Blogging can boost your brand’s online presence, increase website traffic, and help generate more leads and sales—with the right strategy. The business blogging statistics below offer insights to inform your content marketing strategy and overall make it more effective. Keep reading for relevant statistics and insights on all things blogging, including content, search engine optimization (SEO), best practices, reader-related data, and more.
Business Blogging Statistics That Show Why Blogging Matters
Business blogging is essential to growing your online brand presence. Not only is it fundamental to your content marketing—helping boost search engine ranking and build your topic authority—but it’s also valuable to your customers. Customers rely on your blog for important announcements and insights from your business, e.g., to learn about new products, special offers, or even to learn how your product or service works.
Here are some blog statistics that prove why blogging is important to growing your small business:
1. 83% of people read blogs regularly
The simple reason why business blogging is still important is that people still read blogs, even in 2024. Research from HubSpot found that 83% of people still read blogs regularly, with some even saying that they read blogs more often than in previous years. Most people (29%) read blogs between one and four times a month. Keep these blogging stats in mind next time you decide how often to publish content.
2. 61% of people read blogs to learn something new
Here’s another reason to start planning your blogging strategy: 61% of online audiences read blogs primarily to learn something new. This means if your blogs are instructional or helpful, such as how-to guides or demos, the majority of your blog readers are already willing to listen and learn.
So how do you best leverage this audience? Include a good amount of instructional content in your content strategy. Research your target customer personas to know what their inquiries and pain points are—then address them. Above all, make sure your blogs are genuinely valuable and helpful to your audience to build trust and credibility.
3. 90% of businesses do content marketing
Blogging is an essential part of content marketing, which also includes other content like videos, e-books, whitepapers, and more. As a whole, content marketing remains an effective and popular strategy: In 2022, 90% of businesses did some form of content marketing, according to Statista. While video remains the most popular content form, blogging is at a close second, followed by infographics and case studies.
4. 33% of marketers cite blogs as #1 marketing strategy
If you’re still doubting whether blogging is worthwhile, consider this stat: 33% of marketers cite it as their overall top marketing strategy, according to a 2023 report. This means whether for brand awareness, lead generation, or generating revenue, one-third of all marketers find business blogging the most impactful overall. Other top strategies include video, images, and infographics—be sure to also include them in your blogs.
5. 80% of blogs deliver results
Need further proof that blogging is vital to your marketing strategy? In 2023, 80% of bloggers reported that their blogs effectively delivered results and helped reach their goals. Whether for capturing new leads or growing their online visibility, blogging positively affected their brand. The verdict is clear: blogs are essential to helping your business thrive in today’s digitally accelerated world.
6. Business blogs can increase web traffic by 55%
According to HubSpot, companies with blogs have 55% more website visitors. Blogs expand the reach of your website, giving visitors more entry points, while offering them valuable content in return. These visitors can later be converted into leads, sales, demos, opt-ins, and more.
7. The average monthly content marketing budget is less than $1,000
One of the best aspects of content marketing is that it’s budget-friendly for small businesses. In fact, for 27% of small business owners, their entire monthly content marketing budget amounts to $1,000 or less—only a minority of business owners report an average budget of $3,000 or more. Most of the budget is spent on community building, improving content quality, and researching their audience.
Blog Statistics on Using SEO to Increase Traffic
One of the main purposes of blogging is to increase your website’s ranking on search engines and gain more visibility and clicks. The foremost way to do this is by using search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, such as keyword optimization and link building. SEO is important because it gets you on the front page of the internet and within reach of people who are seeking out what your business offers.
Here are business blogging statistics that underscore the importance of SEO in your blog strategy to increase your search engine ranking.
8. SEO is the #1 factor in content marketing success for 46% of marketers
Nearly half of all marketers (46%) attribute their content’s success to SEO more than any other strategy, including publishing more diverse content or trying new distribution channels. This means if you’re planning your blog strategy, putting more effort into your SEO tactics is more worthwhile than thinking up dozens of content types.
