Quality or Quantity

[KristineS]

We may have discussed this subject of mine, but a marketing guru I follow on Twitter has been saying this constantly, and I wanted to see if others agree with him. Basically, what he says is that quality posts that happen sporadically, even months apart, are better than regular posts that are o.k., but not great. I think this theory works if you're an appointment read, but with so much to read and consume out there these days, blogs that don't post regularly can lose readership very easily. Is he right, or am I, or is there another answer entirely?

[MyITGuy]

We may have discussed this subject of mine, but a marketing guru I follow on Twitter has been saying this constantly, and I wanted to see if others agree with him. Basically, what he says is that quality posts that happen sporadically, even months apart, are better than regular posts that are o.k., but not great. I think this theory works if you're an appointment read, but with so much to read and consume out there these days, blogs that don't post regularly can lose readership very easily. Is he right, or am I, or is there another answer entirely?

Quality! As a reader, if I see several e-mails/blogs or etc that lack good quality information then I am likely to stop reading those updates. I'd rather wait for the good/quality information that I might be able to apply to my specific needs...

I follow this same method in my business...I'd rather produce a quality product/service and potentially loose money, rather than turning out a bunch of quantity jobs that would give a negative perception of me or my business.

[Freelancier]

I'm reminded of the joke "we lose money on every part we sell, but we make it up in volume." Bad postings that happen regularly are like that joke. Good postings that people want to read are more important when there's no much junk out there. Be one of the people that people want to read and you can wait a little bit between posts. Personally, I wouldn't wait "months". But posting once a week is fine for most people and means you're spending time to come up with topics that people might want to read about.

[nealrm]

Neither answer is correct. Posting a quality blog that are months apart will prevent you from ever developing a following, yet posting junk out daily will make readers bored. You need to strike a good medium. If you don't have enough content to post a good blog once a week, then you might would to look into guest blogging somewhere, instead of having your own site.

[Pack-Secure]

Posting new content is good for SEO. As a reader I would rather get updated with good quality than quantity.

[KristineS]

I tend to land in the once a week category myself, so I was interested to see what other people would say. I agree that posting crap simply so you can say you've posted is stupid and hurts your blog and your brand. On the other hand, I don't see waiting months between posts working for all but the most famous of bloggers, who may well be considered appointment reading.

[Harold Mansfield]

I think we need to look at how people are reading these days. I follow a crap load of marketing, social media, website, design, business, and Android blogs on the Google Currents app on my tablet. If a week goes by and they haven't updated, I assume they are gone and delete it.

If they are only updating a couple times a week and it's the same stuff that other blogs have tackled days ago, then they are too slow and I also delete it.

What is quality is subjective. I discover new things all of the time that may be old news to some, but I never knew how to do.

I'd say if you have a newsletter, then you can post at your leisure. But if you are trying to build subscribers through other means like apps and tablet distribution, then you MUST post everyday (or at least 4-5 times a week) or risk getting over shadowed by those that are.

It also depends on your niche. In the ones I just named, they all need to post everyday because there is news everyday. If they don't cover it, their competitors are going to.
But if you are blogging about the Coal Industry (for instance), I can't see that there will be anything of significance everyday.

Just my opinion of course.

[KristineS]

I think the subject matter and arena in which you're posting does make a difference, Harold. If you're posting about news worthy subjects where things are happening often, then there will be more to talk about, and you will need to post more. If you're writing a business blog, as I do, there may not be a need for every day posts. I started out doing every day and then dropped to three times a week when we added a second blog and now, given my schedule, I'm lucky if we make once a week. We have, however, developed a fairly devoted following and it doesn't seem to phase them that posts aren't as frequent as they once were.

I think part of it is knowing your audience and how they consume content.

[billbenson]

I think we need to look at how people are reading these days. I follow a crap load of marketing, social media, website, design, business, and Android blogs on the Google Currents app on my tablet. If a week goes by and they haven't updated, I assume they are gone and delete it.

If they are only updating a couple times a week and it's the same stuff that other blogs have tackled days ago, then they are too slow and I also delete it.

What is quality is subjective. I discover new things all of the time that may be old news to some, but I never knew how to do.

