If you’re looking for the blogging statistics to help you improve your content marketing, you’ve come to the right place!
Blogs are increasing in popularity with businesses because blogging is increasingly critical to marketing success and it gives your brand an additional way to connect with its potential customers. I hope that these business blogging statistics will help you decide what your business needs to do to maximize your digital marketing through your corporate blog.
How Popular is Blogging?
Let’s begin with numbers that hint at the popularity of blogs today.
1. There are approximately 572 million blogs on the Internet in 2022
Globally, there are approximately 572 million blogs on the internet today. Although not all of those blogs are currently active and producing content regularly, many of them are, and it makes it vastly important that your blogging efforts are utilizing the latest and best in visual content, writing prowess, and subject matter. With that many blogs, it is not necessarily an easy market to tap into, but the availability of blogging space also means that you can leverage your blogging platform, visuals, and content to stand out among those millions of blogs and effectively deliver the best possible content for your niche and subject matter.
2. Nearly 9 million blog posts are being published every day
Blogs are excellent to deliver information. The blogging industry has come a long way, going from acting as a simple online journal to functioning as the best possible way to deliver written content to new and existing customers, and even acting as complementary to video content and more. While there may be 9 million blog posts being published each day, it is vital to focus on the blog and even video content that most closely aligns with your own, and determine how to stand out in your market. Rather than focusing on your posts per month, or posts per day, pay close attention to your blogging stats and determine if you should be among those posting every day, or those that are best served by posting less frequently and more powerfully.
3. Blogs are read by 77% of people on the Internet
Blogging trends suggest that blogs are read by 77% of people on the internet–a truly staggering number. No matter the precise times per week blogs are being read, or even the average blog post length, the statistic remains the same: blogs continue to draw people in and continue to function as an important form of marketing. If 77 out of 100 of your customers are reading blog posts, you can’t afford to ignore this particular type of social media platform, or the importance of blog content quality.
Blogging statistics prove blogs have a great ROI
One thing I love about blogs is that they’re out there forever. And every time you publish a blog post, it can be indexed by Google for consumers to find later. Here’s how it adds up for your average business according to Hubspot:
4. Blogging leads to 55% more website visitors
You would assume that if you blog, that blog content gets indexed by search engines and at some point you receive more organic traffic, right? Well, it’s true and simple: Those companies that blog will get more website visitors than those that don’t.
5. Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more monthly leads than companies that don’t
Provided that websites are maintained, the vast majority of blog posts that you create will stick around and provide easy social shares for your business or brand. Whether the blog post your team wrote 3 years ago suddenly goes viral, or a brand-new post suddenly invites a great deal of interest thanks to an enterprising influencer’s social shares, companies that focus on blogging as part of their content marketing efforts consistently see results. From guest posts to simple how-to pieces, blogs can quickly and easily connect you with your audience and provide ongoing value.
6. Businesses that blog have 126% higher lead growth than those that don’t
If there is one of these blogging statistics that makes it clear of the value of blogs, it is this one. A blog attracts Internet users from search engines and social media, and assuming your website is designed for lead generation, a blog becomes an essential engine in that lead generation machine.
7. Producing content costs 62% less than traditional marketing formats, but generates 3x the leads.
Part of this cost reduction, of course, is the fact that you pay less for distribution. Writing doesn’t require special software, either. You can create great content with just an internet-connected computer and business applications. No graphics design tools, or anything like that. Of course, superior lead generation results in part from the fact that content stays out there to access any time.
8. Prioritizing your blog increases your chance of making money off of it by 13x.
In other words, writing a blog shouldn’t just be a mindless task that you do at random. Instead, make the blog an important part of your marketing and content strategy. Set aside time to make a quality post, and put forward your best work. Get an editor to make sure it’s easy to read, and answers plenty of questions. If you’re having trouble finding time, then consider hiring someone to help you. It’s that important.
9. 61% of online consumers in the United States have made at least one purchase based on a blog post recommendation.
Perhaps one of the greatest values offered by blogs is the ability to recommend and review products. Blogs are valuable not only when they are housed within your own site or socials, but also when they are leveraged to partner with other people and brands. Search engines revealing partnered reviews can be an important traffic source for blogs, as can your own blog posts providing important and relevant information peppered with links to the products and services you are offering. Blogs provide a way to speak directly to your target audience, and the majority of bloggers on social media today use this to their advantage to increase sales.
