Using Spreadsheets for Blogging

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Why in heaven’s name would anyone be using spreadsheets for blogging? For many of the fledgling bloggers out there – and even some professionals who are working as writers for company blogs – the idea of applying something so boring to creative tasks can be a turn off. But the thing is, spreadsheets may actually give you the edge you need to get ahead of the competition and to become a better blogger.

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See, serious blogging is not just about being creative; it’s also about being effective. If you’re serious about making money from your blog, you can’t just set up a blog, write whatever and whenever, and then expect to grow a following. You need to have an actual plan. And if planning is the key to your success, you need to start using spreadsheets for blogging.

Why spreadsheets?

Love it or hate it, the spreadsheet is considered to be an excellent tool for planning projects and tracking project progress. Contrary to the belief of many people, spreadsheets for blogging aren’t just there to help you get your numbers straight. If you’re a lone professional blogger, they’re there to help you organize your projects so you wouldn’t forget what you’re supposed to be doing at some point, and to what purpose. If you happen to be a professional blogger who works with a team, they help you keep track of who needs to do what for which time.

Whether you’re working independently, on-site, or through a virtual office system, having spreadsheets and knowing how to use them make tasks less confusing, thus making you more efficient and effective. Using spreadsheets for blogging can actually do more for you than a simple calendar would – used right, they can CONTEXTUALIZE the work you do.

How bloggers can use spreadsheets

There are many uses for spreadsheets if you happen to be a serious blogger; how you use it, of course, really does depend on your blogging personality:

  • Editorial plan sheets/calendars are best for bloggers who are working on multiple overlapping long-term projects not just for themselves, but for their clients as well. The best part about them is that they also let you see the content you have produced, will produce, and currently producing – which can also give you NEW content ideas, or ideas for repurposed content. They also help you keep the purpose of each piece of content in mind, as well as prioritize accordingly. These are the most commonly used spreadsheets for blogging.
  • Keyword References are excellent for bloggers who want to stay on top of their SEO efforts. As far as spreadsheets for blogging go, these are the ones that are the trickiest to create and update (especially if you’re not very good at looking at numbers). But they really do help you understand which keywords are worth prioritizing. Protip: If you can have the program CREATE GRAPHS, so it’ll be easier for you to understand the information you have.
  • Content Tracking Spreadsheets are great for bloggers who want to either spread or protect the content they create. Given how valuable content is these days, it is important that you keep track of where your content appear and how it is used by other people. Not only does this let you crack down on potential plagiarists; it also helps you remember which relevant websites you have submitted your content to (so you can avoid submitting the same content to different sites for guest blogging).

There are other ways by which bloggers make use of spreadsheets for blogging efforts. Far from being tedious, they can actually inspire a lot of creativity – if you let them.

Do you already use spreadsheets for blogging? How do you use them?

2 thoughts on “Using Spreadsheets for Blogging

  1. Spreadsheet is one of the most important tools any business could use may it be online or non-online. This is very helpful in planning, tracking and organizing of business plans and records. I’ve been using this since I started with my business.

    1. Thanks for commenting, and I’m glad that you agree!

      I know that there are people out there who feel uncomfortable using spreadsheets – I used to be one of them. But after I got the hang of using them, I couldn’t imagine being productive without those little cells. 🙂

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