My article on The Evolution of Blogging has turned out to be one of my most popular posts. So, I have some more information on the subject of blogs and blogging for you, courtesy of Logomaker. As I make most of my living writing blog posts as a freelance writer, this resonated with me.

I have picked some of the most striking data, much of it updated for 2020 (if you are interested in a more recent update, check out this WordPress statistics for 2023 article).

Blogging tips | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

Why blogging is great for companies

  • Through blogs, B2B marketers get 67% more leads over those who do not have a blog.
  • A blog for companies can get 97% more inbound links to the website.
  • Blogging ROI reveals that $1,600 worth in content can mean over $60,000 in traffic.
  • The cost of blogging is 62% less than outbound marketing while generating three times as many leads.
  • 55% of bloggers had good results with blog posts with more than 2000 words.
  • Over 77% of online users regularly read blogs.
  • More than 22.2 billion blog posts are viewed by 409 million readers on a monthly basis, blog traffic statistics reveal.

How is blogging doing?

  • By 2020 there will be 31.7 million bloggers in the US.
  • As for 2017, 21.9% of survey participants published a blog post once a week. Only 2.6% of bloggers post new content on a daily basis.
  • Time spent writing a blog post went up 65% since 2014. The average post currently takes 4 hours to write. However, every year it takes a bit longer to write an article as there is more demand for quality content.
  • The most popular blogging topics are lifestyle, parenting, travel, beauty & fashion, and food & drink. Fashion saw a massive decline from 2016, dropping from 22% to only 8% in 2018. This is because social media has taken over what fashion blogs did for readers in the past.
  • More than 50% of bloggers are 20–35 years-old.
  • There are about 5.8 million articles posted daily.

Who reads and who writes those posts?

  • Website traffic can be increased by as much as 434% with a blog.
  • 46.74% of 18 to 29-year-old Americans stated that they read blogs (2018)
  • The average time a reader spends reading an article on a blog is 37 seconds. Grab your readers’ attention straight away so they read the entire post rather than just skim through it. Also, avoid the F-shaped reading pattern with smart design.
  • Content that offers a solution to readers is more successful. Readers usually read a blog to find a solution (to a common problem). The content should, therefore, be skimmable so readers can find what they are looking for without having to read the whole post.
  • Images, videos, and audio content boost engagement. 75% of bloggers reported “strong results” when using more than 10 images. Original research has proven to be only 39% effective. Analysis for every article only has a 49% effectiveness, and formal editing processes only yields a 38% result.
  • Blogs are 5th on the list of most trusted sources for credible information online.
  • 30% of the most successful bloggers spend more than 30 hours weekly working on their blogs. Successful bloggers are the ones that have more than 10,000 unique visitors or more per month.
  • 43% of bloggers get the most results by driving traffic through Ads. Even though 97% of bloggers use social media to drive traffic, it is actually the least effective way of generating traffic — a mere 28% of bloggers state it brings results. On the other hand, the most effective way — paid services — was used by just 17% of bloggers in 2019.
  • Prominent bloggers (those who make over $50K from their blog) apply 343% more email-marketing methods than low-earning bloggers.
  • There are more than 31 million active bloggers in the US.
  • The typical blog length is 1,142 words (2017).
  • How-to articles are the most popular type of content, with 75% of bloggers writing them. News and trend blog posts were second at 49% and eBooks and guides third at 47%. This, however, doesn’t necessarily reflect readers’ preference.
  • The blog types that make the most money are personal finance, business, tech, and fitness blogs.

Considering there are 600 million blogs online right now, the competition is pretty stiff when it comes to getting eyes on your site. Having a strong content strategy can help, so download this printable blog post planner courtesy of Siege Media to stay organized and hit your goals month over month. You may also enjoy this extensive guide to blogging, updated for 2021, that includes new-wave blogging best practices and examples of successful content strategies.

For more interesting data, visit the original post or check out this monster post that has 227 blogging statistics to help you grow your blog.