. So it was interesting to see the results, and I think it will inspire me to post on a regular basis, but I still favor quality over quantity. I’ve already seen the traffic drop a little since returning to my usual sporadic posting habit.

Posting Regularly Improves Traffic

In navigating the demands of blogging, it’s clear that finding the right balance between consistency and quality is essential for sustained engagement. My experiments during my vacations highlighted the impact of both approaches—taking a break can be refreshing, but keeping a consistent posting schedule seems to yield more significant traffic benefits. I guess it’s really no surprise that posting regularly on the blog improves traffic!

While I’ve learned that doubling the frequency of posts can lead to increased visibility, I remain committed to fostering genuine connections with my audience by prioritizing quality content.

Ultimately, the journey of a content creator involves continuous learning and adaptation. As I move forward, I aim to integrate the insights gained from my recent experiences, crafting a strategy that maintains both my passion for blogging and the engagement of my readers.