The key SEO areas to focus on when blogging for businesses are keyword optimization (i.e., putting the right keywords in your blogs to rank for the right searches), building links on other sites that link back to your site, and improving your website’s technical aspects to provide a better user experience.
9. 60% of all online traffic goes to the top three ranking websites on Google
If you need any more proof of how powerful SEO can be, research has found that 60% of all online traffic goes to the top three websites that rank on Google. Furthermore, over 91% of all traffic stays on just the first page of results. This means that if your blog website lands on even the second page of results, you’ll only have 9% of online traffic at most.
So what do these business blogging statistics mean? Investing in SEO, both for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) blogging, is vital to get any traffic at all for your blog. Adding keywords, investing in backlinks, and constantly updating your blogs for freshness will increase your chances of getting into those much-coveted top spots—and in front of audiences.
10. 36% of website traffic comes from organic searches
If you want your blogs to get to be discovered by relevant audiences, SEO is your best bet. This is because on average, 36% of all website traffic comes from organic searches. And if you’re in the tech sector, you’ll have an even higher chance at success with SEO: tech websites have the highest organic web traffic among all industries at 41%.
The moral of the story is: don’t neglect organic SEO. While paying to rank on search engines can guarantee you more visibility, it doesn’t always guarantee more clicks—and even more importantly, the clicks from the audiences that matter.
11. Organic search results get 17.5% more clicks than paid search
Here’s a statistic about blogging that businesses can benefit from: organic search results get an average of 17.5% more clicks than paid search results. These blog stats show that while paid ads can get you the visibility, high-quality content still wins out. This means that even if your competitors show up above you in ad-specified links at the top of search results, you can still get more clicks if you have good organic content with well-researched keywords.
12. 45% of marketers say adding related keywords helps blogs rank higher
A simple update you can do to help your existing blog posts rank higher on search engines is to add more related keywords to your content. When researching keywords, adding a few more beyond your primary and secondary keywords can cast a wider net. It’s a strategy that’s proven effective for 45% of marketers, according to Semrush’s survey.
13. Sites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages
Not only does Google like fresh content, it also likes sites with growing content. Business blogging statistics show that websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages than their counterparts. All of this content means there are exponentially more ways for customers to become aware of your brand, research your products and services, and decide to choose your business over your competitors.
Blog Stats Show How Blogs Increase Conversions & ROI
One of the best parts of blogs business-wise is that it brings multiple benefits. Not only can blogs increase your business’ visibility and credibility, they can even help generate more leads and conversions. The reason for this is that unlike outbound marketing tactics, such as cold calls or email outreach, blogs capture an audience that’s already interested in what you have to offer.
Picture this: a person searching on Google for a product that solves a specific problem stumbles on a how-to article you wrote on your blog. If your blog is engaging and well-organized enough, this person is just a few steps away from converting into a lead, and then to a customer.
Keep on reading for business blogging statistics that show how blogging can increase leads and conversions for your business.
14. Leads gained through SEO close 12.9% more often than from outbound sources
Who doesn’t love a high-performing lead source? According to OptinMonster, search-generated leads have a close rate of 14.6%, 12.9% higher than those from outbound sources, including direct mail and cold calls. This means that if your objective is to generate more leads from your content, you have a much higher chance by investing in your SEO than in other outbound sources.
15. Over 83% of audiences trust blogs for product recommendations over other content
Blogs are an effective way to influence purchasing behavior—in fact, they’re likely your most effective content format. A recent study found that when asked what type of content they referred to when looking for product recommendations, over 83% of consumers chose blogs as their most trusted source, even more than online review forums, TV, magazines, radio, and recommendations from friends and family.
Consumers often see blogs as a trustworthy source of information. They combine the credibility and authority of print media and the familiarity and influence of a trusted friend’s recommendation—both of which are powerful tools to grant you more conversions.