I'd say if you have a newsletter, then you can post at your leisure. But if you are trying to build subscribers through other means like apps and tablet distribution, then you MUST post everyday (or at least 4-5 times a week) or risk getting over shadowed by those that are.

It also depends on your niche. In the ones I just named, they all need to post everyday because there is news everyday. If they don't cover it, their competitors are going to.
But if you are blogging about the Coal Industry (for instance), I can't see that there will be anything of significance everyday.

Just my opinion of course.

I don't blog, but why not just say "this blog is updated every 15 days" or whatever and put quality content in the posts. That way you don't leave the reader guessing or leaving?

[Harold Mansfield]

I don't blog, but why not just say "this blog is updated every 15 days" or whatever and put quality content in the posts. That way you don't leave the reader guessing or leaving?
Cause it's really not that easy to keep people's attention anymore. With a few exceptions, no one is the only game in town anymore. If you are blogging about an industry that you don't control or haven't created, very few people are going to be excited about waiting for you when there are others with up to date information daily.

If you are Google, you can do that. Cause you are the sole word that everyone else hinges on to write their own posts about SEO and Marketing. Or maybe if you are an author or entertainer and are publishing entertaining or creative works. Another good example is Seth Godin. Or even if you are writing a continuing series of educational articles. But for most bloggers, people just aren't that patient anymore.

[billbenson]

Or even if you are writing a continuing series of educational articles.

But for a blog, that is what I would want. I really don't have any blogs I follow, but that's mostly because I haven't tripped over any that are really applicable to me.

It's probably why forums have kind of died out as well. It's really hard to find a forum that is polite and has useful information / members. It seems to me that everyone today is in a time squeeze. Most sales guys are at home at 10 pm answering emails, not watching Leave it to Beaver. I would think you would want fewer targeted blogs?

[Harold Mansfield]

But for a blog, that is what I would want. I really don't have any blogs I follow, but that's mostly because I haven't tripped over any that are really applicable to me.

It's probably why forums have kind of died out as well. It's really hard to find a forum that is polite and has useful information / members. It seems to me that everyone today is in a time squeeze. Most sales guys are at home at 10 pm answering emails, not watching Leave it to Beaver. I would think you would want fewer targeted blogs?

Well it's not the same for everyone. You don't have to jump on the moving sidewalk. Unfortunately, a lot of people are constantly consuming news and information these days trying to keep a leg up...at least on the web.

Outside of the web, I'm sure it's the same as it's always been. If I was still tending bar, I'd probably be reading the same magazines and industry rags that I used to. Once a week or once a month for that was fine.

[Brian Altenhofel]

No one cares about your content, unless it is directly related to a product or service that is uniquely available through you. The only thing people care about is finding the best answer to their question in the shortest amount of time.

If your content is good, you're not going to fall out of the SERP's just because you don't post fresh content for a while. People are going to search for something they want information on - and if your content is good enough it will show up on the first page and will gather enough organic links on its own to remain there and help your other interlinked content rise to the front. If all you're doing is trying to constantly have something new on the site, you're doing a disservice to your users, and possibly spending resources in an area where you don't need to spend as much.

For example, I went for nearly a year without posting anything fresh on my website - and I provide web development and high-end hosting services. Traffic from search engines still tripled, with a certain blog post that previously accounted as the entry point for half of my visitors falling to only account for 40% of them. Business still boomed, with a significant amount of new contacts expressing how they found me through Google (typically one of my other blog posts).

The vast majority of Internet users don't follow sites looking for fresh content. They search for content that answers a question. Even a majority of Internet users don't use RSS feeds to consume and aggregate content. So to me, because the type of user that actively follows sites is in reality an edge case and the potential for return was near zero, I quit caring about catering to their desire of quantity and chose to only focus on providing good answers.

[Harold Mansfield]

No one cares about your content, unless it is directly related to a product or service that is uniquely available through you. The only thing people care about is finding the best answer to their question in the shortest amount of time.

That's not really an accurate statement. People read what interests them. To say that people only read when they need an immediate question answered doesn't really apply to everyone. Although I do understand your point as it pertains to your company website. But that's more a statement about the buying process, not people's reading habits, which really hasn't changed much since we got magazines in the mail. People subscribe to what they want to read. Still.


