How Many Blog Posts Before Launch Is Normal? (what I did)

I’m starting a new blog (not this one). I’ve secured the domain and have all the branding details ironed out. I love this initial phase – it’s the blogger’s honeymoon.

But one of the other important parts of this initial stage is keyword research and content planning. That’s what I’m currently working on (as I write this post).

So, how many blog posts before launch is considered well and good?

Well, here’s what I’m doing.

Let’s get to it.

Table of Contents Show

Starting A New Blog (how many posts I’m launching with)

Let’s get right to it. I’m launching my blog with 10 posts (give or take).

This is a good average number. Most other websites are recommending new blogs launch with somewhere between 10-15 posts.

But, this isn’t a hard and fast rule and nothing is set in stone here.

Technically, you can launch your blog with zero posts. That's what I did with this blog, that you’re reading right now.

For this site, I had done keyword research and topic ideation, but I had no content written.

Suffice to say, things worked out fine. But I’m doing things differently this time for a couple of reasons.

Here’s why I’m launching my new blog with around 10 posts:

• It helps Google understand and read my site quicker

• It makes my site look more established and gives initial readers more to explore

• Pillar posts are done and can be used as cornerstone pieces to branch off from

• More posts improve my chances of getting traffic quicker (which is motivating)

• It adds serious clarity to my content strategy and planning

• It’s a test run where I can get a better feel for what it’s like to write this new blog

Recommended: Squarespace for Blogging (my 1-year review)

How Many Blog Posts Should I Prepare? (4 tips for new blogs)

If you’re still wondering how many blog posts you should have for your launch, worry not – I’ve got your back.

Here are some tips to help you plan things better.

1. If Nothing Else, Start With Keywords

Even if you decide to launch your blog with zero posts ready (which is totally valid), still doing keyword research is essential.

Because if you’re starting a new blog, you want to be sure that your chosen niche has good search volume and decent competition.

Personally, I researched and created a document of around 100 keywords before my launch. I then chose around 10 of those queries to use as my first foundational posts.

By doing this initial research, I’m confident that I have plenty of keywords to create content for and build a comprehensive blog from.

There’s nothing worse than launching a blog and then starting research after the fact, only to realize your niche of choice isn’t as good an opportunity as you had thought.

(which is another reason to be careful with your domain name, in case you pivot later)

If you want to learn more about my keyword research strategy, check out this article.

2. Consider Your Habits

Are you the type of person who sticks with a plan and can develop a consistent writing habit easily?

Or, do you tend to get distracted or go off script? (← that’s me)

Choosing a blog launch strategy that’s optimized for your habits is a great way to decide how many posts you should start with.

For example, which of two options is a more realistic blog launch scenario for you?

• Launch with 10 blogs, followed by a drought of nothing (because motivation drops)

• Launch with 1 blog (or none) and slowly drip them out, developing a more consistent workflow

The benefits of dripping out content slowly is it supports a more sustainable writing habit, blogging workflow and routine.

Publishing fresh content regularly will be your greatest asset (not how many blogs you start with).

This is, after all, the “job” (and an amazing one at that).

So consider your current habits, writing routines and blogging preferences.

Are you able to stick to a realistic publishing schedule after an initial massive launch?

Or, do you have a tendency to write infrequently or based on mood?

3. Map Out Your Content Plan

How often do you plan on publishing new content?

It’s important to be realistic here. During the initial stages of starting a blog, it’s easy to be overly optimistic about what you can do in the long run.

But motivation eventually wanes.

So, the idea here is to map out an ideal (and realistic) content plan. Create a first-draft content calendar.

What’s a realistic publishing schedule for you?

Once a week? Multiple times a week?

Choose something that’s sustainable and built for the long term. With blogging success, there are no shortcuts.

Growth comes from consistently showing up, each week, and putting out quality content based on competitive keyword research (among other things).

Recommended: My SEO Triangle (how I rank in top results)

4. Just Start

If you’re struggling to decide how many posts you should have before launching your blog, you may be wasting time.

The Pareto Principle is a time management technique that argues roughly 80% of our results come from just 20% of our actions.

So, scheming the perfect number of posts to prepare is a bit like armchair blogging. It’s not actually moving the needle forward.

So if you’re spinning and feeling analysis paralysis set in, my best advice is to just start – even if you’re launching with zero blogs prepared.

Either way, it’s likely going to take a few months (at least) before traffic starts to pick up.

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