10. 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles rather than advertisem*nts.
Advertisem*nts often seem too scripted or hollow, even when they are delivered through affiliate marketing channels. Whether articles are coming from lower-income bloggers with few followers or high-income bloggers with countless followers, many people prefer the laid-back or personable approach blogs offer, versus the closed off or one-sided marketing offered by traditional advertising routes. Articles on blogs offer more insightful and intentional information about companies, products, and brands than a simple advertisem*nt is able to.
Further Reading: The 6 Huge Benefits of Business Blogging
Blogging Statistics Show That Blogs Drive Traffic
Did you know that blogs run by a business work to drive internet traffic to the site? One reason for this is that blogs offer you the opportunity to answer customer questions. This gives the customer something valuable…but they have to come to your website to get it.
Consider this:
11. Businesses that do 4 or more blog posts per week get 3.5x the traffic of those who post one or fewer weekly.
I must admit that this is a lot of writing. And a lot of time is spent on content creation. However, blogging increases your business’ presence on the Web. More pages of skillfully written content on your website have the ability to catch, and retain, consumer attention. This goes far beyond the “50% off last year’s products” pitch.
Part of this is due to the fact that:
12. 23% of social media posts contain links to blogs.
Think about that for a minute. Anyone who takes a look through their Facebook feed will notice that there are status updates from friends, clever memes, political rants and…links. Many of those links are to blogs of various sorts, whether from traveling friends or a nonprofit group. And of course, many of the blogs will be commercial in nature. Create quality posts, and a share of the traffic is yours for the taking.
Just as importantly:
13. More than 1/3 of all websites include a blog.
That’s a huge segment of the internet, isn’t it? Of course, some websites are exclusively a blog, without much other content such as shopping or news. However, this large percentage demonstrates that many business websites also include blogs. The type of content can vary widely, from discussions of what kind of tile to put in your bathroom, to beauty tips and stock analysis.
Further Reading: 18 Tricks to Increase Blog Traffic
Blogging Statistics Show That Blogs Have SEO Advantages
One other important reason why most websites have a blog, which also explains how they drive traffic, is to consider blogging from an SEO perspective. Consider this:
14. Blogs can result in a 434% increase in indexed pages
The more pages of content that are indexed, the higher the chance that in the huge roulette wheel that is the Google search algorithm, your content will appear more often on more pages for more content ultimately leading to more website traffic.
15. 97% more inbound links are generated by companies who blog
Blogs are normally resourceful, educational, and evergreen content, the perfect content that others would want to link to. While there aren’t many websites that want to link to your homepage, if your blog post contains authoritative content, that will naturally generate more inbound links, one of the prime currencies for improving your website’s search engine optimization.
Further Reading: 10 Top Tips to Increase Your Blog Post SEO
Blogs are a great way to distribute content
Yes, really. I’ve talked about email marketing at length before, and this is certainly an efficient way to distribute content. But unless you have a customer’s permission to email them, your ability to do so legally is limited. How can you solve that problem? Put your content in a place that allows a browsing customer to find it for themselves. That’s one reason blogs are awesome.
In fact,
16. 65% of content marketers say blogs are their most-used format.
Let’s unpack this a little bit: One reason that blogs are used so much is that the content originator controls access. Distribute something on Facebook or Instagram, and you’ll have to pay advertising fees to keep it online. Email marketing is useful, but at some point the email you sent is going to get pushed to the bottom of your customer’s inbox. But if something is posted on your website, it stays there until you take it down. Pay for content generation once, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
17. 45% of B2B marketers say blogging is their second-best marketing method.
That’s after email, of course! One of the advantages of email is that it goes directly to the consumer. But as I’ve said before, the content can get lost, so better to save those for newsletters or sale announcements. By contrast, blog posts are available by Google search any time. And if blogging wasn’t an awesome way for a B2B marketer to distribute content, content marketers wouldn’t be doing it. Either way, blogging gives customers a way to get to know you, which has a way of boosting sales later.
18. 59% of B2B marketers say blogs are the most important tool they use.