16. Businesses with blogs get 67% more leads than those that don’t have blogs
Blogs are also effective for capturing audience information. These can be done through lead magnets like pop-ups, free trials, or gated content within your blogs (for example, a downloadable e-book or report)—and they can often be more effective than traditional ways of generating leads, like direct mail or advertisements.
In fact, experts have found that businesses that blog get an average of 67% more leads than those that don’t. So, if you’re thinking about whether blogging is worth the shot for a low-effort, high-return strategy to generate leads—it definitely is.
17. 45% of marketers say blogs have the highest ROI out of all marketing strategies
Blogging is effective—even expert marketers agree. According to HubSpot’s report, 45% of marketers cite blogs as their top strategy for bringing high returns on investment (ROIs), even more than email marketing or social media. Particularly, blogs with clear and genuinely helpful content are most adept at capturing high-quality leads.
18. Organic search has a 1.2% higher conversion rate than social media
If your objective is to convert more leads, you’ll likely have better chances with content marketing than with social media. According to business blogging statistics from Ruler Analytics, organic searches have a 1.2% higher conversion rate than social media marketing. This was true across all industries, from travel to healthcare to automotives.
While social media has a much wider reach, when it comes to getting audiences to take action, blogging is the far more effective strategy. People who find your website by searching organically online are more likely to find you trustworthy, and are therefore more likely to try you out.
19. 75% of people purchase products after seeing it on a blog
Do blogs affect purchase decisions? The short answer is definitely yes. Not only are blogs trusted for product recommendations, but they’re also effective at leading customers to complete purchases. A 2023 study in the retail industry found that 75% of audiences said they purchased a product after seeing it in a blog. This means that for every audience your blog has, three out of four are highly likely to convert into paying customers.
Statistics on What Makes Effective Blog Content
Now that you know how blogging is valuable across multiple marketing objectives, the next question is: what constitutes good blog content? In the past, blogs were a simple text-and-image format. But through the years, they’ve evolved to include elements like videos, infographics, and interactive elements, as well as formats like how-to’s, listicles, and case studies. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up new frontiers in blogging.
Part of crafting your business strategy blogs is finding the right content that furthers your business goals. The blog statistics below show the most effective strategies content-wise for your blog—use them as guides when planning your blogs.
20. Long-form guides & gated content are the #1 most effective blog format
There are dozens of blog types you can use in your content marketing strategy—among the most popular are how-to tutorials and listicles. While these are all useful, the most effective blog format according to most bloggers are long-form guides and blogs with gated content.
According to data from Orbit Media, 34% of bloggers voted for both long-form guides and gated content as their most effective content formats. Meanwhile, their least successful blog types are opinions and news.
21. 61% of marketers agree that the most important part of good content is in-depth, comprehensive coverage
According to a survey, 61% of marketing experts agree that the most important characteristic that defines good blog content is in-depth and comprehensive subject coverage. This means that the best blogs offer content with a deep and detailed insight about its topic—but presented in a way that’s easy to understand. Meanwhile, in second place was good grammar at 54%, followed by language command.
These blog statistics show that blogs don’t just help your website rank higher on Google. They also make your brand more interesting and valuable to your customers.
22. Articles with seven or more images get 555% more backlinks
If your content strategy’s ultimate goal is to generate more backlinks, include at least seven images in your blogs. According to Semrush’s content marketing report, that’s how many images their top-performing blog posts have—those with seven or more images generated up to 555% more backlinks, as well as over 200% more views.
23. Blogs with videos get 70% more traffic
Images can boost your blog’s visibility—and the same goes for videos. Video is one of today’s most lucrative and popular content marketing strategies, and adding even just one can increase your blog’s traffic by up to 70% compared to not having one.
