Blogger

Content might be king, but there’s plenty more that goes into running a successful blog. The content is just the first step. Without that, success is not possible. But there are a host of other issues that every blogger wants to address in order to succeed.

The best way to think about this is like a SCADA system. For those unfamiliar, SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition. Companies from far-ranging industries use SCADA systems to provide them with real-time information, so they know if problems arise and where. You can Create a SCADA System For Your Blog for your blog, so you can stay on top of everything related to your blog.

Checking for malfunctions

Many oil and gas companies use SCADA systems to pinpoint leaks in their pipes. When they get the information they can determine the source of the problem, the reason, and then act to solve it. Blog owners should employ a similar system for their blogs. This particularly involves ensuring that blog posts go up as scheduled, and that they broadcast to all the appropriate networks.

WordPress owners might know this all too well: sometimes blog posts don’t go live at their scheduled times. There’s an easy fix to this: subscribe to all of your blogs feeds. This means RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and any other place that automatically broadcasts your blog posts. That way you’ll know that the blog post went up as scheduled — and WordPress is notorious for missing schedules. It will also let you know that all of your feeds are working properly. If one of them doesn’t broadcast correctly, you’ll know you have to fix it.

Monitoring comments

Staying on top of the comments section can be a time suck. Comments are important, to be sure. They help foster discussion and encourage people to return to your blog. But a bad comments section can turn people away. As such, you’ll want to monitor what happens in your comments section. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to do this.

WordPress and other blog platforms will send you comments via email. I know many people who set up filters for these, so that they don’t see them. This is a mistake. Comment emails are highly useful. They first let you know that you got a comment. They then instantly let you know the nature of the comment. If it’s something that warrants a reply, you can click a link and reply. If it’s inappropriate, you can delete with a link from the email.

Keeping updated

Blog software often requires updates. Not only does WordPress release a new version every couple of months, but there are also updates for plugins. Keeping on top of these updates will keep your blog running efficiently. Thankfully, WordPress lets you know exactly when you need updates. There’s no need to check all of them; when you need an update, WordPress will let you know. You can even update right from your WordPress Dashboard.

Staying on top of keywords

Surely you want to stay on top of certain keywords, for SEO purposes. One way you can do this is to subscribe to a Google Alert. You can create Google Alerts for all keywords relevant to your niche, and stay on top of what shows up for each keyword. The idea is to eventually see your own content appear in these keywords.

What they’re saying about you

It might seem egotistical, but bloggers can certainly benefit from searching out their names and blog titles. It can provide insight into what people are saying about you and your site. It might not be necessary to engage everyone who says something, but just knowing they’re saying it can provide helpful tips.

You can also do this through Google Alerts, making sure to include blogs in the search. A Twitter search for your name and your blog’s name can help, too. That way you’ll know when people are talking, and what they’re talking about. The information can help you improve your blog.

There you have it: a complete SCADA system for your blog. Once you have it set up, it’s all automatic. You’ll see all of these alerts exactly when you need to see them. You can then take in the information and determine the appropriate course of action. Setting up a system like this turns something complex into something simple, allowing you to focus more on content, which is still king.