Consistency is one of the best ways to create a successful blog. It is very important in keeping the interest of your visitors. However, this level of consistently can be difficult, especially if it requires your presence for every single post.
Luckily, WordPress allows you to schedule your posts for publication ahead of time. That way you do not always have to be online to ensure that you make regular posts. Simply write bulk articles then schedule when you want them to be published, including the specific date and time. Today we look at the advantages of scheduling your blog posts and share with you a few methods that will help you to do so.
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Benefits of scheduling your blog posts
- One of the main benefits of scheduling your posts is that you can reach a wider cross-section of audience during peak hours. This way you can leverage the existing traffic to increase your page views.
- Scheduling your post comes in handy especially if your main audience lives within a different time zone. So, you can schedule WordPress posts to go live at 3 AM your time and reach visitors at their peak hour and time zone. You do not have to stay up to publish posts simply schedule them.
- Even when your passion is your career, you still need a vacation. Whenever you take one you’ll be able to dedicate your time to having fun with friends and/or family while your posts are being automatically published.
How to schedule posts in WordPress
Scheduling your posts definitely help you to manage your workload whenever you have a busy week. All you have to do is write your posts ahead of time and set a future publication date with a specific time. Automated publication allows you to make new posts at just the right time. There are several ways to schedule blog posts on your WordPress site. Choose the one that works best for you.
Option #1- Schedule blog posts in Block Editor
From the editor screen, schedule your blog by opening the post you want to schedule, then in the right sidebar select the Document Tab. Right under Status & Visibility, you will notice that by default your post is set to be published Immediately. Click on it and it will open a calendar. From there you can select the date and time you want your blog to go live. After doing this, click on the blue Schedule button. Click anywhere outside the calendar to close it.
Option #2- Scheduling posts in Classic Editor
If you are more comfortable using the older Classic Editor, have no fear. It is still possible and easy to schedule your posts from there. When doing so, simply open the post you want to schedule, and then click on the Publish button. As it is with Block Editor, your post by default is set to publish immediately. Select the edit link that’s next to the publish immediately button. From there you will access the date and the time settings. A calendar will not pop up as it does in Block Editor, instead, you will just be able to enter the date, and time that you want to publish the post. Ensure you use a 24-hour clock so there is no error as it relates to the time a blog is posted. After you schedule the post, click OK.
Option #3- Using plugin to schedule WordPress posts
WordPress is known for having thousands of plugins that help to improve your website’s functionality. So, it’s no surprise that there are plugins that can help you to schedule your blog posts. The added advantage of using a plugin is that you will have access to more advanced automatic publishing features such as the ability to simply drag and drop posts, to schedule them. These plugins include WP Scheduled Posts and CoSchedule.
WP Scheduled Posts provide you with an editorial calendar. This is helpful in keeping track of your authors if you have multiple persons who prepare content for you. Getting a premium plan will allow you to add new posts straight into the calendar. With it, you will get an Auto Scheduler and Missed Post Handler features.
CoSchedule will provide you with a content and marketing scheduling system. You will still have to schedule blog posts as described above using WordPress editor. However, CoSchedule will allow you to manage your scheduled blog posts, marketing campaigns, and social media content using a single calendar. However, this plugin comes at a cost.
Troubleshooting WordPress scheduled posts
Even though it is quite simple to schedule WordPress posts, sometimes issues arise that can affect the process. Luckily, there are easy solutions to these common problems.
1. Ensure you are set in the right time zone
It’s possible to choose the wrong time zone for your publication. To double-check if you have set the right time zone, go your WordPress dashboard select settings, click on general and scroll down to time zone. There you will see the time zone that your site is currently set to. If it is incorrect, simply make the changes and click save.
2. Dealing with a missed post
For everything you do, it is important that you have a fail-safe in place. The same applies to your scheduled posts. It is possible for something to go wrong, preventing your blog from being posted as expected. Therefore, you should invest in a plugin that will check for and publish missed scheduled posts for you. That way if your posts are not published automatically the plugin can still get your content onto your site even if it is a little late.
How to view all scheduled posts in WordPress
To view all your scheduled WordPress posts, simply go to posts then click on all posts in your WordPress admin, then select schedules. There you will see all the scheduled WordPress posts that are in the queue.
Is it Possible to unschedule a post?
It is quite simple to unschedule a WordPress post, if you decide that you no longer want to publish a previously scheduled blog or want to change the date. Simply edit the post and change the status from scheduling to draft. While in draft, you can continue working on the post. When you are done, you can publish it right away, if that is what you want or schedule its publication for another time.
Summary
Consistently creating content and actually posting them to your blog is one of the key principles of a successful site. By scheduling your blog posts in advance, you will attract loyal followers. That is because they know when exactly to look out for your posts. You will not miss a publication day because you are too busy or do not have access to the internet.
Your consistency by virtue of scheduling, also makes it much easier for you to manage your workload, monitor and grow your website. If you already have a blog and want to improve traffic, scheduling your posts on a consistent basic will help greatly.
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