Every company starting a blogging program asks how long it will take to get results.
By this, they mean, when will they see traffic to their website increase and with it, customer loyalty, trust, and sales.
In the past, we would say it takes about six months before this might happen. While this is our experience, recent studies indicate that the tipping point – when web traffic increases significantly, and along with it, new lead conversions – takes about thirteen months. This is based on a culmination of different industry studies.
These cumulative studies report the following:
It appears that once a blogging marketing program begins, there is only a modest increase in web traffic for about four months. Web traffic may even decrease during this period.
However, by the fifth month, there is a noticeable jump in web traffic, which increases once again by the ninth month of the blogging program.
But it is the 13th month when the tipping point is reached.
Here is one example cited in the studies involving one website:
- At the beginning of the blogging program, this site received 608 visitors per month
- Midway into the program, web traffic almost doubled to about 1,132 visitors.
- By the 13th month of the program, this site was receiving 6,379 visitors per month.
As to the number of blogs it took to reach these milestones, the data indicated the following:
- Seventy-seven blogs had been posted by the fifth month of the program, the first uptick in web visitors
- 150 blogs were posted by the 10th month
- Two hundred fifteen blogs were on the site by month thirteen, when the stats, at least for this company website, went off the chart.
However, there are several factors that can impact these results that we must be aware of. For instance:
- The blogging program should include social media placements. The blogs must be circulated on as many pertinent social media channels as possible. For B2B, that typically means posting on LinkedIn as well as boosting posts on LinkedIn.
- The quality of the content is crucial. While we have been discussing quantity here, if the blogs are poorly written, lack credibility, or are not helpful, no milestones or tipping points may ever be reached.
- The posts must also be Search Engine Optimized. SEO is ever evolving. Right now, it is getting a bit easier. Some web applications virtually walk you through the process of improving the SEO of a post.
Another critical factor is how often blogs should be posted. New blogs should be added to a business website as often as 4 or 5 times per week. Further, these blogs must be at least six hundred words; more is recommended.
These studies confirm that blogging is still effective and that the goals of a successful blogging program are consistency and quality.
More information on blogging can be found here.
