It’s the age-old question of what is the minimum I have to do to see results? And regardless of whether you’re asking the question related to content marketing or how much to spend on pay-per-click ads, the answer is it depends. Many businesses want to know how often do I need to publish blog content?
Most businesses don’t like learning that there are no set guidelines for how often to publish blog content, but the reality is quality always wins over quantity when it comes to blogging.
That’s because search engines are getting smarter with every passing day. They can interpret how valuable and informative content is in a way no one could’ve dreamed of just five years ago.
As AI gets better, so do search engines, and gaming the system simply doesn’t work. So how can you get the most from your blogs with as little effort or time commitment as possible? Here’s what you need to know about blogging frequency, SEO and customer engagement.
Considerations for Building a Strategy Around Blogging Frequency
Corporate blogging is not so much about publishing daily content to get repeat visitors the way news sites or blogs devoted solely to driving traffic are. So what does that mean for blogging frequency?
Here are some top considerations for building a blogging strategy and setting publishing frequency.
1. Website Age
Newer websites might need to publish content more frequently to try and increase rankings in an already established industry. For example, if you were selling email marketing software, you’ll need to work much harder to establish yourself in the marketplace than the giants who have been there for 10, 15 or even 20 years. You’re a very tiny fish in an enormous sea.
2. Competition
If your competition is putting out high-quality content frequently, you might need to do the same to stay competitive. In contrast, if your competition is putting out content frequently that lacks depth and clarity, you don’t need to worry too much about trying to keep up. Quality will always win over quantity so create a slow and steady strategy that creates small wins.
3. Target Audience
Your target audience and its needs is the most important element in deciding what and how often to publish. Ask yourself what they need to know to make a purchasing decision related to your products and services. Answer their questions, anticipate their needs and focus on being a resource for them instead of selling to them. You’ll be amazed at what that does for your business.
4. Customer Buying Journey Content
No matter how much content you have on your website currently, you need to ask yourself whether it is the right content for the customer buying journey. You should be setting up workflows and content that help a customer go from discovery to purchasing a product or service. If you’re missing key pieces of content for this, you might need to increase your blogging frequency for a few months to build up the content you need to convert website visitors into customers.
5. Goals
What are your goals for the year? Do you have the capacity to grow fast or are you looking for a slow and steady stream of leads to grow at a more controlled rate? If you have big goals, you might need to publish content with greater frequency to start winning the SEO game and meeting more customers. Content marketing should always align with your goals.
Blogging Frequency and SEO
As you evaluate the best blogging frequency, you also have to consider its impacts on your SEO. Google works hard to deliver results based on how fresh the content is. That means ranking websites based on:
- Recent events
- Seasonal events
- Websites with frequent updates
- Breaking news
- Product queries
Ensuring that you are frequently publishing new content and updating old content to be in line with modern information will provide the best results. That still doesn’t tell you specifically how often you have to publish to see results, but it’s a good reminder of why you need to commit to a publishing plan and stick with it.
If you have an older piece of content that now relates to a new event or newsworthy topic, be sure to go back and freshen that content to help it rank based on that new information. That way, you aren’t always working to churn out new content and can instead work with the content you already have to improve SEO and drive traffic to your website.
Customer Engagement and Blogging
The final consideration when building a content marketing and blogging strategy is what you need to keep customer engagement high. And as you go through this, consider how you’ll stay in touch with customers across all mediums and not just your website.
For example, you’ll find that publishing new blogs aids immensely in building social media content and giving you a reason to reach out to customers via email marketing.
That means that publishing once a month for companies that have a short sales cycle – such as 1-2 weeks – might not be enough. But publishing once a month for a company that has a long sales cycle – such as a full year – could be sufficient to help you keep customers and potential customers engaged.
How many touchpoints does it take to convert a website visitor into a customer? If it takes many, more frequent publishing of high-quality blog content might serve you best.
So How Often Do I Need to Publish Blog Content?
And now we’re back to the original question, but with new information to guide the answer. You should publish blog content no less than once a month. And for most businesses, publishing blogs more frequently than weekly likely won’t change results. Figuring out whether you should post weekly, every two weeks or once a month might take some trial and error.
But ultimately, if you’re unsure you can commit to more frequent posts, just start with once a month. This will provide a strong baseline for keeping your website updated and will help you build an effective blog distribution plan that you can commit to.
You can’t just publish content and not send it out to your audience. You must instead view each blog as a piece of your full content marketing strategy.
Some companies get nervous about setting a blogging schedule because they aren’t sure where to find good blog topics. Just know that ideas are lurking within your sales, customer service and reputation management teams. You’ll see common struggles your customers have if you’re looking and paying attention.
Other companies are nervous about blogging because they don’t know what it might look like in a corporate setting. Here are some corporate blog examples to inspire your business writing.
And perhaps you’re nervous because as a business owner, you’re not sure how to find time to write. I have answers to that one too. Read up on how business owners can find time to write.
Finally, many companies don’t know where to start when it comes to hiring a freelance copywriter. Regretfully, there are many professionals out there who moonlight and struggle to deliver content on time. And other professionals start a freelance writing career without the background and knowledge to truly deliver results for their customers.
Rebekah Brately at Bridge the Gap Communication built a 7-year career in digital marketing and effective copywriting before becoming a freelance copywriter. With a firm foundation in the industry and a background in journalism, she takes deadlines seriously and delivers high-quality content on time every time. Schedule a free consultation to learn more.
Blogging Schedule Questions and Answers
Still worried about setting an effective blogging schedule? Here are some answers to common questions businesses ask related to blogging frequency.
How Often Should You Add to Your Blog?
At a minimum, businesses should add to their blog once a month. But in some industries, you might need to publish weekly. It all depends on your audience and the competition.
How Often Should I Post Fresh Content on My Site?
Ideally, if you can write and publish high-quality content weekly, you should be publishing with that frequency. But you can’t ignore keeping old content up to date as well and you want to ensure you’re drafting quality content at all times.
Is Blogging Once a Month Enough?
Blogging once a month can be enough for established websites that have established an SEO presence and are looking to support that presence with ongoing content. Newer websites might need to publish with greater frequency.