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How Not to Take a Blogging Hiatus

BY Jordann - 55 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

 

Last week, I stopped blogging. I didn't give notice, I didn't preschedule posts. I just stopped. It was a stupid idea, I knew that, but I did it anyway.

You see, I've been really busy with the blog lately, and when a business trip came up, I just didn't have the enthusiasm to go through pre-writing posts and contacting guest posters. I figured everything would be fine for a week while I was gone, what's the worst that could happen?

The Negative Impact of a Poorly Executed Blogging Hiatus

By letting my blog go stagnant for a week, I suffered the consequences. Naturally during the hiatus my traffic suffered, spiralling downward during the week of silence. Once I came back, it wasn't immediately business as usual. For a few days, my traffic was lower than usual, and it's only getting back to normal levels now.

My Alexa ranking also suffered. It had been inching down slowly and steadily. When I checked it at the beginning of this week, it had started to reverse that trend. As anyone who is chasing their Alexa ranking knows, this isn't what we want to see!

Luckily, I didn't lose any twitter followers or subscribers, but if I'd taken a longer break, I imagine I would've started shedding those too.

How to Successfully Take a Blogging Hiatus

Taking a break from blogging can be a great way to step away from the day to day and get some perspective. If done properly, it's easy to take a break while still bringing the same great content to your readers. Your traffic won't suffer, but you'll come back ready to write again.

When taking a blogging hiatus, try and schedule the same number of posts as would go up in your normal blogging schedule. In this arena, guest posts can come in handy because the guest poster can be responsible for promoting the post on social networks, and responding to comments.

Most fellow bloggers are more than happy to contribute if they know there's a need. Make sure you don't leave this to the last minute, give people a chance to get their writing done!

Prewriting and prescheduling posts can also be a useful tool for the blogging hiatus. The only downside is that if you're taking a true break, you probably won't be around to respond to the comments.

Again, having an extra set of hands can be very useful, and hiring someone just for the week to take care of promotion and commenting can give peace of mind. Having several generic posts that aren't time or season sensitive written in advance is a very easy way to get these prescheduled posts sorted out before taking a break from blogging.

Taking a Blogging Hiatus Has Benefits

Taking a break from blogging has many benefits. It's a chance to bring new and original content to your blog in the form of guest posts. It's a chance to relax and remember why you started blogging in the first place. This is exactly what happened to me.

Even though I did absolutely none of the things I suggested above, I still came back to my blog with new ideas. I also realized just how much I missed blogging and the PF community. I felt like I'd missed so many good posts in the week I'd been gone. Next time though, I'm going to do it right.

Have you ever taken a blogging hiatus? I want to know!

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Comments

  1. DC@Young Adult Money says

    November 2, 2012 at 6:18 am

    The thing about blogging or just running a content site in general is that consistency and momentum are your two best friends. It does sounds nice to take a week (or two week) hiatus, but as you said there are negative effects. Guest posts are great but I do get sick of sites that have too many guest posts. During a hiatus or vacation it's totally understandable, though.
    My recent post When a Renovation/Addition is NOT Worth It

    Reply

    • Odd Cents says

      November 2, 2012 at 5:11 pm

      I agree. I learnt the hard way and my site took a beating. I'm a little more organised now and the next time that I want to take a "break", I'll be prepared.
      My recent post How to Plan a Budget Wedding

      Reply

    • Jason Clayton says

      November 3, 2012 at 12:55 pm

      John, this is a great idea. I've done this as well. My first 2 months of blogging were filled with some of my best stuff, but had almost now visits (one had only 2 visits). I have only reposted one of my articles once, but may do it again in the future if I can't find time to write a new post.

      I also agree with everyone on the guest post thing. It is nice once in a while, but I tend to stop reading blogs that have nothing but guest posts.
      My recent post Great Reads of the Month (Monthly Roundup for October – 1st Addition) + a Video to bring in November with a smile

      Reply

  4. Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence says

    November 2, 2012 at 7:43 am

    I just took a hiatus to move to Guatemala and have no electricity so far at my house, so I am a bit away from it all. I could have done it better with more guest posts but in the end it wasn't too bad. I just put a lot of pressure on myself to have all the content ready before I left and keep promoting in whatever little window of wifi access that I got.
    My recent post Friday recap, a new house, and still no electricity!!

