Tom is a writer with experience building and hosting a WordPress blog. Tom writes on a range of topics, from technology to culture, and is a strong advocate for digital rights. Read more https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/blogging-statistics/
Welcome to our extensive list of 95+ blogging statistics. Stick around to learn everything you need to know about the current blogging trends, benefits, strategies, and best practices for researching, writing, and publishing blog content.
This guide isn’t just about business bloggers, either. We’ll be breaking down stats on niche bloggers and different blogging topics — not to mention a section on the origins of this wonderful practice we call “blogging.”
So relax, take a seat, grab a pen and a piece of paper. We’re about to change your blogging outlook with 90+ blogging statistics for 2021.
The History of Blogging
The history of blogging? Does blogging have a history?
Well, believe it or not, blogging has been around in some form or another for a long time, and it’s racked up a few memorable dates since its beginnings.
So, before we launch head-first into the world of blogging statistics, let’s take a look at the origins of the practice that has taken the internet by storm.
1. The First Blog
That’s right; the first-ever blog was created over 25 years ago.
You’ve got a man named “Justin Hall” to thank for today’s blogging phenomenon. While studying at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Justin started a blog site called “Justin’s Links from the Underground.”
I say blog — the term did not exist in 1994. Rather, Justin’s Links started by offering a virtual tour of the internet. The domain soon developed into a collection of light-hearted musings that provided insight into the everyday life of Justin.
We now recognize this as a blog, a form that gathered serious momentum in the years following Justin’s creation.
2. Where Did “Blog” Come From?
We take the term “blog” for granted nowadays, but it wasn’t always common knowledge. Internet users referred to blogs as “personal pages” or “online diaries” before 1997, which is a little bit long-winded…
Enter stage-left John Barger, whose term “weblog” seemingly makes sense, but blog? Where did that come from?
Well, it was sort of a joke. Peter Merholz used the term in the sidebar of his blog site, peterme.com, to describe that he does indeed write a blog. We-blog… get it?
Okay, so it’s not laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the term has undoubtedly caught on since. You’ve got Peter to thank for that.
3. The First Journalist Blogs
1998 was somewhat of a momentous year for blogging. Before Jonathan Dube, the blogging landscape was dominated by programmers writing about technical subjects. These were the only people with enough knowledge to design and build websites.
Jonathan’s introduction showed that you don’t have to be a programmer to write a blog post. And that blogs can cover a range of issues, niches, and topics — including news-worthy subjects.
4. A Community Approach
Against a backdrop of burgeoning online social connectivity, Open Diary launched, bringing a community approach to blogging that we know (and love) today.
Open Diary allowed users to comment on other peoples’ blog posts. Its introduction signaled the first of many blogging tools that made the practice accessible to everyone, not just programmers.
5. Blogging Hit the Big Time
The blogging landscape changed forever in 1999, a year that introduced important blogging sites like LiveJournal, Blogger, and Xanga.
LiveJournal started as a place its owner, Brad Fitzpatrick, could maintain contact with his school friends. The site soon grew into a community where users could record their thoughts and network with like-minded people.
Other notable blogging tools include Technorati, a search engine for blogs, and Audio Blogger, the world’s first podcasting service.
The greater accessibility provided by these tools led to a massive jump in the number of blogs — there were 50 million of them by 2005.
6. AdSense Launched
AdSense has been the major player in blog monetization and ad management over the last 2 decades. AdSense launched in 2003, along with a few other notable players. Namely WordPress and TypePad.
Liveblogging was up-and-running in 2003, too. The form is now common for event writers and news sites.
7. The Most Profitable Blog Of All Time
2005 saw the rise of the Huffington Post, the internet’s biggest blogging sensation. As both a blog site and a news site, the Huffington Post blurred the lines between news reporting and the world wide web.
We’ve seen a significant rise in news-centric blog sites ever since, and who can blame them?
The Huffington Post is a freakishly successful blog site. The site’s sizable turnover demonstrates the popularity and financial prosperity that an excellent blog site can enjoy.
Blogging Industry Overview
Now you’ve got a good idea about the origins of blogging, we’ll look at some general blogging statistics in 2021.
How many blogs are there? Who reads blogs? And why are they important?
8. How Many Blogs Are There?
Blogging is extremely popular in 2021. Marketers, experts, and hobbyists use blogging for several reasons; people may blog because they want to grow an audience, teach others about a particular subject, have fun, or boost performance for their brand.
