40+ Business Blogging Statistics to Power Your Content Strategy

Blogging can boost your brand’s online visibility, increase website traffic, and help you generate more leads and sales—with the right strategy. The business blogging statistics below offer insights to inform your overall content marketing strategy and make it more effective. Keep reading for relevant figures on all things blogging, including content, SEO, best practices, reader-related data, and more.

General Business Blogging Statistics

Blogging has been around since the early days of the internet, but only in recent decades have marketers realized their full potential to help businesses grow. Today, it’s foundational to most website marketing strategies. The following business blogging statistics outline the general landscape of blogging and its role for businesses, from how many blogs are there to the average budget marketers spend on their blog strategy.

1. More than 600 million websites have blogs

The online world is saturated but still growing with content every day. According to a 2022 study, out of nearly 2 billion websites, over 600 million have blogs—that’s over one-third of all websites. Competition is tougher than ever, and you’ll need a solid content strategy, intensive audience research, and mindful execution to help your blog stand out against the millions of others.

2. Over 80% of businesses do content marketing

Blogging is an essential part of content marketing, including other content forms like video, e-books, whitepapers, and more. As a whole, content marketing remains an effective and popular strategy: 82% of businesses do some form of content marketing, according to HubSpot’s study. While video remains the most popular content form, blogging is at a close second, followed by infographics and case studies.

3. 36% of marketers cite blogs as the #1 marketing channel

As mentioned above, video still takes the top spot among marketers as a marketing channel. However, blogs take the second spot with 36% of votes, reiterating their relevance even in an increasingly visual-centric digital world. They’re closely followed by email marketing, content marketing, and influencer marketing, among others.

4. 49% of companies outsource content writing services

While many companies agree on the effectiveness of content marketing, not all have the means to do so in-house. The solution? Outsourcing content writing services.

In fact, nearly half of all companies outsource content writing services to fulfill their content marketing goals—some outsource 100%, while others use a hybrid setup. The research also found that the primary reason for outsourcing was the need to scale up content.

5. The average monthly content marketing budget is less than $1,000

One of the best aspects of content marketing is that it’s small business budget-friendly. 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.

The good news here, though, is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Some of the best blogging platforms cost less than $50 year.

Blog Statistics on Marketing & ROI

It’s no secret that blogging can produce a significant return on investment (ROI). Whether it’s helping increase your web traffic, building brand awareness, or capturing more high-quality leads, blogging has repeatedly proven to bring positive results. Keep reading for more blog statistics that underline how blogging can maximize your business’ growth.

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 to your site and overall business while offering them valuable content in return. These visitors can later be converted into leads, sales, demos, opt-ins, and more.

7. Organic web traffic is the #1 most important content performance metric

Part of your content strategy is evaluating its overall effectiveness. According to most marketers, the most important metric to watch out for is your site traffic. While blogs can be used for everything from building brand awareness to generating leads, 69% of marketing experts cite organic web traffic as the most relevant performance metric.

8. Blogs can have a 3x higher conversion rate than paid search

Beyond increasing your site traffic, blogging can also effectively boost your conversion rate. In fact, it can generate up to three times more leads than paid search advertising. The reason is simple: readers prefer to learn something valuable online instead of being directly sold to.

9. Content increases brand affinity among 82% of consumers

Eighty-two percent of consumers said they felt more positive about a business as a result of reading a brand’s custom content online, and 70% said they felt closer to the brand. Blog content is an ideal way to offer expert advice and assistance (such as through “how-to” articles) to your target audience, in turn, building trust and making your brand their preferred resource.

10. Content marketing generates 3x the return of traditional tactics

Blog statistics aside—wondering if the time and money needed to succeed with a blog are worth it? Overall, content marketing costs 62% less than other forms of marketing and produces three times the return on investment for every dollar spent.

11. Blogs affect 69% of customers’ purchase decisions

Blogs aren’t just effective for bringing in performance metrics—they also have real-world impact, such as significantly affecting consumers’ buying intent. A recent study found that 69% of consumers would consider buying a product if it was advertised in a blog. In contrast, only 14% stated that blogs had no effect whatsoever on their purchase intent.

12. 80% of blogs deliver results

Need further proof that blogging is a vital part of your marketing strategy? In 2022 alone, 80% of bloggers reported that their blogs effectively delivered results and helped them reach their goals. Whether for capturing new leads or growing their online visibility, publishing blogs regularly positively affected their brand. The verdict is clear: blogs are essential to helping your business thrive in today’s digitally accelerated world.

Statistics on Blog Content

Crucial to your blog is good content—but what constitutes good blog content? Traditionally, blogs were primarily text and the occasional image, but today’s blogs have evolved to create a more fulfilling user experience with formats like listicles, how-to’s, and videos. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) is opening up new frontiers in content writing, as the blogging stats below reflect.

13. Bloggers who spend 6+ hours writing a post report 50% better results

While the average blog takes about four hours to write, investing more time 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 50% more likely to find more positive results.

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. Fortunately, there are now a number of AI content writers that speed up the process of creating content, like ChatGPT and Jasper.

