Whether you’re launching a personal blog or trying to get your company’s blog up and running, there’s a good chance you’ve wondered, “How often should I blog?”
Unfortunately, there’s no cut-and-dry answer. The best blog posting schedule for you will depend on several factors, including what you’re blogging about and how much time you have to dedicate to your blog.
This guide will walk you through finding the answer to how often you should blog. It will also provide a blog posting schedule and ways for you to determine when and how to increase your blog posting frequency.
How can I determine my ideal blog posting frequency?
Knowing how often you should post on your blog requires knowing your capabilities and the needs of your niche audience.
Look at what the experts say
Industry experts are a great first stop when answering the question, “How often should I blog?” After all, they’re constantly researching and analyzing how different blog posting schedules affect results.
A recent poll of 1,200 bloggers shows that bloggers who report the most success are posting less frequently than in previous years. However, their posts are longer and take more time to craft. Previously, 500-1,000 word blog posts were considered the norm, but today the average blog post ranges from 1,000-1,500 words.
This means that while you may be asking “How often should I blog?” a better question is, “How long should my blog post be?” The same study showed a direct correlation between the length of blog posts — up to 3,000 words in length — and increased blogging success.
The poll also found that there are still trends in blog post frequency. While bloggers tended to post 2 to 6 times per week back in 2014, most bloggers today post weekly, a few times a week, or once a month.
Look at what others in your niche are doing
Next, determine how often others in your niche post on their blogs. Blogging is like any business, and the first step to success is to check out your competition.
Round up a list of 10 to 20 popular blogs in your niche, and note how often each blog is updated. This can help you determine the standard posting schedule and anticipate how often your readers expect you to update your blog.
Look at your time constraints
The last — and perhaps most important — consideration you should make is how much time you have to dedicate to blogging consistently. It’s often easy to get many blog posts written when you’re first getting started. However, unless you can keep up with that pace, you may be better off reserving blog posts for later to avoid having large gaps in your posting schedule.
Consistency is one of the most important factors search engines examine when determining how high to rank your site in search results. This means that having your blog on a schedule and sticking to that schedule is more important than how often you post.
Being honest about your time constraints, how much time you’re willing to dedicate to your blog, and how long it takes you to craft a high-quality blog post can help you determine a feasible posting schedule.
How can I get started today with a blog posting schedule?
A blog posting schedule (or editorial schedule) is key to keeping your blog consistent. Most blog hosting sites, including WordPress and Shopify, allow you to schedule posts ahead of time and pick when posts will be published on your site. This way you can write content ahead of time and prepare for it to publish on the same day and time every week or every month.
Sample blog posting schedule for beginners
Your blog posting schedule should address how often you blog and what you cover in those posts. Having a mix of content on your site can keep it engaging and relevant for your audience.
Take a look at these sample blog posting schedules based on different blog posting frequencies.
Monthly blog posting
Every-other-week blog posting
How often should I blog going forward?
Determining how often you should post blog content is a continual conversation you need to have with yourself. Blogging trends change over time, and so do your time constraints. Being prepared to ask yourself questions about your blogging schedule and change it as necessary can ensure your blog stays relevant and successful.
How often should I blog in the beginning?
When you’re first launching your blog, it can be a good idea to post a little less often than you believe your time constraints allow. For example, if you think you have time to write two blog posts per week, limit yourself to one blog post each week. If you have extra time to write, do so, but spread posts out rather than posting all your content at once.
This provides you with a content buffer in case unexpected obstacles crop up. If you get sick or have a family emergency, having pre-written blog posts ready to publish can prevent your blog from falling behind or losing its consistency in Google’s rankings.
Spending a little less time on your blog at the beginning also provides you with the opportunity to improve your blog marketing, social media presence, and engagement with users on your site. These components can all be crucial in achieving long-term blog success.
How often should I blog moving forward?
You can re-evaluate your blog posting schedule as you get used to blogging. Ideally, you will be able to blog more often as time goes on, and your posts will continue to offer quality content to your readers.
Every six months or so, evaluate whether you’re ready to increase your blog posting frequency by asking yourself the following questions:
- Do I consistently have several blog posts written and scheduled in advance?
- Am I willing to dedicate more time to my blog than I am currently dedicating?
- Am I currently keeping up with all the demands of my blog, including engaging with my audience and marketing on social media?
- What are the current blogging trends, both in general and in my niche?
- Am I seeing success with my blog?
- Am I currently making enough money with my blog to reduce another income source, giving me more time to spend on my blog?
If you decide to post more frequently, be sure that you have time for the increased writing and posting responsibilities and the associated increase in marketing efforts.
Improve organic traffic to your blog with a strong blog posting schedule
Creating a blog posting schedule requires you to be honest about your time constraints. The key to blogging success is not to post more often, but to post quality content as often as you can — and to do it consistently to avoid gaps in your blog posting frequency.
Get started today by honestly examining how much time you have to dedicate to your blog each month and how many blog posts you can realistically craft in that amount of time. Then, choose one of the editorial calendars above to inspire you to build a schedule and get your blog up and running.
