At Buzzlytics, we are fans of Andy Crestodina and Orbit Media. Orbit Media publishes an Annual Blogger Survey every year with trends and insights among more than 1,000 bloggers, and they've done it again for 2024.

The research contains useful insights for content managers and others who write content. Therefore, below is a summary of the article with my additions.

The biggest challenge for bloggers is generating traffic.

Results from the 11th Annual Blogger Survey show that blogging is becoming more challenging. Although three out of four bloggers say blogging works for their brand, only 20% report "strong results." This is a significant drop from 30% five years ago.

The biggest challenge for bloggers is generating traffic. This is now the main problem, while fewer problems are experienced with creating content or getting support within the organization.

In particular, traffic from search engines is much harder to come by than it used to be.

It's not surprising. Users increasingly find their answers in the search engines themselves, giving them no reason to click through.

We ourselves and our clients are also finding that getting traffic to websites has become more difficult. This is only getting worse with AI Overviews, Google's new search feature that uses generative AI to provide instant answers to search queries. So optimizing for zero-click content in search engines and on social media is becoming more important than ever!

After nine years of increase, the average time spent writing a blog article has dropped slightly. An average blog article now takes 3 hours and 48 minutes to write, which is still a significant effort. There is a clear correlation between time spent and results: bloggers who spend 6+ hours on each article are more likely to report "strong results" (26%) than the average (20%).

Longer articles produce better results.

The average length of a blog article has remained steady around 1,400 words, after increasing 77% over a decade. Most articles (32%) fall in the 1,000-1,500-word range. Only 3% of bloggers regularly write articles of 3,000+ words. Still, the numbers show that longer articles produce better results. Bloggers who write articles of 2,000-3,000 words are significantly more likely to report "strong results" (37%).

We also see this at Buzzlytics. If you really want to answer a client's question in detail, you won't get there with a 500-word article. Our articles and those of our clients are usually at least 1,500 words.

Bloggers who publish more often report better results.

Spending more time on longer articles means publishing less often. Compared to 11 years ago, half the number of bloggers publish multiple times a week. Twice as many bloggers now publish monthly. So bloggers are choosing quality over quantity.

However, the data suggests that publishing twice a month is the minimum for effective content. Bloggers who publish more frequently report better results. Monthly blogging is more popular than ever, but less effective.

We too see that publishing more often yields better results in the form of more traffic, leads and sales. That's why we also advise our clients to publish a minimum of 2-3 articles per week.

The use of AI among bloggers has increased exponentially:

• In 2022, hardly anyone was using AI
• By 2023, 65% of bloggers were using AI
• By 2024, 80% of bloggers will be using AI

AI is used most often for:

• Generating ideas (54%, up from 43%)
• Writing headlines (41%, up from 29%)
• Creating outlines (40%, up from 28%)
• Suggesting edits (40%, up from 22%)

Interestingly, only 6% of bloggers use AI to write full articles (up from 3%). The bloggers who use AI generally report the same results as bloggers who do not use AI.

We too see with our clients that only a fraction use AI to write full articles, even though it is very possible. That way, you can also significantly reduce the time you need to write an article. I myself write my articles in just 1 to 2 hours (including preparation and publication) thanks to AI.

Tip: Want to learn how to write articles with AI that still sound like you? In our AI workshop, you can learn how!

How-to articles are the most popular format for blog posts (74%), followed by list articles (50%) and guides/e-books (46%). Ironically, the less used formats are actually more effective. Roundups (28%) and original research (25%) produce the best results, well above the benchmark average of 20%.

The percentage of bloggers publishing original research has risen to 43% by 2024. This strategy remains one of the most effective ways to get results with content.

In the article The Impact of AI on SEO, I already wrote that we are being inundated by a flood of AI-generated content. Accordingly, Andy Crestodina recommends that we should create content that AI cannot create, including thought leadership articles and original research.

At Buzzlytics, we teach our clients in our marketing and sales program to base their articles on interviews with content experts and thus their own experiences and insights. Only that way will you get original, unique content that is different from what is already on the Internet.

At first, filling out a content compass takes a little more time. But as you get more experience with it, it gets faster and faster. It took me half an hour to complete my first content compass, but now it takes me no more than 10 minutes. Think of it as an investment in the quality of your content, not as an obligation.

More visual content is more likely to be successful.

Practically all bloggers add images to their content, but only 6% use seven or more images in a typical article. Yet the data show that more visual content is more likely to be successful. Bloggers who use 7-10 images are more likely to report "strong results" (35%) than the average (20%).

Despite the increased importance of video in the broader marketing context, only 25% of bloggers add video to their articles. This percentage has remained virtually unchanged since 2019. However, bloggers who use video do see a positive impact, possibly because it offers more ways to measure results.

Remarkably, bloggers who produce audio content (podcasters) are most likely to report "strong results" (39%).

About half of bloggers occasionally collaborate with subject matter experts, but only 8% do so for most of their articles. This minority that regularly collaborates with influencers is almost twice as likely to report strong results.

So again, you see that working with content expert colleagues produces better results.

The blogging process has professionalized over the years. Twice as many bloggers now use editors as ten years ago. Bloggers who use a formal editorial process report better results. In particular, bloggers who work with more than one editor report the highest success rates (38%).

Updating older articles has also become more popular, although there has been a slight decline this year. Bloggers who update older posts are 2.5 times more likely to report "strong results."

Social media remains the most popular way to drive traffic to blog articles (90%), followed by SEO (65%) and email marketing (65%). The popularity of paid promotion and influencer collaboration rose, but then fell again.

Across the board, content promotion is facing headwinds. None of the promotional channels seem to be generating traffic like before. Yet bloggers with SEO skills are still more likely to achieve success.

About 1 in 5 bloggers don't check, or can't check, their analytics. These are precisely the bloggers least likely to report "strong results." Bloggers who measure their performance more often are the most successful.

The Annual Blogger Survey 2024 shows that successful bloggers invest in in-depth, visually rich content and collaborate with experts. They regularly check their analytics, optimize their content for SEO whenever possible and keep their content current. While this approach requires more time per article, it produces demonstrably better results.

Buyers today do thorough online research before making a purchase decision. By publishing high-quality content that truly answers their questions, you position yourself as a trusted authority in your field.

At Buzzlytics, we help companies apply these principles in our marketing and sales program. We see time and again that companies who embrace this approach gain the trust of their target audience and achieve better results.

Want to learn more about the impact of zero-click content and AI on your content strategy? Then also read:

• The impact of AI on SEO: here's what you need to know
• Zero-click content: increase your reach by not sending users to your website