This blogging statistic is an interesting contrast to the one above, especially given that these numbers add up to more than 100%. But the stats are actually a bit different from each other. Why? Importance is hard to measure against effectiveness. Email is often aimed at immediate customer response, such as purchases during a promotion. By contrast, blogs are usually more interested in consumer education or talking about what’s going on at a company. Both help sell goods and services, but in different ways.
In fact, blogging has become so popular that a Content Management System (CMS) created specifically for blogging,
19. WordPress now controls 36% of all websites on the Internet.
WordPress was originally created as a blog system, and the fact that it empowers more than a third of the world’s websites hints at WordPress’ – and blogging’s – popularity.
Informative blog posts get passed on.
Really, they do.
Think about that number another way: viewers think that something is useful to them 47 million times a day. These can be educational blog posts, or announcements about some social initiative undertaken by your company. Maybe someone knows that a friend is facing a certain problem, and sees the solution in a blog post.
Speaking of which:
Help can come in many different forms. For example, if an area Realtor has a blog post about choosing a house for a large family, that post might be shared with a large family by someone who knows they’re looking for a new home. At the same time, a thrifty Millennial might send a blog post about fixing leaky faucets that they found on a plumber’s site to their friends. In both cases, the “giving away” of free help can result in the purchase of services by someone who needs them.
Shorter isn’t always better
When writing a blog, you want to ensure that posts are the right length. Write something that is too long, and a time-challenged consumer might skip it. Make it too short, and you risk not covering the topic adequately. Remember that people share helpful posts, so you’ll want to ensure your blog meets this benchmark regularly.
22. On average, a blog post contains 1,236 words.
While an Orbit Media study showed that average blog post word count was 808 words back in 2014, this number continues to increase.
The below statistic might be the reason for the increase in average word count:
23. Want a top Google ranking? Shoot for 1,140 to 1,285 words.
I like this blogging statistic because it shows that medium-length posts are favored by Google. It allows you to get quite a bit said, but at the same time doesn’t get too long winded. Remember, especially in business your customers are often busy, so you’ll want to get to the point.
At the same time,
24. Only 18% of commercial blog posts are over 750 words.
Think about it: write 300 more words, and boost your chances of getting a top Google ranking. As everyone knows, this ranking is important for getting your content discovered. Social distribution is important too, but Google rankings help when a potential customer is asking a question.
25. Long posts create 9x the sales leads of short ones.
Without a doubt, part of this has to do with search engine placement. At the same time, being able to answer an established customer’s question or make a connection with your reader are helped with long form content. These factors are what drive sales, so this blogging statistic is too important to ignore.
Lastly,
26. Those whose posts are over 2,000 words get the strongest results.
This is a revision that my friend Frank Strong, whose excellent post is linked above, rightfully points out through this diagram created by another friend, Andy Crestodina, below:
There are many reasons why this is the case, but longer blog posts:
- are harder and require more time to write and thus help differentiate your value
- go deeper on topics and thus people remain on your site longer, which sends a positive signal to Google
- have a greater chance of building backlinks because of their depth hinted at by content length
Perhaps this is why many SEO experts will say, so long as it is good content, the longer the better.
In terms of this blog, I have also gone from a minimum of 750 words per blog post to 1,500 words per blog post in 2018. For my own blog posts I try to maintain a minimum of 2,000 words.
Thanks Frank for helping to set the record straight!
Further Reading: How Long Should a Blog Post Be? The Definitive Answer for Every Post
Make your posts relevant
Want to leverage your blog posts to increase sales? Make sure the blog is relevant to your target audience. Otherwise, they are less likely to be read, and less likely to be shared with others. In order to be relevant, you need to ensure that you are sensitive to your audience-type. Consider this:
27. 96% of B2B buyers like hearing from industry experts.
At the same time,
28. 58% of customers trust content prepared by editors.
Blogs need to be relevant to their audience. Industry experts in B2B marketing often include management of medium or large companies. They can also include academics if applicable, researchers, and other professionals who know a lot about your field. For B2C businesses, the focus is a little bit different. Customers like to hear from people who have used these products, reviewed various options, and decided what’s right for them. Content (and blogs) written by editors includes third-party generated opinions.
