How many blog posts do you need to get website traffic?
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just post a blog onto the Internet and immediately have hundreds or thousands of people flocking to our sites?
Alas, only the really big blogs or media companies tend to get that kind of quick and massive response to their content.
For the rest of us, we usually need time to build up our blog libraries to start getting a good amount of traffic to our sites.
But how many blog post do you need to get website traffic? 10? 50? 1,000?
Let’s get into it.
How many blog posts you need to start getting traffic
Figuring out the EXACT number of blog posts needed to drive traffic to your website can be tricky (dare I say, slightly impossible). After all, there are a lot of different factors that come into play here, which we've just covered above.
For some websites, significant traffic can start flowing with fewer than 10 blog posts. However, this is usually only the case if the site has high domain authority or is in a less competitive niche. Other sites in a more competitive niche and that have a lower domain authority might need to publish over 100 blog posts to see a noticeable increase in traffic (although if this is the case, I would argue their strategy needs some fine-tuning).
If you want a more definitive answer, I’ll give you one. Most bloggers agree that aiming for at least 15 high-quality blog posts is a good starting point for generating meaningful traffic. So, start there and then assess what’s working and what's not.
How many blogs per month should you post for SEO?
Here comes another “it depends” kind of answer. I know that’s frustrating to hear, but SEO and blogging is not an exact science, and there are so many factors that influence how much traffic you get from your blogs (more on this later).
With that said, I recommend publishing at least four blogs a month since it helps you reach that minimum of 15 blogs needed to typically start seeing traffic in just a few months. If you only publish one or two blogs a month, it could take you a year to see significant progress. And waiting that long for results can be demotivating unless you have amazing willpower (I definitely don’t).
How long does it take to get traffic from Google?
It usually takes at least 3 to 6 months for blogs to start getting traffic from Google. It can take less time if you already have an established website, and it can take more time if you have a brand-new website.
Part of the reason for this is that it just takes time to create good content, so unless you have a team blogging for you, it will take you a bit of time to get to that minimum of 15 posts, and even more time to get to 50 posts, and so on and so forth.
Another reason for this is that it takes Google time to index your site so that new blogs show up in search results. Then, it takes time for your blog to rank higher in those search results (especially if there’s a lot of competition).
How much traffic can each blog post get?
Anywhere from zero to millions. Seriously!
But here’s the sad truth.
The second is highly, highly unlikely and the first is actually pretty likely if you’re not blogging the right way. In fact, 96.55% of pages get no organic search traffic from Google.
Just look at the results from Ubersuggest for the search term, “best restaurants in Las Vegas.”
The first search result gets more than 1.7 million visits a month.
Compare that with the thousands of blogs on the same subject that get literally zero search traffic.
Now, there are plenty of reasons why some blog posts don’t get any traffic, many of which you can fix, but at the end of the day, no matter how well you optimize your posts, no matter how good all of your posts are, not every post will get traffic.
That’s just the reality of Google.
But this can be a good thing too because you can chill out a little bit about trying to make every single blog post perfect, since you know there is a chance it won’t get organic traffic either way.
This is why it’s so important to work on building up your blog with better content.
For example, let’s say you’re able to build up your blog with 60 posts.
20 get no traffic.
20 get 10 visits a month.
20 get 50 visits a month.
Added up, you’re getting 1,200 visits a month. That’s nothing to scoff at! You can then continue to create better content and work on fixing the blog posts that are getting no love from Google.
Will posting more get me more traffic?
In general, the answer is yes—posting more blogs can lead to more traffic. In fact, research shows that blogs with 24 or more posts see a 30% increase in traffic, while those with over 50 posts see traffic jump by 77%.
However, if you've already published a decent number of blogs and haven't seen a significant traffic increase, it's time to review your current blog strategy before trying to pump out more blogs.
Make sure that your posts are well-optimized for SEO, you're targeting the right keywords, and your content is genuinely valuable to your readers.
As a small business owner juggling a ton of different responsibilities, you’re better off fixing your strategy and improving your existing posts than posting without a strategy.
Should you focus on quality or quantity?
When it comes to the debate over if you should focus on quality or quantity when trying to find success with a blog, I like the following reasoning:
10 good blogs are better than 1 good blog
1 good blog is better than 10 bad blogs
So basically, if you want to have a successful blog, you need both quality and quantity, BUT it’s better to start off slow and build a bank of good blogs than to try to fill your website with thin, poorly researched content that is essentially a repeat of what other bigger and better blogs are doing.
That’s part of what makes blogging difficult.
You need both quality AND quantity.
Tips for blogging more consistently (with limited time)
Writing a good blog takes time, which is something most people don’t exactly have a lot of. BUT here are some tips on building up your blog library with more consistency so that you start getting traffic as quickly as possible.
Come up with a blogging schedule and stick to it
First things first, come up with a blogging schedule and stick to it. Whether you decide to post weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, setting a regular schedule helps keep you accountable. You can also use a content calendar to plan your topics and set deadlines. This way, you’ll always know what’s coming up next and can prepare accordingly.
Optimize your writing process
Take it from me: optimizing your writing process can save you a ton of time.
I typically split my blogging time into four steps:
Research
Outlining
Writing
Editing/proofreading
Breaking the process into steps makes it less daunting and a heck of a lot more efficient.
Use voice-to-text tools
Voice-to-text tools can be a game-changer when you’re pressed for time since we typically talk much faster than we write. I typically use Google Docs Voice Typing to capture my thoughts quickly and get a rough draft down that I refine later.
Hire freelance writers
If your schedule is packed, consider hiring freelance writers to help produce high-quality content. You can be as hands-on or hands-off as you’d like with this, as you can either hire someone to do all the keyword research, strategy, planning, and writing for you or do all the prep and planning yourself and just hire someone to do the writing.
Tips for getting more traffic from each blog post
If you’re blogging up a storm and have yet to see a significant increase in traffic, take a second to assess how you're approaching your posts.
Make sure to target the right keywords
Keywords are the terms and phrases that people type into search engines when looking for information. And the right keyword strategy has a major influence on how much traffic you get from your blogs.
Targeting lower competition keywords with some search traffic is going to get you a lot more traffic from your efforts than targeting competitive keywords that everyone and their mother is trying to rank for. So, make sure you’re targeting the right keywords.
Utilize search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is about making your content as search-engine-friendly as possible so that Google actually ranks your content. This includes:
Incorporating your keywords in the necessary places like your title tag, meta description, headings, and in the content itself.
Including internal and external links throughout the content.
Improving your page speed.
Keeping your site mobile-friendly.
And more!
If these are things you’re not doing currently, start!
Build backlinks
Google wants high-authority content to rank higher than low-authority content. It’s one of the ways they determine what content is best and what they should push out to their users.
And one of the main ways Google determines your authority is by how many websites are linking to yours (otherwise known as backlinks). If you have zero backlinks, it can be really hard to get traffic from blogging unless you’re in a niche with little competition. While the best way to build backlinks is to do it naturally (people naturally finding and linking to your content), you can speed this up by doing some guest blogging for reputable sites in your niche.
Final thoughts
Don’t underestimate the power of blogging. It can truly transform your business and help you make your goals possible.
But, like everything else in life that’s worth something, it’s not easy. You can’t skip out on quality and you can’t skip out on quantity.
Just be patient and create great content, and you will see results.
And if you need help creating great content, check out my blog writing services!
‘Till next time!