24. 45% of marketers say videos are the top-performing blog element
If you’re still unconvinced about adding video to your blogging strategy, take this as a sign: nearly half (45%) of content marketers cite video as their top-performing content format. Videos indisputably make your blogs more interesting and engaging to audiences. Some types of videos you can add to your blogs are tutorial videos in your how-to articles, or customer testimonials and product demos in announcement posts.
25. 62% of top-performing blogs are easy to read
Part of good content is good structure. And good structure means that it’s easy for people to read. Not only do well-structured blogs give a better user experience, but they also perform better in terms of ranking, page views, and shareability. According to Semrush’s report, 62% of the highest-performing blogs across those metrics were easy for audiences to read. In contrast, blogs marked as “difficult to read” only composed 17% of the top-performing blogs.
It isn’t just what you write in your blog, it’s also how you write it. You want to give readers a good experience that’ll keep them in your blog longer and coming back for more.
What makes a blog easy to read? Here are some ways to help make your blog easier for audiences to read and digest:
- Organize paragraphs into headers: Use H1, H2, H3, and even H4 headers to separate your blog into sections that make information easier to digest.
- Format for mobiles first: Many users are increasingly consuming content via their mobile phones. So, when creating your blog, format it for mobile screens first before adjusting it for desktops.
- Use bullet points and lists: HubSpot’s research also found that blogs with lists and bullet points (ideally two to four for each blog) perform better. Lists make it easier for readers to scan your content.
- Avoid lengthy paragraphs: Long blocks of text are off-putting to many users. Instead, divide the text into short paragraphs of three to five lines to give them space to breathe.
26. Blogs with 3,000-plus words perform the best
In the early 2010s, you’d find experts recommending that writers aim for several hundred words when writing blogs for businesses—enough to give some good information, but not enough to overwhelm readers. In fact, 600 to 800 words was a common number to shoot for with blog posts. However, now, longer content performs better—Orbit Media found that articles with 3,000 or more words are up to 2.5x more likely to find success than those with 1,000 words or less.
However, while longer articles perform better, the study also found that only 3% of bloggers write articles with more than 3,000 words—the majority of blogs are under 1,000 words. These business blogging statistics mean that longer articles have far less competition, and are therefore more likely to rank higher.
27. 54% of marketers say personalizing & localizing blog content is key to success
Effective blogging all comes down to creating content that’s valuable and relevant to your target audience. And in 2024 and beyond, that increasingly means creating local and personalized content that addresses each audience member’s interests and pain points. A recent survey found that 54% of marketing professionals agreed that content localization and personalization are key to effective blogging.
For small businesses, this means researching and defining your audience sets more precisely, then tailoring your blog content according to their specific interests and pain points. Customers are increasingly expecting more personalized experiences from the brands they interact with, and that includes the type of content they look for from brands.
28. 82% of marketers find AI-generated content just as good as human-written content
While the number of businesses using AI is still on the modest side, it’ll likely continue growing in the next few years. Among those already using AI to create content, many are already reporting satisfactory results. Recent surveys found that 82% of marketers found AI-generated marketing copies to be just as good as content written by humans, sometimes even better.
Statistics on the Best Practices for Effective Blogging
Integral to good blogging is a good blogging strategy. Having an agile and research-backed blogging strategy is just as important as having well-written and optimized content for your blog to be successful. This includes things like determining the best time and day to publish your blogs, or the most effective promotion strategies to get your blogs in front of wider audiences.
While no two blog strategies are the same, the statistics below are a good general starting point. Use them as guides as you develop your blog strategy.
29. Blogging four times a week drives 3.5x more traffic
Posting blogs more frequently guarantees more site traffic—it’s repeatedly proven countless times. If you’re wondering how many blogs to post, a good marker is at least a few times a week. Studies show that blogs posting four times or more per week get 3.5x more traffic vs those blogging only once a week. If four (or more) seems daunting, aim for two to four posts per week, per Rockcontent.