If your content is good, you're not going to fall out of the SERP's just because you don't post fresh content for a while. People are going to search for something they want information on - and if your content is good enough it will show up on the first page and will gather enough organic links on its own to remain there and help your other interlinked content rise to the front. If all you're doing is trying to constantly have something new on the site, you're doing a disservice to your users, and possibly spending resources in an area where you don't need to spend as much.

For example, I went for nearly a year without posting anything fresh on my website - and I provide web development and high-end hosting services. Traffic from search engines still tripled, with a certain blog post that previously accounted as the entry point for half of my visitors falling to only account for 40% of them. Business still boomed, with a significant amount of new contacts expressing how they found me through Google (typically one of my other blog posts).

I argue that nothing stays relevant forever, and there is a lot of good content that is not on the first page of the SERP's, depending on what the search terms are. There's only 10 spots there and millions of websites. Change one search parameter, and someone elses article is #1 and yours nowhere to be found. Eventually, everything falls from the top of the SERP's. While that may be your experience at the moment, I don't think I would suggest that strategy of relying on one article for 40% of your referral traffic.

Anyone that has been blogging (even off and on) for any significant time, gets that one hit wonder every now and then that can carry traffic for a while, but trust me, it ends. And if you don't have anything taking it's place, you are now behind the 8 ball and your strategy now becomes trying to create that hit again instead of a steady stream of relevant content that gives you 100's more links in the SERP's. It's a marathon.


The vast majority of Internet users don't follow sites looking for fresh content. They search for content that answers a question. Even a majority of Internet users don't use RSS feeds to consume and aggregate content. So to me, because the type of user that actively follows sites is in reality an edge case and the potential for return was near zero, I quit caring about catering to their desire of quantity and chose to only focus on providing good answers.
I agree with you about RSS feeds, but to say that people don't look for fresh content is thinking one sided. That is obviously not true or blogs, newspapers and online magazines would all be out of business and the invention of the printing press would have meant nothing for the past 500 years. Obviously people read for more reasons than you are saying.

Again, I think you are confusing people's reading and learning interests, with their buying habits.

So we are talking about 2 different things. You are trying to make the case on blogging, based on the stages of making a purchase decision. It's not the same thing. Generally that's what people do with their website copy , but that may or may not have anything to do with their blogging strategy.

People read for a lot of reasons, not just when they want to buy something. Therefore people blog for a lot of reasons, not just when they want to directly, or immediately sell something.

[KristineS]

No one cares about your content, unless it is directly related to a product or service that is uniquely available through you. The only thing people care about is finding the best answer to their question in the shortest amount of time.

The vast majority of Internet users don't follow sites looking for fresh content. They search for content that answers a question. Even a majority of Internet users don't use RSS feeds to consume and aggregate content. So to me, because the type of user that actively follows sites is in reality an edge case and the potential for return was near zero, I quit caring about catering to their desire of quantity and chose to only focus on providing good answers.

I'm not sure I agree with this. It seems you're equating blogs with ecommerce websites and I think those are two different things. Yes, if I have a question about where to plant a flower in my garden or how to tell if I have a sinus infection, I don't care about where the answer comes from, I just want something accurate and helpful. If I read a blog, however, I'm interested in the ongoing story or information that is offered. I read blogs for a lot of reasons, because I like the writer, because I like the stories that are told, because the posts make me laugh or think, basically for the same reasons I would read a book or magazine. That's a very different mindset than I have when I'm looking for information.

[rave]

I prefer Quality. If I am the reader no matter how long it takes to release that blogs if it is worth waiting why should look for other blogs to read. I would read one blog post rather to read lots of blogs that does not satisfy my needs or lack of information.

[Harold Mansfield]

I prefer Quality. If I am the reader no matter how long it takes to release that blogs if it is worth waiting why should look for other blogs to read. I would read one blog post rather to read lots of blogs that does not satisfy my needs or lack of information.
And that pretty much proves the point that you can't make a blanket statement about the reading habits of all people. If you run your business based on your personal preferences, you will leave a lot of people to turn to other sources.

You adjust to the way things are for a majority of your demographic. You don't expect them to adjust to you. Most people don't have that kind of market share where they can set the standards of an entire industry.

