If you’re like the vast majority of business owners, it’s likely your number one goal of digital marketing is getting targeted traffic to your website, then converting those visitors into leads and sales.
And while there’s definitely more than one way to skin a cat, the most effective way to achieve this is through the combination of SEO and content marketing stemming from your blog.
If you don’t yet have a blog, well, continue reading anyway. But the longer you go without one, the longer you’ll go not reaping the benefits an informative, engaging blog can bring to your business. Here’s why.
A blog with high-quality content not only amplifies your brand and builds authority but is also a great way of incorporating simple SEO strategies onto your website that will, over time, generate more organic traffic.
However, a common problem business owners face when it comes to blogging is not knowing how often they should publish content. Once a day, once a week? Once a month? What’s the best blogging frequency to get the best results?
This article will answer that question depending on the size of your business, but firstly, there are four general rules we want to go over that you should be following for every piece of content you write, irrespective of how frequently you decide to post. They are quality, consistency, persistency and resources.
1. You need to create quality content
When it comes to creating ‘quality content,’ there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Content that’s of high-quality to someone mightn’t be as helpful to another.
But the general rules of thumb when writing an article for your blog is to, one, make it original and relevant to what people are searching, and two, ensure it solves the problem or answers the question that brought them to your article in the first place.
If you can meet those two requirements in all the content you produce, it doesn’t matter if your articles are 500 or 5,000 words so long as they address the search intent of your targeted keywords and are engaging and entertaining to read.
While long-form content is known to do well in search results, length doesn’t always necessarily equal quality – it’s the substance of the articles you create that will determine their performance.
And as a little bit of icing on the cake, try and add some character to everything you write. Whether that be through you as the writer or through your brand, content that has a feeling of personability about it is so much more enjoyable from the reader’s perspective.
2. You need to be consistent
Whether you decide to post once a day, once a week or once a month, the quantity doesn’t matter – what’s important is that you’re consistent and stick to a schedule.
While a consistent flow of fresh content is a good way of keeping Google happy, this is primarily for your audience who will take consistent content publication as signs of trust and authority.
Businesses that have blogs with considerable chunks of time between posts – we’re talking a few months to a year – appear disorganized and untrustworthy, and once a customer has a negative perception of a brand and how they operate, it’s difficult to win them back.
Pushing out consistent content will not only help you gain new visitors and grow your audience; it will also help convert them into repeat visitors who’re likely to read and engage with your content in the future.
3. You need to be persistent
Consistency is important, but perhaps an even more crucial aspect of achieving success through blogging is persistency. Without persistency, consistency can often fade away during times where you mightn’t be achieving the results you’re looking for.
We wish content marketing was a quick-win strategy, but that’s simply not the case. The reality is that content marketing is a slow burner and you could be waiting anywhere between 12-18 months before you start to see any substantial results, especially if you’re starting from scratch.
But if you are consistent, persistent and determined, you can rest assured knowing that all the seeds you planted over that time will soon turn into trees and start bearing fruit.
4. You need to be realistic about your resources
It’s easy to hop onto Facebook and LinkedIn and see large companies pushing out daily blog content – sometimes even multiple articles per day – that gets hundreds of likes and comments, and get tricked into thinking your business can perform the same output and achieve the same results.
If your business only has a small number of employees, it’s important to be realistic about how many high-quality articles you’re able to produce on a weekly basis. Because the fact of the matter is that most businesses aren’t blessed with 20-person marketing teams or unlimited budgets.
Businesses need to find that sweet-spot where they’re able to produce quality content that can be achieved on a consistent basis through persistence, based on a realistic review of their budget and resources.
So, how often should I blog?
The amount of resources your business has at its disposal should ultimately determine your blogging frequency. Everyone wants their content to generate more traffic, leads and sales, but you’ll never be able to achieve this if you fail to meet the other needs of quality, consistency and persistence.
If you’re in the growth stage with your blog and business, you need to be honest with how much content you’re able to produce to ensure quality and your overall business growth aren’t compromised.
But writing just one piece of high-quality content a week, a fortnight or even once a month is still a preferable option to producing multiple pieces of rushed, low-quality content that you’re creating just for the sake of getting your numbers up.
Finding a number that works for you may take some trial and error. At first, try and aim to create one piece of high-quality content a week. If you find one article a week is too much work, or perhaps you find you have the time to write a second, you can adjust your schedule accordingly.
Looking for a more definitive answer? Follow this guide based on the size of your business and see if this schedule works for you.
Entrepreneur running their own business:
1 blog post per month
Small business with a marketing team between 1-4 people:
2-4 blog posts per month
Business with a marketing team between 5-10 people:
4-5 blog posts per month
Need a hand creating blog content that leaves a lasting impression?
Orion Creative’s copywriters have the expertise to promote your strengths, services and products with authoritative high-value articles and blog pieces that lead to great engagement and sales uptake.
With years of experience creating content that sells, our writers are highly-skilled at generating campaign concepts, producing catchy headlines and coming up with irresistible call-to-actions.
So get in touch with us today or give us a call on +61 8850 2215 to see how Orion can assist your business in creating consistent, engaging, high-quality content.