600 million blog sites publish 7 million blog posts every day. That’s 4,800 posts every minute, or 2.5 billion posts a year!
9. How Many People Read Blogs?
Pretty much all of us read blog posts, even if we don’t realize it. Blog posts make up the bulk of article content online, and they’re a great way to learn about a particular subject or become invested in a particular story.
Roughly 80% of internet users read blogs. Online blogs can consist of product reviews, comparisons, listicles, diary-style entries, and so much more!
WordPress is one of the most popular website builders for bloggers. On this site alone, 409 million people rack up 20 billion page views every month.
10. How Many Bloggers Are There?
The popularity of blogging is growing, and fast. There are 31.7 million bloggers in America, and this figure has risen from 27.4 million in the last few years.
That means around one-tenth of the American population is blogging. In fact, America is the most popular blogging nation in the world, accounting for nearly 30% of all bloggers.
*11. Blogs Get Results
Blogging delivers results. In one study, nearly 80% of bloggers reported results from their blogging efforts. 24.7% of bloggers said they achieved “strong results” with their blog.
Out of everyone included in the survey, just 8.4% of bloggers said they were disappointed with the results they were getting from their blog.
The survey points to the effectiveness of blogging and highlights that results can mean many different things for different bloggers.
For a casual blogger, results could mean teaching a ton of readers about a certain topic and getting great feedback. Alternatively, marketers may measure success through sales metrics like leads and conversions.
Blogging helps you achieve all of these effects and more! That’s why so many different bloggers find value in their content.
12. Average Blog Length?
The average blog post is getting longer every year. The average blog post was just 808 words long in 2014. In 2020, the average blog post was 1269 words long.
Why are bloggers turning to more long-form content? With a longer piece, writers can provide more information (and more value) to the viewer.
Though, there is still some contention as to what content length performs best. By all accounts, writers produce shorter blogs faster, but longer posts deliver on a range of other performance indicators.
13. Blog Reader Age Demographics
How old are blog readers? Most blog readers are aged between 31 and 40, according to research from 99firms.
The next most popular age range is 41-50, accounting for 23.1% of blog readers, while 16.8% are aged between 25 and 30.
This is a little bit surprising. 50% of active internet users are 34 or below, so we expect to see greater representation from young adults in the blog reader study.
However, many blog readers are experienced marketers or professionals within a given field. People who are looking to network, gather information, and discover new products for their business — these people are often slightly older.
14. Boomers Aren’t Always Sold on Blogs
It’s bizarre that, while baby boomers make up a significant portion of blog readers, a large percentage of them are skeptical of what internet personalities have to say.
Some 96% of boomers demonstrate some level of skepticism about online influencers or bloggers. However, we must consider that the above study also references “influencers” in its question, so the respondents may have been reacting to that term and not to blogging itself.
Still, the results show that blogging can be quite a divisive thing. While some people trust content, others are skeptical of the source.
Skeptics should read more great, informative blog posts. That will surely change their mind!
15. The Adblock Generation
Online ads don’t have the same impact as they did a few years ago. Why? Adblock.
Adblock is one key reason blog content is so important, whether you’re blogging for marketing purposes or a particular niche.
The number of people using Adblock reduces the effectiveness of traditional marketing advertisements. It can also cut some of the monetization profits for niche bloggers.
Fortunately, blogging offers a solution to both of these issues. Marketers can use blogs to build awareness and interest around their brand without producing expensive (and ineffective) adverts.
For niche bloggers, affiliate marketing offers a bountiful source of alternative income. Bloggers can promote other services or products and see tangible results.
Business Blogging & Impacts
In section 3, we’ll look at some blogging stats relevant to the world of business and marketing.
Some of these effects are not exclusive to brands that blog. Blogging can boost a site’s credibility, backlinks, indexed pages, and traffic. These effects are not only great for businesses. They’re useful for niche or personal blogs too.
That being said, 95% of professional bloggers sell a product or service on their site (ConvertKit).
Blogging can impact leads, ROI, and sales apply to anyone who aims to make it big in the blogging world.
16. Customers Need Blogs
Customers need blogs. Blogs provide essential information that they need to know before purchasing something.