[dianecoleen]

Blogging could be a way to help your consumers be still connected with your products. Also, during these days we are focusing often to quality rather than of quantity. When you say quality we all mean to say that it is natural and not driven with just links. Because if you tend to do such blogs with driven links, then expect to get 0 readers and 0 customers. Also, Google is already punishing those sites with just links all over the content.

[Gabe]

It really depends on your audience. People rarely decide to follow blogs based on one post. When they find your site they'll typically look at what else you've written. There's already enough crap on the internet and enough people vying for everyone's limited attention. If you want to be read, be worth reading. You can put out a good quality post every week or two if you want (or even more frequently), it just depends how much time you invest in it...and the more you write the better you get. I'm a huge believer in only posting when you have something worth posting. It also depends on your purpose for gaining traffic.

[KristineS]

If you want to be read, be worth reading.

This is something everyone needs to remember. It isn't just about frequency, you can post crap every day and that won't get you readers. You have to post things that are worth reading and passing along to really be successful at blogging.

[fahudmah]

for me both are important you cant bound yourself to quality when you are talking about blogging because the major aspect of blogging to get good number of visitors and only quality written articles are not enough for this purpose quantity is also important because someone search on search engine the wording will be checked out and if you have limited wording you cant come up one the results of search engine

[Harold Mansfield]

We talk so much bout "Quality" of content that many people who don't write regularly think they need to hit a home run with every blog post, which is very intemedating. And others think that 5 good articles is better than 30 average articles. Both are dead wrong.

No one hits a home run everyday. Not the Washington Post. Not the Wall Street Journal. Nobody. But what they do is provide a well rounded stream of information that thier demographic is looking for.

If you pigeonhole yourself into only targeting the largest group of possible readers every single time, not only are you missing an opportunity to grow your readership, but you are going to burn out and end up just repeating information that is already out there.

What is quality content is subjective to your demographic. Just because an article doesn't get the maximum amount of views, doesn't mean that it's not valuable. For me it's been the articles that no one was writing about, or where the information was outdated or incomplete that resulted in the most feedback. 500 readers and no engagement is far worse than 10 readers that result in 2 phone calls. Numbers ean squat if it doesn't equate into money.

One thing about targeting max readership is that you are basing it on already known statistics. In other words, everyone is targeting it. That's why you have to work so hard to get it listed at the top of the SERP's. It's already been written.

The articles that go viral are generally new information.

People who make the news lead the way. Not the people who piggyback it.

[ozetel]

A quantity based blog will always turn me away because I want to know that I (as a reader) and being considered and written for. We often receive newsletters or RS feeds from associate industries and there is one that stands out because they are presenting relevant information to us and our industry. They are actually not a related industry but provide us with relevant, quality information. For me, that is a big draw card because it tells us they are doing some work (or have hired/approached someone else) to get the right information for the industry they are talking to.

The downside is they are not an "authority" in the topics they are talking about but do have reference to those authorities. So that is a point that sticks with me, become the authority ot specialist in your field and you will gain attention and respect.

But I guess nowadays also, the SEO process is asking us to create ranking success through constant content and depth in our sites/blogs so we are tending towards quantity and possibility reducing the quality as a consequence.

Interesting topic.

[HireLogoDesign]

I'm a proponent of quantity over extreme quality, but there is a twist. Once I've established a steady or even just increasing stream of traffic to a particular page I'll then really dig down into making it better. Basically I look for whats working then refine as best I can. I don't want to make the best content for a page that isn't going to do well within s earch.
Edit:
To expand what I mean just a bit more. When I place a post on my site I wait to see if it naturally brings readers through long tail ect. at which I begin to refine.

[angelajason06]

Neither answer is correct. Posting a quality blog that are months apart will prevent you from ever developing a following, yet posting junk out daily will make readers bored. You need to strike a good medium. If you don't have enough content to post a good blog once a week, then you might would to look into guest blogging somewhere, instead of having your own site.

Well Answered..!!

[seolman]

Quality content always trumps quantity for both business growth and SEO. If you post a poor quality article, who will recommend it via tweets or links? Even if Google sees more data to index it will still rate the page/site lower if it is not receiving attention (i.e. social chatter or links). Good quality SEO is about content marketing, better said: producing linkworthy content.

[LGCG]

Now that it's all about earning backlinks rather than building them, quality wins. The real benefit of writing a great article is it's ability to continually earn you links long after you've written it.