While blogging frequently takes time and effort, today’s landscape is steadily evolving to make things easier for small business owners. Particularly, AI tools like Copy.ai and ChatGPT are growing to be reliable assistants for content writing. However, these tools are still in the early stages, and AI-generated content will likely need some human tweaking—at least for the moment.
30. Publishing every day leads to a 32% higher chance of success
Four times per week is much better than once per week—but if you can manage to publish every day, you should. Orbit Media’s study on over 1,000 bloggers found that those who blogged every day were 32% more likely to be successful than those who only published weekly. There’s an even higher discrepancy if you publish even less frequently—only 15% of bloggers who published monthly found success with their efforts.
31. Publishing 16 or more blogs monthly generates 4.5x more leads
On the whole, publishing more frequently brings more positive results across all thresholds. Aside from driving more traffic to your site, publishing 16 or more blogs per month (or four times per week) can generate up to 4.5 times more leads than publishing only once a week. This is especially true for smaller businesses with up to 25 employees—publishing more than 10 blogs monthly can double your leads compared to publishing less regularly.
32. Bloggers who spend 6+ hours writing report up to 14% better results
While the average blog takes about four hours to write, investing more time in optimizing your content definitely pays off in the long run. A survey among over 1,000 bloggers found that those who took over six hours researching, writing, and optimizing their blogs are up to 14% more likely to find more positive results than those who only spend between two and three hours writing.
The primary reason for this is that readers are looking for high-quality content, and Google prioritizes search results based on quality content and user experience. That means the bar keeps increasing for content creators who want to compete in this space.
33. Audience research is the #1 factor for content marketing success
It’s been said time and again: A crucial part of successful marketing is to know your audience, and this also goes for your content strategy. In fact, it’s the number one contributing factor for most marketers’ success, Semrush’s study found. In all, 47% of bloggers and marketers say audience research is the most important factor for content success, even more so than publishing frequency or blog content.
34. 74% of bloggers update old posts for SEO
When it comes to SEO dominance, fresh content is king. This is even more true when it comes to people using search engines for buying research. If they click on your blog post and find that it’s over a couple of years old, they might just click away, even if your blog still contains relevant information.
It’s for this reason that 74% of bloggers update existing content regularly. Regular content updates like adding new industry information or tweaking headlines help maintain your articles’ freshness. In turn, these updates are nearly three times more likely to succeed, as search engines prioritize newer information on their results pages.
35. The average blog post length to aim for is 1,000-2,500 words
While it’s true that longer blog posts of 3,000 words or more tend to rank higher, this doesn’t necessarily have to be applied across all your content. According to Semrush, the average blog post length to aim for when writing informational content like how-to guides or thought leadership posts is between 1,000 and 2,500 words.
However, take note that these parameters are only guidelines—most important of all is to create content that’s valuable to your audience, those that address their needs and answer their questions. Still, for a benchmark, check out the graph below for the average lengths of different types of blog posts.
36. 37% of bloggers say influencer promotions are their top source of traffic
Building an effective blog strategy doesn’t end once you hit “publish.” To get audiences to read your blog, you’ll need to put in a little more effort. Some of the most popular channels for promoting blogs are social media, SEO, and email marketing. However, a 2023 survey among bloggers found something entirely different as the most effective of all: influencer collaborations.
Thirty-seven percent of bloggers credited influencer endorsements as their biggest source of blog traffic, just above paid ads at 36% and SEO at 32%. And it isn’t a new phenomenon either: Influencer marketing has steadily been the most effective traffic source for blogs for six years now.
37. The best time to publish blog articles is 9 a.m.
Part of a good content strategy is good timing. The time and day you publish your post can determine whether you find wide success or get buried beneath millions of other content. Luckily, several blogging statistics show that mornings, particularly at 9 a.m., are the best time to publish blogs, as it’s when they have the highest view and click-through rates. The study also found that publishing on Sundays and Mondays produces higher traffic.
