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How Many Blog Posts Before Traffic From an SEO Strategy?

ByNina Clapperton Updated on

Here’s a harsh truth: the quantity of blog posts on your site has literally no impact on your traffic.

I’ve known blogs with 1 post to get as many pageviews per month as blogs with 800 (seriously, I’ve audited a lot of sites with 0 pageviews but over 200 posts!).

On average, it takes 10-20 blog posts on a website before you’ll start seeing traffic.

If you do SEO the right way, you can grow a blog with 12 posts to over 1,700 monthly pageviews in less than 2 months like I did.

Or if you want to use the “write whatever and hope someone wants to read it” method, you can be like 2018 Nina and write 2-5 posts a week and get less than 100 pageviews a month.

… and I’m pretty sure 90 of those were my mom and grandma opening it up on different devices to make me feel good.

Writing even 1-2 posts per week won’t get you traffic if you don’t have a strategy!

What actually matters for you to get traffic?

Writing quality blog posts that help your user and actually connect to each other, posting consistently for 3-6 months, promoting your content on 1-2 platforms (I use SEO as my main one!), and creating content that helps your users.

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Google homepage searching for traffic

Google Sandbox

If you’re a new blogger, you’ve probably heard of the Google Sandbox.

This is an imaginary place where new sites are sent to be quarantined for a while before they are allowed to rank in Google.

The purpose of the Google Sandbox is to keep low-quality content from ranking in the search results.

Google doesn’t want to show its users crappy content, so it makes new sites prove themselves before they are allowed to rank.

One way to prove yourself is by publishing a lot of high-quality content.

If you can show Google that you’re an authority on your topic, you’ll be more likely to rank in the search results.

You can do this by publishing high quality content, getting backlinks, and publishing on a consistent schedule to teach Google when to index your site.

Google Indexing

Google indexing is the process of Google adding your new content to their search index.

If you’re not being indexed, your content will never rank in the search results.

You can check to see if your site is being indexed by doing a “site:example.com” search on Google.

If you see your site listed, then you’re being indexed.

If not, then you need to work on getting indexed.

The best way to do this is to publish high-quality content on a consistent schedule.

This will teach Google when to index your site so that your new content will show up in the search results.

Google Search Console traffic organically from blog posts

How Many Blog Posts Do I Need to Post Before Getting SEO Traffic?

There are so many answers out there.

But the short answer is: it depends!

For some, it can take hundreds of blog posts to rank on Google.

Maybe their content is very thin or low-quality. Maybe they publish in a variety of niches so Google doesn’t understand their authority. Maybe they don’t optimize for SEO. Or maybe they have something technical that’s broken on their site.

Other people can start to rank with way fewer posts (She Knows SEO started ranking with only 4 blog posts in the first 2 months!).

Most bloggers believe that you need at least 15 blog posts to rank well on Google, and that your site needs months to get out of the Google Sandbox.

I’ve even heard people say that you need 60-150 blog posts to get SEO traffic.

That’s just not true!

While, yes, the more blog posts you have, the better your chances of ranking are; you can definitely get search traffic long before you hit 50 blog posts (for most bloggers, that would take a year to reach!).

I recommend waiting 2 months and posting about 10 blogs to see SEO traffic, when you use my tips to gain traffic fast (see below!).

Blog Posts and SEO Ranking Stats

Check out some other travel blogging stats to help shape your strategy.

Google search console traffic with blog posts that are SEO optimized

So, How Many Posts Should I Launch My Blog With?

The answer is that you should launch your blog with as many posts as you can write while still maintaining a quality blog.

If you’re just starting out, I recommend writing at least 3 high-quality blog posts before you launch your blog.

This will give you a good foundation to start with, and it will give you time to fine-tune your blogging strategy.

Plus, it will give you something to promote when you do launch your blog!

I did my dissertation on podcasts. During that research I found that, much like blogs, podcasts perform best when published with at least 3 episodes.

This allows new users to get a sense of what the blog/podcast is.

Think about it. If you just saw one blog post on a site, would you trust them?

Probably not.

And neither will Google!

So we want to build that trust by providing your expertise through additional blog posts.

Does Posting More = More Traffic?

I am so sick of seeing stats that say posting more = more traffic.

It’s almost always correlation rather than causation!

Studies show that sites like the Washington Post that publish over 70 posts PER DAY receive more traffic than sites that publish 2-3 times per week.

That doesn’t mean they’re getting traffic because of SEO!

And even if they are, it’s not taking into account the financial abilities of the website to hire writers, their high DA, and their news focus.

How many of those posts continue to rank for years?

Likely, very few.

I’ve seen so many stats that urge bloggers to publish posts 2-4x per week, or even to publish a post a day!

Who can write 7 high-quality posts that are optimized for SEO EVERY DAY while not making money from their blog yet?

Certainly not me!

That being said, I do recommend publishing one blog post per week until you get out of the Google Sandbox.

Posting regularly builds Google’s faith in your abilities.

It also allows your early readers to follow along as you grow.

But this isn’t 100% required. I know many niche bloggers who flood their site with posts 1x per quarter, then leave their blogs alone for months. And they get traffic!

It may take longer for them to rank at first, but if they’re writing SEO optimized posts, they can see a lot of growth over time.

Quality Content is King

While you don’t need a ton of blog posts to start ranking in Google, you DO need high-quality content.

This is non-negotiable.

