I spent some time recently scrolling through blogging statistics. Most were outdated, linked to outdated content, had broken links, or were irrelevant. So, I sat down and researched important blog statistics relevant to today’s blogger.
Change is inevitable, so technology, trends, and preferences are always shifting. Knowing the latest numbers can help you make better decisions about focusing your attention on starting or updating a blog in 2023. In this post, we look at some essential blogging statistics that will come in handy when planning your online strategy this year.
We’ll discuss the average length for blogs, the most popular platforms, various types of content for blogs, top traffic sources, and more – all lined up with tips and tricks for making the most of your blog.
My name is Lori Ballen, and I’m a full-time blogger. I monetize my blogs and niche website with display ads, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, digital products, and services. While blogging is certainly not dead, it’s more competitive than ever.
These stats and my personal tips for success can help you create a successful blog and make the most of your efforts in 2023.
While I didn’t create the studies for each blog statistic, I hand-picked each statistic for this list based on the source’s credibility and relevance for blogging in 2023.
Enjoy!
1) The average blog post length in 2023 is 1376 words.
Amazingly, the average blog post was only around 600 words in 2013! I was blogging back then, and it was easy to rank a 500-600 word blog post on the search engines (of course, Yahoo was big then!).
But over a decade later, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in blog length – more than double! According to Orbit Media, the average blog post is 1376 words long.
[And in my personal experience, 2000-3000 word blog posts are required depending on the niche and competition level of the keyword phrase.]
Of course, having a long post doesn’t necessarily make it great or impactful for its readers; what really matters is the quality of your writing and how it resonates with your audience.
Taking the time to really craft meaningful content that takes them on a journey from start to finish can result in an incredibly engaging experience for your readers, regardless of the word count.
Tip: Rating high in search engine rankings requires more than just good content — it also requires optimizing that content for the right length. Trying to write an ultra-long blog post might boost word count, but without enough value added per page, it can do more harm than good.
That’s where software like Surfer SEO comes in. This tool can measure how much content you need to hit those top rankings and ensure you’re using your words effectively.
The result? More strategic writing yields maximum results in minimum time, giving you the advantage of having tailored content that fits exactly what search engines are looking for.
2) Bloggers spend an average of 4 hours and 10 minutes writing a single blog post, which is a 74% increase from the average time spent in the past.
This stat by Orbit Media is surprising with the recent explosion of AI writing tools.
AI writing tools have been around for some time now, yet the average duration of a blog post continues to grow.
Could Surfer SEO and other related SEO tools push writers toward creating more in-depth content? After all, search engines prioritize longer pieces – so bloggers may feel an incentive to keep their word counts up if they want to rank higher!
With the emergence of AI generative tools like ChatGPT, I’ve found myself taking more time to craft blog posts than ever before.
For example, I like to use ChatGPT for blog outlines. I enter a topic, ask for a few title ideas, and choose one. Then, I give ChatGPT a prompt for a blog outline. I paste that outline into Jasper and use the one-shot blog post to address each section in the outline.
Then, I use Jasper chat to find stats, white papers, case studies, and other references to include external links.
That usually takes me a couple of hours before I spend any time on internal linking strategies (with the help of Link Whisper for WordPress) or making images and infographics (I use Canva Pro).
3) WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging software.
In 2003, WordPress burst onto the web and became a worldwide phenomenon. Now it dominates more than 43% of all websites across the digital globe – making it an absolute powerhouse in online publishing! With its versatile technology, WordPress is indisputably one of today’s best blogging tools.
I use WordPress for my portfolio of websites because of the control it gives me, the growth capabilities, and the unlimited design options, plugins, and themes.
4) Low-Income Bloggers Make Most of Their Money from Ads, whereas High-Income Bloggers Make More Selling Digital Products
Blogging is incredibly popular nowadays in the new work-from-home culture. Google AdSense and affiliate marketing are the most common methods to make money – but high-income bloggers like to take things up a notch.
Research shows that these top-tier bloggers spend 2.5 times more time selling their products and services than relying on AdSense for income. So if you’re looking for some serious dough from your blog, investing in your own ideas might be the cream of the crop!