Statistics on Blog Audience Traits & Behaviors
Finally, the blog statistics below zero in on the most important part of your blogging strategy: your audience. Your blogs should target your audience’s needs and address their pain points. As with any other marketing channel, blog audiences have specific habits and behaviors that you also need to keep in mind to maximize your blog’s chances at success.
Keep reading below for business blogging statistics about blog readers and their common traits and behaviors.
38. 43% of people skim blog posts
Audience habits are shifting every day, with attention spans in particular growing shorter. While blog readership is still consistent, blog statistics show that how people read them is changing. In a recent survey, HubSpot found that 35% of readers only skim through blog posts rather than consuming every word. Meanwhile, 38% do a mixture of skimming and reading.
This means that you’ll need to structure your blog in ways that make it easier to skim through. Here are some ways how:
- Put the most important information first and forgo lengthy introductions
- Use bullet points instead of text-based lists
- Add callouts and headlines to draw out the most critical information in your content
39. Most readers prefer blogs with a 7-minute reading time
According to an analysis by the blogging platform Medium, the optimal reading time for a blog post in any subject or industry is seven minutes long. This is the median time that most users spend reading a blog—any longer, and their attention tends to decrease.
This data means that readers are increasingly more eager to read high-quality, genuinely valuable content. A seven-minute blog post equates to approximately 1,600 words—just enough space to give comprehensive information, but not too long that it becomes overwhelming.
While a higher word count is suitable for longer content such as comprehensive guides, 1,600 words is a good benchmark for other article types, such as listicles, reviews, and case studies.
40. Nearly 60% of people will read your blog on Google Chrome
Nearly 60% of internet users worldwide use Google Chrome as of October 2023. This is consistent across all device types: Chrome is used by over 57% of users on mobile devices and by nearly 64% on desktop. After Google Chrome, the other most-used internet browsers are Microsoft Edge, followed by Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.
If you must choose which browser to optimize your content, choose Chrome. The last thing you want is for most of your potential customers to click away because the formatting that shows up on their screens is terrible. Or better yet, choose a standard formatting that accommodates all browsers.
41. 63% of users search Google on mobile
Not only do you have to make sure your blog posts are formatted correctly for the top browsers, but you also need to optimize them for mobile devices too. Every month, there are approximately 26 billion searches on Google, and 63% of them happen on mobile, a number that’s steadily increased over the past 10 years. Some easy ways to optimize your content for mobile are to use short paragraphs and organize your text into headings and subheadings.
42. 35% of people read blogs more often now than in 2022
Here’s another reason to include blogs in your marketing strategy now more than ever: 35% of people say they read blogs more often now than in 2022. Whether to learn something new, to be entertained, or to stay updated on events, the popularity of blogs isn’t waning anytime soon. In fact, 57% of readers say their readership stayed the same as last year, while only 9% said they read blogs less often.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Approximately 80% of blogs find success in varying degrees, according to reports by Orbit Media1. Meanwhile, around 26% of bloggers report seeing strong results from their blogs. Only 11% of bloggers say their blogs bring in low results. Success in blogging is often defined by increased site traffic, leads, and brand awareness.
Yes—when done right, blogging can be profitable. In fact, the top-performing blogs earn up to $87,000 a year, according to October 2023 data from Glassdoor2. On average, full-time bloggers make $65,000 annually. Bloggers often earn through advertising, affiliate links, or brand sponsorships.
To be effective, businesses should post at least 16 blogs a month to generate more leads and traffic. If possible, aim to post at least one blog a day—doing so can lead to up to a 31% higher chance of success3. Publishing more frequently increases your blog’s discoverability, and therefore your chances of gaining new audiences and customers.
Bottom Line
Blogging is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies you can use to increase your online brand presence and bring in more traffic, leads, and revenue. But effective blogging is both art and science, combining both creativity and precise research. The business blogging statistics above offer an overview of the blogging landscape, its best practices, and how it’s effective—use them as a guide for your small business’ blogging strategy.
FAQ Resources