14. 61% of marketers agree that the most important part of good content is in-depth, comprehensive coverage

According to a survey among marketing experts, 61% agreed that the most important characteristic that defines good blog content is in-depth and comprehensive coverage of the subject. This means that the best blogs offer content with a deep and detailed insight about its subject, 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.

15. Visuals produce 94% more views

Incorporating relevant visuals can increase views of your content by 94%. Images are a staggeringly effective tool in boosting engagement with campaigns on nearly every digital marketing channel. Visual content also helps you get clicks and shares on social media and can make your content easier to understand.

16. Articles with seven or more images get 555% more backlinks

If your content strategy’s ultimate goal is to generate more backlinks, it’s a great idea to have 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.

17. Blogs with videos get 70% more traffic

Images can boost your blog’s visibility—and the same goes for videos. One of today’s most lucrative and popular content marketing strategies, adding even just one video can increase your blog’s traffic by up to 70% compared to not having one.

18. Listicles get 80% more page visitors

Listicles (articles of lists, like statistics articles, examples articles, and tip lists) generate up to 80% more page visitors compared to other blog formats. Listicles break information down into small, easy-to-digest bites, and keep readers’ attention by giving a lot of helpful information in a concentrated format.

If you’re looking for content ideas for a blog, listicles are a great place to start. Plus, should you need help coming up with content ideas, you can turn to the HubSpot blog ideas generator for inspiration.

19. Over 75% of published blogs are how-to articles

While listicles enjoy wider popularity among readers, they aren’t the most popular type of content published by bloggers. That honor belongs to how-to articles, which 76% of bloggers say they publish most often. Listicles come in second place at 55%, followed by long-form guides and e-books. All these point to the fact that blogs are a reliable medium for instruction and step-by-step explanations.

20. 12% of businesses use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to write content

A strategy currently on a meteoric rise is the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in marketing. This includes content creation—recent years have seen the growing influence of AI content writers like ChatGPT and Copy.ai, which businesses are steadily adopting. Recent studies found that 12% of businesses use AI writing tools as a source of content, from blogs to marketing copies.

21. According to 82% of marketers, AI-generated content is 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.

22. 66% of marketers still find errors in AI-generated content

While AI’s influence on marketing grows larger every day, content accuracy is still an issue. According to Capterra’s survey, while AI-generated content is generally clear and well-written, 66% of marketers still found errors and accuracy issues. As most experts agree, this remains the biggest issue with using AI for content.

Statistics on Blogging & SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to tactics that make content more likely to rank on Google and other search engines, and many marketers cite it as one of the essential strategies to blog success. Good SEO leads to higher visibility, which brings more website traffic, and, in turn, more leads and customers. Business blogging statistics illustrate the relationship between blogs and SEO—and particularly emphasize how good SEO positively impacts growth.

23. SEO is the #1 most important traffic source for blogs’ success

Many traffic sources can lead to your blog’s success, from social media promotions to guest posting and paid ads. However, according to 71% of bloggers, the most important traffic source for their blog’s success was their ranking on search engines. This means that search engine optimization is essential to most bloggers—it indicates an effective but low-cost tactic for growth. Learn the ins and outs of how to create an SEO content marketing plan.

24. Sites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages

Not only does Google like fresh content, it likes sites with growing content. 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.

25. Leads gained through inbound SEO close 12.9% more often

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 such as direct mail or cold calls. From boosting your visibility to helping close your sales, SEO is undeniably a valuable marketing channel for your business.

26. Content creation is the most effective SEO tactic for 72% of marketers

We might be stating the obvious here, but to rank in online search, you need good content. That said, content creation is the most effective SEO tactic, and 72% of online marketers say it’s the absolute best tactic for SEO.

27. Organic search results get up to 26.7% more clicks than paid ads

While paid search ads are a reliable marketing strategy, high-quality content wins out more often. According to studies, organic search results get nearly 27% more clicks than paid search engine ads. 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.

28. 73% of bloggers update old posts for SEO

When it comes to search engine optimization or 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 73% of bloggers update existing content regularly. Making regular content updates like adding new industry information or tweaking headlines helps to maintain article freshness. In turn, these updates are nearly three times more likely to succeed, as search engines prioritize newer information on their results pages.

29. 45% of marketers found more success by adding related keywords to their blogs

Keywords are everything in content marketing, and any good blog has at least one primary and secondary keyword to aim for. However, as competition gets tougher than ever, adding related relevant keywords can substantially help your ranking. Reports found that 45% of marketers found greater success by researching and adding related keywords to their blogs.

30. The average blog post length to aim for is 1,000-2,500 words

The average blog post length has risen considerably over the past five or so years. Long-form posts (2,500 words or more) can be the most useful—and therefore are often the most shared and highest ranking—but not everyone wants to read a super-long blog post. According to Semrush, the average blog post for informational posts and how-to’s should be around 1,000 to 2,500 words.

31. Blogs with 3,000-plus words perform the best

In the early 2010s and teens, you’d find experts recommending that writers aim for several hundred words for blog articles. 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 articles with 3,000 or more words are 2.5 times more likely to find success.