    Reply

  6. moneybeagle says

    November 2, 2012 at 8:14 am

    We did a few camping trips over the summer and there was never available Internet, so access to the blog wasn't really possible. I always had posts scheduled, so at the very least it never went dark. I did miss being able to interact with people that left comments as well as being able to comment on other sites, not to mention Twitter and such. Still, I tried to follow up on the comments left on my blog once I got back. It never really suffered too much. I think having at least a weeks worth of posts lined up is key, this gives you some breathing room for planned or unplanned time off.
    My recent post Blog Roundup: November 2, 2012

    Reply

  9. therandompath says

    November 2, 2012 at 10:01 am

    We took a mini-vacation recently, and although I did not post during that time, I did comment on other people's blogs when we were taking a break in our hotel room or while my daughter was taking a nap. That way, I was still interacting w/everyone.
    My recent post Goals For November

    Reply

  10. Frugalista Married says

    November 2, 2012 at 10:32 am

    I don't earn money off of my blog so it hardly matters so much for me. It's not a big deal if I don't post. When I went on vacation for two weeks it was silent for one week and I had guest posters for the 2nd week but I wasn't even going to do that; it just kind of happened. I usually don't go more than 7-10 days without posting and that's good enough for me. Sometimes I wish I made money off my blog but on the other hand I really don't want my blog to be a job. As it is sometimes I go through a slump even without the pressure of chasing an Alexa rating. I think that would drive me nuts!! I'm sure you'll be back in the saddle in no time.
    My recent post Halloween Hootchie Mama

    Reply

  11. Inside-Out Design says

    November 2, 2012 at 10:32 am

    This is so true! I've taken breaks before without preplanning and came back a few days later to find that my traffic had taken a nose dive and it was so depressing. This last time I had to go out of town I made sure to have easy posts scheduled to go up every day at the normal time. Even though I wasn't able to keep up with comments my traffic didn't suffer like the last time since I still had regular content. I'm going to try to never just stop blogging suddenly without planning for it! (ya know, except for those times when it just can't be helped.) But it's nice to come back and just hop back into the normal flow instead of feeling like I now have to fight to get my numbers back up.
    My recent post Frame Fillers

    Reply

  13. nikkiana says

    November 2, 2012 at 11:07 am

    This is one of those topics where I feel that it really depends on what your goals are with blogging as to how much this matters. I'm a person who keeps pretty minimal tabs on her stats. I pretty much only care about page view and that's more to keep tabs on what sort of topics my readers enjoy and what sort of topics that they skip. It doesn't bother me if they're up one day and down the next… On the occasions where I take a week long break (and it happens, I get busy) I just let things go. While my stats might decrease, my follower stats rarely decrease substantially. They don't grow, but they don't shrink either. Having guest posts doesn't really fit with my blog…. I don't do them on a regular basis, my readership isn't accustomed to them, and on the rare occasion that I have done them… my readership doesn't seem to respond to them so for me it just feels like a whole lot of effort for little gain.
    My recent post Post-Hurricane Guilt

    Reply

  14. Living Debt Free Rocks! says

    November 2, 2012 at 11:51 am

    Being new to the blog world I can't relate about taking a hiatus but I do understand the fundamentals of consistency of posts and solid material to just attract new readers. I do agree with your point that it's healthy to take a hiatus on from time to time and often you'd come back to your blog more inspired. Welcome back and thanks for stopping by my blog!