I would consider myself to be a high-income blogger. Earning 6-figures in blogging profits, I make money from several buckets.
In order they are
2.) Digital Products (Courses primarily)
3.) Display Ads
4.) Coaching/Consulting
5.) Sponsorships
Most of the high-end bloggers I know have created courses, masterclasses, or coaching programs, plugins, extensions, and website themes.
5) 72% of Bloggings Making $2,000 + or more Use Premium Advertisers
Many bloggers dream of reaching the point where they earned a comfortable income from their online presence. While this certainly requires hard work, dedication, and passion, it is also interesting to note that many successful bloggers have one major thing in common when monetizing their blogging; they use either Mediavine or Adthrive as their ad management company.
These figures are backed up by research compiled by RankIQ, which found that 72% of bloggers earning over $2,000/month chose one of these two companies as their mainstay for ad management.
However, it isn’t easy to qualify to work with Adsense or Adthrive. It’s no secret that Mediavine and Adthrive will admit only the most exceptional websites into their exclusive club. Aspiring bloggers must meet highly impressive criteria, from niche choice to content quality to traffic volume.
In other words, making it through these advertisers’ doors is tough! If you think you have what it takes, consider your website’s content and measure up against their requirements: web traffic of at least 50,000 sessions per month.
The stepping stone from Google Adsense, before one qualifies for AdThrive or Mediavine, is Ezoic. Ezoic uses AI-driven ad placements to help bloggers monetize their websites with ads. They don’t have the same strict traffic policies and offer tools to speed up and improve websites.
6) The most popular content format for bloggers is how-to articles and lists, while the most effective content formats are ebooks and gated content.
For bloggers trying to increase their reach and engage readers, it pays to be creative with their content. How-to articles and lists may be the most popular format among bloggers, but those looking for a longer-term return on investment should consider ebooks or gated content.
An ebook allows you to really go deep into the subject matter and give readers the detailed information they crave. Gated content encourages engagement from visitors – by blocking certain content until users sign up for more information, you can build a valuable email list full of interested followers. With these formats, you can get your audience hooked interactively while also building valuable relationships down the line!
Interestingly, in the same report, one of the next most effective blog content types is roundup posts, yet bloggers only publish around 22% of their content based on this post style (compared to 72% of how-to content).
This stat was an eye-opener for me, as someone posts a -lot of how-to content.
For those who don’t know, An expert roundup post is a type of article that features insights and quotes from people with expertise and authority in a specific industry or topic. The experts are typically asked to provide their unique insights and perspectives on a particular subject, which are then compiled and published in a blog post format.
The primary goal of an expert round-up is backlinks.
With the effort and resources required for expert roundups, it’s no wonder so many bloggers have chosen to stay away from creating this content.
It can be labor-intensive to coordinate with multiple experts, difficult to monitor quality control standards, plus incentives may need to be given out – all factors that can diminish a blogger’s enthusiasm for producing these types of pieces. Instead, they choose alternative forms of interesting media or determine their objectives are better served elsewhere!
And that’s why those that do create them generate the backlinks.
7) Articles with 3000 + Words Generate The Most Traffic
Writing long-form content is definitely the way to capture your readers’ attention! Although it might sound intimidating or time-consuming, dedicating yourself to creating pieces with 3000+ words can be incredibly beneficial. According to SEMrush, articles of that size are most likely to receive the highest traffic.
Plus, they provide an opportunity to really dive deep into a topic and give your audience an in-depth understanding of the subject. In the end, more views and higher engagement are sure to come from such expansive pieces!
I decided to put this to the test. I pulled a report of my top 10 blog posts generating organic search traffic from Google, and their word counts.
- 3338 Words
- 2910 Words
- 1488 Words
- 2477 Words
- 654 Words
- 869 Words
- 3316 Words
- 986 Words
- 1717 Words
- 3250 Words
In my case, the average top traffic-earning blog posts on my website have 2100 words. As I mentioned before, I use Surfer SEO to help determine how deep I need to dive into a blog post before creating it.