You could have 10,000 blog posts on your site, but if they’re all fluff pieces written for the sole purpose of publishing daily, you’re not going to rank.

You could also have 3 really well-written, in-depth blog posts, and if they’re keyword optimized and link to each other, you WILL rank.

It’s not the quantity of your content that matters; it’s the quality.

This is something that I struggled with when I first started blogging.

I had my travel blog for 3 years and didn’t see the first page of Google anywhere in sight.

That was with over 100 posts!

And these were posts that had over 2,000 words. A few were even optimized (or what I used to think was optimized) for keywords.

But I never ranked!

Why?

There were a few reasons:

  • They didn’t satisfy the user search intent
  • They were long, but not filled with useful content
  • They were targeting massive keywords that I had no chance to rank for (i.e. “things to do in Toronto” or “New York City restaurants”)
  • I had a low DA because I had no idea what a DA was
  • I did zero backlink work and didn’t internal link at all
  • My site had horrible page speed
  • Some of them were no-indexed for some reason, so Google couldn’t even see them!

It was all fixable, and now that travel blog has enough traffic for me to apply to Mediavine within just a year of me becoming an SEO specialist.

So don’t fret: you can fix a site with existing posts that doesn’t rank!

In fact, I have a whole module on it in my Profitable Part-Time Blogger program. Click here to learn more!

Google analytics search results to help you track your blog post traffic

Track SEO Traffic with Google Analytics and Google Search Console

If you want to see your SEO traffic grow, you need to track it!

The best way to do this is through Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Google Analytics will show you overall traffic to your site, and you can segment that data by source/medium to see what percentage of your traffic is coming from organic search.

Google Search Console will show you how many clicks and impressions your site is getting for each individual keyword.

You can also see your average position in SERPs, and track your progress over time.

Both of these tools are 100% free, and they’re essential for any blogger who wants to grow their traffic with SEO.

I’ve used fancy paid tools, but to be honest, Google Analytics and Search Console have done the exact same job and don’t cost hundreds of dollars a month.

I let all my fancy SEO trackers lapse because they just weren’t worth it.

Tips to Gain Traffic Fast

  • Build Backlinks: This is still the most important ranking factor! If you want to rank in Google, you need links from high-quality websites. This is the main tactic I used to get She Knows SEO out of the sandbox with only 2 published blog posts. By the time the backlinks were live, I had four posts and 1 click from Google search!
  • Do Keyword Research: You can’t target keywords that you don’t know exist! Use a tool like Keysearch to find low competition keywords that you can easily rank for.
  • Zero Search Volume Keywords: These are great because you’re guaranteed to rank for them! Just make sure that they’re relevant to your niche, and use them throughout your blog post (in the title, in the H2s, in the meta description, etc).
  • Write About Trending Topics: This is a great way to quickly get traffic to your site. If you can write about something that’s trending on social media or in the news, you’ll get a ton of views. Just make sure that the content is relevant to your niche!
  • Optimize for SEO: This is a no-brainer, but I see so many bloggers neglecting basic SEO. If you want to rank in Google, you need to make sure your site is optimized for the search engine. This means using keywords throughout your content, optimizing your images, and making sure your site is fast and mobile-friendly.
  • Use Social Media & Your Email List: If you have a following on social media or an email list, make sure to promote your content! This is a great way to get initial traction and get people to your site. Some people say this helps convince Google that you’re legit. I don’t think that’s true, but hey, traffic is traffic!
  • E–E-A-T the Competition: This is my favorite way to get traffic. If you can find a popular blog in your niche with low-quality content, you can easily outrank them! Just make sure your content is better, longer, and more in-depth. You can also try targeting long-tail keywords that they’re ranking for but aren’t optimized for.
  • Be Consistent: This is the most important tip of all! If you want to see results with SEO, you need to be consistent. That means posting new content on a regular basis, optimizing your old posts, and building backlinks regularly. It takes time and effort, but it’s worth it!
#1 Blog Course
Profitable Part Time Blogger

Profitable Part-Time Blogger

Ready to grow a blogging business that fits your life?

The Profitable Part-Time Blogger Program helps you attract your ideal audience, master SEO, and make $5K/month—all in just 20 hours a week.

Whether it’s a side hustle or your dream job, it’s time to work smarter, not harder. Let’s make your blog work for you!

Grow Your Blog Today!

So, What’s the Magic Number?

In short: it depends!

While many people claim that you need dozens of posts to get Google traffic, I’ve found the opposite to be true.

I’ve managed to get out of the Google Sandbox in less than 2 months from fewer than 5 posts.

How did I do it?

Quality content, SEO optimization, and backlinks.

I teach my exact strategies to help new and old blogs rank in my Profitable Part-Time Blogger program.

Read More of My Best SEO Tips:

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Nina Clapperton is the founder of She Knows SEO.

She started blogging in 2018 and spent years doing everything “right” while earning $0. Then she stopped guessing and learned how search actually works. She rebuilt her travel site around audience intent and structure and grew to 50,000 sessions in 6 months. Within a year, the blog was bringing in $30,000 months and later crossed 243,000 pageviews.

She took the same audience first SEO approach and built her education business into multiple $100,000 months.

Now Nina teaches bloggers and online business owners how to build search powered businesses grounded in strong positioning, clear structure, and monetisation that actually supports their audience. She covers traditional SEO and AI driven search without the tech bro noise, and she’s known for explaining complex strategy with analogies you won’t forget.

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