    Reply

  16. Sarah Bailey says

    November 2, 2012 at 12:58 pm

    Last year my sad kicked in badly and I spent 2/3 months away really posting 10 – 15 times at most where my normal is a lot more. It took me a long time to come back from it and I'm so worried how I will cope this year – I'm hoping I can keep going, hopefully if I can't I'll be able to call on a few friends to guest post.. But it's amazing how damaging it can be.
    My recent post Pooch Pack – Review

    Reply

  17. Peter says

    November 2, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    I think being able to take a hiatus is one reason why having good search engine referrals is important. If you mainly have other bloggers visiting your posts, if you take a hiatus and stop commenting on their sites and interacting – you'll see a drop off. If more of your traffic is search engine traffic often you'll see that your traffic doesn't really drop off much while you're gone. I took a week long vacation a while back, and because a majority of my traffic is from search engines, my traffic didn't really dip at all. Of course it takes a while and writing about the right topics to be able to get to that point.
    My recent post FreedomPop Review: Free 4G Wireless Internet Access Can Help You Save On Your Cell Phone Bill

    Reply

  18. JT/CFM says

    November 2, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    If you really want to turn blogging into more than a hobby, you have to be consistent like you said. Otherwise, the impact is noticeable. I did schedule some material for one of my blogs when I was out of the country for 10 days, but the others were just sitting there and the difference is noticeable.
    My recent post Dying a Slow Death

    Reply

  19. Budget & the Beach says

    November 2, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    I didn't even know you took a hiatus! I swear I was reading something just about every day! Yeah I agree with you. But sometimes I don't know when I'll all of a sudden get busy and won't have time to write. I think I could solve that by when I do have time, writing a bunch of things and having something waiting in the wings.
    My recent post November Goals

    Reply

    • Jordann says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:18 pm

      I have that problem too, and I find that guest posts are really helpful in that situation. Another thing I found helpful was assigning myself a topic. That way I had something to talk about, instead of casting around for some inspired thoughts on something.
      My recent post My Minimalist Christmas

      Reply

  21. femmefrugality says

    November 2, 2012 at 7:27 pm

    I took a a haitus this summer when I went on vacay. My Alexa ranking still hasn't recovered. The funny thing is is that I had prescheduled posts. But I wasn't commenting like crazy. My traffic is at a level that I'm pleased with, but that targeted audience has gone in other directions. I'm okay with that as long as my traffic continues to grow. It's all about finding balance and sanity in my opinion. The second this stops being fun and starts being a chore it's just like any other job. And for me, that kind of defeats the purpose.
    My recent post When Procrastination is Frugal: Free Shipping Day

    Reply

    • Jordann says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:19 pm

      If your traffic is mostly other bloggers, then your alexa ranking is bound to take a hit if you stop commenting on other blogs. I agree, I still love writing my blog, but if I wanted another part time job, I'd get one that paid better. 🙂
      My recent post My Minimalist Christmas

      Reply

  22. @LifeDollarSense says

    November 3, 2012 at 9:51 am

    This post has some great suggestions but has me worried! I am super busy at work in January and February and I know I will barely be able to look at my blog. I need to start pre-writing and asking for guest post now. But since I am a new blog I don't know if that will be enough to get me through two months. I don't have that many connections yet.
    My recent post Fight to Freedom Report-October

    Reply

  24. wmwo says

    November 3, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    I definitely went the wrong route on taking a blogging hiatus. First a month off where I wasn't posting anything, which I lost followers over. Then I switched to a site talking about more than just money, so I lost some of my straight finance followers. Then I didn't keep up a set posting schedule, and posted willy nilly. As a result, my average hits are about 10% what they used to be. Fortunately my blog isn't a source of income, so it hasn't hurt me in that regard.

    Reply

  25. tacklingourdebt says

    November 3, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Everything you mentioned is important if you want a blog that continues to grow.

    Earlier this year, after working on my blog for 3 months straight, I burned out and took an abrupt week off with no pre-planning. While it was nice to have the week away from the computer, it was a big mistake. As someone mentioned above, momentum is huge when trying to build a good blog, and mine dropped, and it has taken a long time to get back the traffic I had.
    My recent post Friday's Circle of Friends and Random Facts About Some of Them

    Reply

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