Should we or should we not use autoblogging as a method to maintain our blog, improve traffic and overall presence?
Although we’re deeply into 2018, the question about autoblogging is still equally important. Should this technique still be something we use or not and why? Now, before we dig into a detailed explanation, let us first address what autoblogging is – for all of you who are just starting with your blogs.
Autoblogging or Content Aggregation is a techique of posting content from another sites automatically, with the use of specific tools and softwares.
But, it grew to be much more than that. Today, you can choose not only to automate posts and feeds but social sharing as well. And that, my friends, is a big thing in your blog promotion strategy.
The point of autoblogging isn’t that it does stuff for you while you sit back and enjoy. It’s about delegating and using your time in more productive things. Think of it as your apprentice that does a part of your, maybe less desirable work, while you research the next post. Or handling some other day-to-day tasks.
Do people still use autoblogging nowadays and should you? They sure are and you should too. Why are there so many articles and posts describing not to use this method? We’ll explain that as well.
Let this article serves you as your guide to autoblogging with WordPress since we’ll be covering all the relevant plugins and tools that will help you automate some part of your blogging business.
How and why should you use autoblogging as one of your tactics?
For example, you want to have a curated feature on your blog with topics that are relevant to your audience. Or, you want to gather news and trends from the industry you’re covering since you only have much time to cover all by yourself. So, autoblogging would save you time and still bring value from your blog to the readers. You see, we’re not talking about having a completely automated blog where you just set up tools, and business is done. No, that is so 2012., and besides, Google doesn’t like it. We’re talking about automating some parts of your overall blogging presence and helping you improve your content, strategy, and value for your visitors.
Now, about those concerns that it shouldn’t be done. If you’re thinking of going full-auto blog way, we should warn you it is quite risky. First and most important, having an auto blog means you’ll be having a blog with duplicate content – and you know what Google thinks of it. Secondly, what is your goal for it and what value do you provide for the visitors? These are things to consider when thinking about implementing an auto blog idea.
That being said, the best way to make autoblogging work is through good strategy and the use of proper tools. By strategy, we mean you need a solid goal and tactics that will lead you to reach that goal. And by tools, we mean proper plugins and software products we’re about to recommend. Aligned with these productivity apps we mentioned earlier, you’ll be maximizing your workflow like a pro! Once you decide on which tool to use, all that’s left to do is choose the feeds you want to show on your blog, schedule the dynamics, and let the process begin.
Autoblogging with WordPress how-to tutorial
Once you set up your mind on building a web presence, you need a solid, reliable platform, a content marketing strategy and a plan, a niche, and topic ideas, to put your blog alive. And what better platform to choose than WordPress which already covers more than 43.3% of all websites in the world. That says a lot about its trustworthiness, right? You can go from either free or premium WordPress themes, choosing the one that best suits your needs and you’re almost halfway there in creating a solid online space for yourself and your audience. Afterward, you’ll need a name for your blog and a brand, defining one that is easy to remember still relevant to your niche and industry you plan to cover. It’s an important step that many seem to miss. Then, define topics and a niche for your blog, choose the right blogging and autoblogging plugins, and start building your web presence!
So, to sum it up in steps here’s how to do a good proper autoblogging with WordPress:
- choose a platform (WordPress)
- choose the theme (free or a premium one)
- name your blog
- choose the topic and a niche
- choose the plugins
- set up the content strategy and start blogging!
Autoblogging WordPress plugin recommendations
WP RSS Aggregator
WP RSS Aggregator is a free WordPress plugin that works on self-hosted sites and blogs and is not compatible with the .com versions. That being said, WP RSS WordPress Aggregator works in a way that imports content from various sources and makes it to guest posts like these:
Some of the free features are:
- Import any number of feed items from multiple RSS Feeds.
- Incorporates feed auto-discovery to add feed sources without knowing the exact URL (not guaranteed to work for all sources).
- Display feed items via the shortcode.
- Only import feed items with unique titles.
- Limit the number of feed items stored.
- Link the title and source name to the source.
- Choose to hide or show the date and source of each feed item.
- Choose to display the original author’s name with each feed item.
Premium add-ons turn this autoblogging plugin into much more, giving you abilities to import YouTube videos, build news sites, get keyword-based content on your site, and more. Just look at all the features on their site.
RSS Post Importer
Another great autoblogging plugin that imports content via RSS and publishes it as a full article. That way, you’ll be sharing relevant curated content that brings more value to your readers.
You decide the frequency of automated posts import them based on keywords or tags you suggest.
Some of the features are:
- Display the full content of the articles.
- Importing feeds automatically using cron.
- Importing the full-text RSS feeds content.
- Chose to only display the titles of posts.
- Set the number of posts and categories per feed.
- Set what author to assign imported content to.
WP Robot 5
This is a premium WordPress plugin that serves not only as an autoblogging tool but can also as an affiliate tool as well. So let’s say you want to start affiliate marketing business with WordPress you can do one well with the use of this plugin. It supports more than 30 biggest content resources which you can publish on your site on autopilot. The basic subscription version costs you $99/y for all the resources and you can use it on three websites.