Statistics on Best Blogging Practices

Like any other marketing strategy, blogging is a practice that takes careful planning and execution for it to be effective. From carefully mapping out a content calendar to determining the best time of day to publish your blogs, every step of your blogging strategy counts toward its success. Below are business blogging stats that define some of the best blogging practices to take note of when executing your content strategy.

32. Blogging four times a week drives 3.5x more traffic

Several statistics about blogging show that posting blogs more frequently guarantees more site traffic. 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. In particular, AI tools like Copy.ai and ChatGPT are growing to be reliable tools 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.

33. Publishing nearly every day leads to a 13% 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 nearly every day, or at least several times a week, were 13% more likely to be successful than those who only published weekly. There’s an even higher discrepancy for those who publish less frequently—bloggers who published monthly had a 26% less likelihood of success.

34. 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 statistics about blogging show that mornings, particularly 9 a.m., are the best time to publish blog posts, 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.

35. 70% of successful bloggers promote their content

Competition is tougher than ever, with millions of new content being published daily. In fact, half of all bloggers agree that getting traffic from Facebook is more difficult now compared to previous years. However, promotion is still key to success. Studies found that 70% of the most successful, high-earning bloggers regularly promoted their content through various channels.

36. 90% of bloggers promote on social media

While a wide variety of promotion channels can help bring traffic to your website, from search engines to direct shares, business blogging statistics prove that the most popular is still social media, which 90% of bloggers use. Other popular promotion strategies include SEO, email marketing, paid search engine ads, and influencer collaborations.

37. The #1 challenge bloggers face is the lack of time to create & promote content

While consistency is key to digital marketing success, business blogging statistics show that the majority of bloggers—52%, to be exact—cited time constraints as their number one blogging challenge, particularly for writing and promoting. A foremost reason for this is the need to juggle other responsibilities alongside blogging.

Besides the lack of time, other challenges bloggers face include attracting visitors, creating consistently high-quality content, brainstorming blogging topics, and garnering company support.

Blog Readers Statistics

Finally, the statistics below zero in on the most important part of any blogging strategy: your readers. Your blog readers are the beginning and end point of all your content planning and should be kept in mind at every step. From their reading habits and content preferences to what platform and device they’re reading your blogs on, below are some of the most important blog readership statistics.

38. 47% of bloggers cite audience research as the top factor for content 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/marketers say audience research is the most important factor for content success, even more so than publishing frequency or blog content.

39. 43% of people skim blog posts

Audience habits are shifting every day, with attention spans in particular seemingly growing shorter on multiple fronts. While blog readership is still consistent, blog statistics show that how people read them is changing—43% of readers admit to skimming through blogs rather than consuming every word.

40. 59% will share an article without even reading it

People share content on social media for many reasons: to entertain or educate others, to define themselves, to build relationships, and to spark engagement, to name a few. Whatever the purpose is, a surprising 59% of people will share an article on social media without ever reading it beforehand (or reading it afterward).

The takeaway? Make sure you hit search intent on the head with your title, URL, and optimization so that your articles get found when people are looking for something helpful to share online. And join the 69% of bloggers who have social share buttons on their site to make it even easier for their content to go viral.

41. Over 62% of people will read your blog on Google Chrome

More than 62% of internet users use Google Chrome worldwide, including 66% on both desktop and mobile, and over 50% of all U.S. internet users. In second place is Apple’s Safari, followed by Edge, Firefox, and Samsung.

If you must choose a 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.

42. 63% of Google searches happen on mobile

Not only do you have to make sure your blog posts format correctly for the top browsers, you also need to optimize them for mobile devices too. Every month there are approximately 100 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 to organize your text into headings and subheadings.

43. 77% of internet users read blogs every day

Are blogs still popular, even in 2023? The short answer—yes. Blogs are still a highly effective content marketing strategy, with an audience of over three-quarters of the internet. Whether for entertainment, staying up to date, or learning something new, 77% of all internet users read blogs every day.

44. 67% of all blog readers are over 30 years old

While blogging has only existed for a few decades, it primarily attracts readers 30 years old and above. Specifically, 67% of all blog readers are between the ages of 31 and 60, with over 37% on the higher end of the spectrum. Meanwhile, a mere 27.3% of blog readers are below 30—the same demographic most active on platforms with shorter forms of content, such as social media.

45. 33% of people read blogs to learn something new

Why do people read blogs? According to HubSpot, mostly for knowledge gain. Their research found that 33% of people read blog posts to learn something new, 20% do so to be entertained, 12% are looking for news or trends in their industry, and 9% want all three.

With these statistics about blogging in mind, you’ll need to develop a content strategy that covers all three bases while still staying relevant to your niche and tailored to your customer persona.

For example, you might devote the majority of your blogs to informational content like how-to’s and guides, then add a few lighter blog posts like listicles and bite-sized industry news updates. Find out more about how to implement an effective SEO content marketing plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bottom Line

Blogging has grown to become a powerful marketing strategy that any small business owner can use to grow their brand. And as the business blogging statistics above show, it isn’t stopping anytime soon—use them to develop and guide your content marketing strategy.