This is a question that many clients ask me, and it’s a good one.
Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. The answer is “it depends.”
It depends on your type of business. It depends on what your readers are looking for. It depends on what your goals are.
If you work in the media or news industry, your blog will need to be updated frequently—probably several times a day just to be relevant. The readers of these types of blogs expect that there will be updates. They expect that when they visit the blog they will get the most up-to-the-minute information.
If you are not part of an industry that expects frequent updates, you will want to determine how often your readers want to hear from you. You’ll have to listen to their feedback and research how often your competitors are blogging. You will want to publish blogs as frequently as they do, if not more often, provided the blogs will be providing value.
The last piece to determining how often you should blog is to reflect on your blog’s goals. The goal of most blogs is to increase readership, get your opinions and expertise out to the world and establish yourself as an industry leader. In order to do that, you must blog on a frequent basis.
Read through the publishing options below to determine the blog posting frequency that makes the most sense for you and your business:
- Multiple times a day This is a requirement for news websites where up-to-the-minute updates are expected. There are usually several people contributing content to a blog of this type.
- Daily Blogging daily is effective especially if you have a theme in mind—like a thought or tip of the day or if you wish to blog about certain topics on a specific day of each week. It requires some planning and organization, and it may be challenging to keep up with if you are the only person blogging.
- Weekly On a weekly schedule, new information is being posted consistently on a somewhat more manageable schedule. Weekly blogging is more realistic if you are the sole blogger, and it also keeps your blog fresh.
- Bi-weekly Blogging twice a month is an option for businesses whose readers do not depend on more frequent updates. Blogging bi-weekly is often a good place to start.
- Monthly Blogging monthly may work best for your business if you typically write long, well-researched articles that require more time to write and read. Your blog will have fewer articles but the content will be longer.
- One word of caution with monthly blogging: If a reader stops by your site and sees your blog hasn’t been updated in a month, he or she may think it has been abandoned. Having said that, if blogging monthly is all you can do, it is better than doing nothing. Figuring out how often you should blog is about determining your goals, having a plan and acknowledging the size of your blogging team.
An important note: Every blog you write must add value to your readers—don’t just blog because you’re meeting a quota. Make sure you have something important to say. If you don’t, it’s better to blog less often.
Once you decide on a frequency, be consistent. Being able to stick to a schedule demonstrates your commitment, reliability and follow-through. If you’d like to receive my best advice, please join my mailing list: