Writing on your blog - what's the best frequency?

How often should I post on my blog?

How long should my blog posts be?

These are questions I get every time I do an interview or teleseminar about business blogging.

While it would be easy for me to say "it depends" -- and it does -- I know that's not what you want to hear.

To answer the first question, how often should I post, I'll say: the more often the better. Yet, I know that freaks some people out so I typically advise posting on your blog a minimum of two to three times per week. Remember, it's all about getting found by the search engines and the more keyword-rich content you have, the better chance you have of your blog posts coming up in the search results for the keywords you're using.

It's been proven time and time again, that the more you post, the more traffic you get.

Yet, there's a caveat. You need to know what your readers want too. If you're posting everyday and you see subscribers dropping off, then you know it's too much. And remember...you can always do a survey or poll to see what the majority of your readers want.

I read a good post called Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog? and the first two mistakes made me laugh: 

Mistake #1: You don't post enough.

Mistake #2: You post too much.

And the author is right. You have find the sweet spot for both you and your audience. Since I write on multiple blogs, I tend to get in about 3 posts a week on each one. Though sometimes it's more and sometimes less, depending on my schedule.

Then comes the question of how long your posts should be. First, get rid of "should." Again, it depends.

Some say the trend is going towards shorter posts, yet I read several blogs that regularly publish long article-type posts. If your content is good, people will read it.

I advise mixing it up. If you're posting 4-5 times a week, write a few posts that are 200-300 words and then add a long post that does deep into your subject. And throw in some audio and video to keep your audience entertained and engaged on different levels. 

I often say there are no rules. Best practices, yes, but no rules. You've got to do what's right for you and your audience AND gets you the results you're looking for.

Recommended Reading

Top Ten Easy Steps to Starting a Business Blog

7 Tips for Better Blog Posts

Comments

[Teen Blogger]

I think each blogger needs to find out for himself which blogging frequency is best for him. Some people just, dont have enough time to post. I personally think every 3 days is good frequency

[NextGenChiro]

Great post, Denise! And, you're right when you say that there are no rules.

If you throw rules into the equation, most beginning bloggers will be paralyzed before moving forward out of fear of missing something.

My recommendation is to get into a nice rhythm based off of your goals, purpose and schedule. We all live busy lives and must remember to keep life balanced.

By the way, I appreciate you mentioning Michael Hyatt's blog. His blog is another great source to turn to for all types of bloggers.

Plus, besides blogging he discusses many aspects of life that are applicable for many of us. Thanks for letting your readers know about him!

[Steve Roesler]

Denise,

Here's a variation on a theme to the discussion.

I found that with my readership, dropping below 3/week was deadly. If I do 5 it's great, 4 is just fine. And it took 3 years to really feel comfortable that that was a good diagnostic. And, most of the posts were about 400-600 words.

Now, though, Twitter is changing the dynamic. I can do one long post a week and a few shorter--but still solid content--pieces and retain/increase readership. This isn't scientific, but it is an observable trend.

So, getting back to your original premise about no "one best way", I'm in. What's important, though, is to track not just the blog but other media that are now able to impact it.