81% of consumers in a GE survey said they typically research a product online before buying. Therefore, catering to this requirement is extremely important for B2C businesses — it could make the difference between a sale or a snub.
Blogging even helps B2C companies capture business from competitors. A customer may come to a B2C blog to read up on a particular type of product, only for the business’ knowledge and expertise to wow them into a purchase.
It’s these factors that make blogging an essential practice; 60% of marketers believe content marketing is either “very” or “extremely” important to their marketing strategy (HubSpot).
17. B2B Clients Value Blogs
Blogging is crucial for B2B marketers. Arguably, blogging is even more critical in the B2B sector than in the B2C sector. 93% of B2B content marketers blog, as opposed to 83% of B2C content marketers (CMI).
Blogging is still one of the top content choices for both sectors, but in B2B, blog content is truly one of the best ways to drum up meaningful leads for a business.
B2B buyers need a ton of information before they purchase. They’re not just buying a pair of shoes or a laptop; B2B purchases are large-scale orders that could affect the fortunes of a client’s enterprise.
It’s for this reason that B2B buyers consume several blog posts before considering a purchase. It’s also why 57% of B2B marketers have obtained new customers through blogging (SEO Tribunal).
18. Marketers Love Blog Posts
No matter the study, blogging consistently ranks as one of the most utilized and appreciated forms of content for marketers.
Short-form blogs are the top content type for B2B and B2C marketers in CMI’s study. In HubSpot’s survey, marketers used blogs almost as often as videos, the leading content form.
Research suggests that marketers aren’t publishing as many long-form pieces as they should. Just 22% of B2C content marketers and 32% of B2B content marketers produce long-form article content (CMI).
19. Blog For Brand Awareness
Blogs build brand awareness amongst customers. They can be used as a form of marketing that spreads a brand’s message, expertise, and value by delivering helpful and informative content.
Brands that produce excellent blog content can expect to enjoy more page views, social shares, and overall engagement. They can also expect these readers to tell their friends about the fantastic company that solved their issue, spreading the word and driving future business.
20. Blogs Add Credibility
Blogs lift the reputation of your blog site, store, or business.
Of course, there are many sales metrics that blogging can help you boost (we’ll come to those in a minute), but building credibility for your site is an effect every blogger will notice.
Blog content informs, interests, and entertains readers. By providing a valuable experience to the reader, you can build trust amongst a user base of niche enthusiasts or potential customers.
21. Blogs Breed Loyal Customers
Brands build trust and foster connections with readers through blog content. In fact, 70% of consumers say they feel more connected to brands that produce content (Demand Metric).
Customer loyalty has a massive impact on the future success of a business. Loyal customers will talk about your products, spend more money, and stick with your brand through thick and thin.
According to another study, engaging customers will make them 5 times more likely to become repeat buyers. Highly engaged customers will buy 90% more often and spend 60% more per sale (Rosetta Consulting).
In other words, building a loyal and engaged audience with content can have huge knock-on effects!
22. Blogs Get Backlinks
Producing compelling content on a blog will generate a bunch of backlinks to your site. This is important because it signals the page’s authority to Google, or any other search engine for that matter.
Being an authority on a given topic, sector, or niche is essential for search engine optimization (SEO). Being an authority is also crucial for your page, especially a brand page. Backlinks are going to show visitors that you know what you’re talking about.
Backlinks are a crucial driver in Google’s algorithm. Acquiring them is essential because they’re going to help your blog rise through the rankings.
Like the next 2 impacts, this effect applies to all websites (not just business ones).
23. Blogs Have Indexed Pages
Blogging also increases the number of indexed pages your site has on a search engine by 434%.
With more pages on the internet, visitors have a higher chance of landing on your site and seeing your products or services.
24. Businesses That Blog Boost Traffic
Blogging boosts site traffic by increasing SEO. More people are finding your site through search engines and backlinks, increasing traffic to your site.
There’s a direct link between blogging and site traffic. Increasing the number of blogs on your page by 100% will yield a 300% increase in traffic.
25. Blogging Generates Leads
Branded sites that experience an increase in traffic stand to see positive knock-on effects.
When you write a good blog piece, it can generate 3X the leads of paid advertising methods. This explains why 59% of B2B marketers say blogging is the best way to increase their audience (Demand Metric).
More site visitors mean more people are engaging with branded content, more people are becoming aware of the brand, and more people are growing interested in the service/product in question.
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