What these blogging statistics show in both cases, however, is that potential buyers prefer to hear from people like them when making purchasing decisions. Seeing what others enjoy, use, or think is instructive any time someone is deciding on a course of action themselves.
Readability is key
No use writing a brilliant blog post only to have people pass it over, right? After all, the value of blogging is to have customers read it, share it, and act on it. The most pertinent posts are the ones that people remember the best, and that customers are more likely to “reward” with sales. So, what blogging statistics can help us format our posts to be useful?
29. 43% of consumers skim blog articles.
This means that your potential customer is going to look at the page quickly, and decide in a few seconds if they’re going to digest the whole thing.
30. Blog content with images receives 94% more views.
Although blogs seem to be primarily word-based, blog content does still need to demonstrate some understanding of visual cues and design. Blog content with images is far more likely to garner and maintain interest than a simple wall of text, simply because text punctuated by images and line breaks is easier to engage with, easier to read, and more readily digestible. When you are creating your blog content, source images that either directly relate to the subject matter or are peripherally related, and are created using high-quality images or graphic design programs and materials. Although photos with blog content as a whole are preferable, blogs will be better received if the accompanying images are of higher quality, and are easy to understand or decipher, in the case of infographics and other graphic images.
31. List-based headlines are preferred 36% of the time.
Likely, one reason for this is that skimmers can get right to the point of a blog. If they really need to gather more information from your blog, they can always do that later. Either way, you have provided relevant, useful and hopefully high quality content to a potential customer. You never know when that’s going to pay dividends.
Further Reading:
By the way, if you are still on the fence about blogging, outside of these blogging statistics you should check out the thought-provoking article Are Blogs Still Relevant Today?
How has your marketing benefited from blogs? I’d love to hear your successful blog as well as which of the above blogging statistics you found most inspiring to help you reach the goals for your content marketing strategy.
When writing a blog, you want to ensure that posts are the right length. Write something that is too long, and a time-challenged consumer might skip it. Make it too short, and you risk not covering the topic adequately. Remember that people share helpful posts, so you’ll want to ensure your blog meets this benchmark regularly.
Hero photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Blogging Statistics FAQs
What is the success rate of blogging?
It is difficult to determine the success rate of blogging because there are a multitude of factors that can affect whether or not a blog is successful. For example, the topic of the blog, the quality of the content, how often the blog is updated, and how well the blog is promoted all play a role in its success. That being said, there are some general statistics that can give us an idea of the overall success rate of blogging. According to one study, 60% of bloggers report that their blog is successful.
Why is blogging important in statistics?
Blogging is important in statistics for several reasons:
1. It provides a platform for statisticians to share their insights and expertise with others in the field. By blogging about best practices, emerging trends, and innovative methods, statisticians can help to shape the direction of the discipline and make valuable contributions to the community’s knowledge base.
2. Blogging can also serve as a means of fostering collaboration and encouraging dialogue among statisticians.
3. Through consistently producing high-quality content, statisticians can establish themselves as thought leaders in their field, enhancing their professional reputation and potentially opening up new career opportunities.
What are the statistics on guest blogging?
According to recent statistics, 60% of blogs write 1-5 guest posts per month. Additionally, 53% of bloggers say that guest blogging has helped them to establish authority and credibility in their industry. Moreover, websites that publish guest posts receive up to 3 times more traffic than those that do not. These numbers demonstrate the value of guest blogging for both the guest blogger and the host website.
What are the statistics on food blogs?
Food blogs have become increasingly popular in recent years. According to a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, over 50% of consumers reported using online resources such as food blogs to inform their dining choices. Additionally, a study by NPD Group found that the number of food blogs has grown by 22% annually since 2013. With this rise in popularity, it’s no surprise that food bloggers have also been able to monetize their content.
What is the main purpose of blogging?
At its core, the main purpose of blogging is to create a platform for thought leadership and establish a digital presence. Bloggers can inform and educate their readers, share their expertise on a particular subject matter, and even monetize their websites by partnering with brands. While some may view blogging as simply a hobby or pastime, it has become increasingly apparent that the benefits of blogging can extend far beyond personal enjoyment and instead serve as a valuable tool for professional growth and success.
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