If you’re not sure whether to use this plugin or not, there’s a test drive you can use to check if it suits your needs. No registration is required, just go over to their demo blog and start playing with it.
Magic Post Thumbnail
Speed up and maximize your blogging process by using this tool that handles your featured images automatically. Magic Post Thumbnail scans through various image databases – free to use – and puts them within your posts. There is a premium version as well and it will costs you $29. It generates thumbnails for one or many posts and pages, configure time interval for those images and more. All that’s left to do for you is go through the type of photo you’d like and set up the plugin for work.
Revive Old Posts
It is in a way an autoblogging plugin, meaning it serves as an automated sharing tool of your old posts on Social. Install it and use to share both new and old posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr. Keep those posts promoted and alive. You can set up time between posts, choose the number of posts to share or use hashtags and even exclude some categories or specific posts from sharing if you want to.
The Premium version comes with more control over how and where to post what content, gives you custom post types support, custom schedule, share messages, and more.
Autoblogging tools
IFTTT
One of the best automating tools in the market, for sure. IFTTT is a software tool that you use to automate almost anything you can think of – and not just for blog purposes! Hoverer, since it is the main topic of this article, we’ll stick to that particular subject. IFTTT is a free platform that helps you be more productive and efficient through automating some of the processes of your work.
For instance, you can automate to share your blog post on Facebook and other Social media channels. Or, choose to autoblog about your Pinterest pins. Maybe cross-post from WordPress blog to Tumblr? Or, publish your new videos as WordPress blog posts? Either way, whatever you can think of, you can manage to do with this great tool. And, just in case you get stuck, there are literally tons of already premade applets and services made by other users! So, just search and find the one you need. Think of it as your endless bag of free tricks and ideas for autoblogging and automated processes. And, another great thing is you can use it through your phone as well since it comes as an Android and iOS app.
Buffer
Speaking of automated sharing, there is one specific tool that helps you manage to post, saving you time and money along the way. Buffer is an automated tool that you use to schedule your blog posts but also track and analyze performance and manage all your social accounts from one place. How does it work? Pretty much as your Social Media Assistant, Buffer automatically post anything you set up and so that you want it to.
Whether it’s those fine visuals, the article you just wrote, an old blog post you want to repromote – just set up a scheduling routine, fill the app with content, and you’re done!
Bundlepost
Another useful Social Media posting and scheduling tool you can use to automate some parts of your blog work. Bundlepost lets you share all types of content – flogs, feeds, posts, videos, images, you name it. It’s simple to use, doesn’t take up much of your time and you can have your social sharing strategy done in minutes. It isn’t free, but you have a 24h tryout, after what you choose from three options, starting at $39/$49 whether you pay quarterly or monthly.
Autoblogging with WordPress do’s and don’ts
Autoblogging nowadays is more than content aggregation, as it evolved into a valuable source of information as well as a powerful branding and marketing tool. Do it wisely, and autoblogging will help you establish yourself as a trustworthy source, authority, and influencer within your niche. With that in mind, here are the most common do’s and don’ts to follow and build yourself as a strong readership and presence.
Do’s
Be authentic
Just as in regular blogging, develop your own unique sense of style with curated content. That means, look for complement (and always credible) sources, sites, and media outlets that are from your niche or complementary to it, that are up to date with the latest news from the industry.
Use various sources
It’s considered a good practice to have a wide pool of sources to pull fresh, relevant content from. That way, you’ll diversify your blog or site and make it always interesting to come back to.
Optimize as well
Make sure your intro, meta description, and any piece of content are optimized as well as your original content. Just because you’re automating the blogging process, doesn’t mean you don’t get to modify headlines and content to serve even better to your readers and SEO as well.
Don’ts
Share spontaneously without thinking of your target audience, always
Remember, it’s the quality that matters, not quantity. Always think of your target audience, your readers and visitors. What it is they want to know more about, find out, learn, experience? Take your time to find and curate the most valuable and relevant content and you’ll be on your way of becoming a trustworthy source for the long run.
Be inconsistent
The same goes for autoblogging as to regular blogging. Set up a WordPress content marketing strategy to ensure you have a steady flow of published content to keep people engaged and come back for more. A good plan is key to attract the right people and drive them to your site.
Replace your own content with curated one
Just because you now have the means to automate parts of your work, doesn’t mean you stop writing. Google, as well as other search engines, loves diversity and authenticity, don’t let them consider you as scrape site or spam for using only curated content.
To conclude
Plugins like these help you build your blog up, gain respect and credibility, bringing people value. Not only from your articles but also with the carefully curated relevant content – and all that automatically. By investing some time at the beginning of the automating process, you’ll build a more sustainable blog and offer more to your readers by clearing the time in the long run for other parts of your blogging business. Doesn’t it sound great?
Share your thoughts with us and let us know how these plugins and tools have helped you. And if you just happen to be looking for a new WordPress theme for your blog, check out ours, we might have just the right theme for you!