8) Publishing 2 -4 times per week provides the best content marketing results in traffic and conversions.
Consistently publishing material can be a great way to increase site traffic and leads, but it’s not as simple as just putting out content in large volumes. Keeping quality control high while crafting meaningful posts geared toward your target audience is important.
According to experts from the Marketing Insider Group, the sweet spot for optimal results appears to be 2-4 posts per week. This strikes a good balance between quantity and quality, providing your readers with helpful information and an enjoyable experience.
But why is this?
1.) More Content = More Opportunities to Rank
While publishing more content may increase the opportunities for your content to rank in search results, it’s important to focus on creating high-quality content that provides value to your audience. Search engines favor websites that provide relevant, useful information and have a strong reputation, so it’s crucial to prioritize these factors over sheer quantity.
2.) More Content = More Social Shares
The more content you have on your site, the better chance that readers will find something of interest and decide to become a lead. By exploring various topics and formats (blogs, podcasts, video), you can reach a wider variety of potential leads who may be interested in what you offer.
3.) More Content = More Internal Linking Opportunities
Not only can internal linking help improve your SEO efforts, but it will also keep readers engaged. Users can access more resources by connecting related content without leaving your website. This increases the content’s value and encourages them to spend more time on the site and explore what you have to offer.
Link Whisper is a WordPress plugin that can help with this process. After publishing a new blog post, Link Whisper will suggest other pages on the website that might be relevant and link-worthy. In addition, opening the internal link tab will make suggestions for other pages on your website that can link back to your new blog.
9) 80% of Results from blogging come from 20% of the posts
You may have discovered that dozens of pages on your website receive only a trickle of visitors while a handful rake in most of your web traffic. This phenomenon follows the Pareto principle, which explains why 80% of your website’s rewards result from 20% of its content.
In other words, if you’ve published one hundred blog posts, 20 of them (or likely less) are bringing in most of the traffic. Chances are, you know exactly which blog posts these are!
10) Only 38% of bloggers are updating older articles.
It may surprise some bloggers, but unfortunately, only 38% are updating their older blog posts. This lack of care and attention can have serious consequences, potentially leading other viewers to believe that the post is outdated or irrelevant.
Furthermore, by not updating old posts, essential facts might slip through the cracks in subsequent updates, resulting in inaccuracies and confusion for readers. I
T’s a no-brainer: if you want your blog to be successful, you need to ensure that every post present is accurate and up to date! Taking just a few minutes daily could be the difference between outdated and engaged content. Remember – it doesn’t matter whether it’s a brand-new article or an older post; its accuracy is key for readers and search engines!
Here’s what I do to keep my blog updated.
- Each week, I sort my published blog posts by oldest to newest.
- Then, I check if that page is generating traffic (Google Analytics or SEMrush)
- I remove or rewrite the entire piece if it isn’t ranking (give it a few months).
- If it is ranking but not on page one, I do a content audit using Surfer SEO and improve the article.
11). Bloggers who earn over $50,000 per year focus on SEO.
Blogging is a burgeoning field; it looks like bloggers who make over $50,000 per year are winning the internet race! SEO is the name of their game – they invest a lot into keyword research, and their goal is to draw in visitors from Google organic search: without fail, they stay one step ahead of lower-earning bloggers.
This statement is certainly true in my case. As a blogger who earns over $50,000 per year, Google is my top referrer of traffic. While my Youtube traffic is rising, search engine traffic is the most dependable and consistent.
Here’s how I apply SEO to my blog posts.
- I do keyword research in SEMrush, finding on-topic, low-competition keywords.
- I put that keyword into Surfer SEO’s content editor.
- I create content that is the length suggested by Surfer and include the suggested number of headings, paragraphs, and NLP Keywords.
- I often include a FAQ at the bottom or answer the questions in some way that is shown in the people also ask box on Google. This helps to earn a featured snippet.
- I add images, quotes, and infographics from Canva.
- I focus on being as helpful as possible, putting myself in the reader’s mind.
- I use Link Whisper to create internal links to and from the new page
- I use Rank Math to submit new content to Google Search Console.
