How Many Blogs Are There? [+10 More Questions About Blogging]
While it might not be as popular as it was a decade ago, blogging hasn’t gone anywhere.
Americans create hundreds of new blogs every day. Their number hit an all-time high in 2020, and industry experts believe it will keep going up in the coming years.
So, how many blogs are there right now?
That’s one of the questions this article will answer. We’ll also review the latest data about blogging and its most popular niches to see if blogs are still relevant.
How Many Blogs Are There in 2021?
As of 2021’s first quarter, nearly 600 million blogs are hosted across the three most popular blog sites — the Automatic-owned WordPress and Tumblr, and Google’s Blogger.
Of course, these are not the only services around.
For example, Wix currently powers more than 200 million sites and Squarespace another 2.6 million. However, it’s impossible to determine the exact number of blogs among these websites.
Let’s look into some other frequently asked questions about blogging.
1. How Many People Read Blogs?
(HubSpot)
Although some sources claim that up to 77% of internet users read blogs, a 2020 survey found that only 60% of them still do so. The discrepancy might stem from the fact that some people don’t understand what blogs are.
For instance, if they use search engines to ask questions and find the answers on blog pages, many people still wouldn’t say they read blogs. Also, many of those who regularly read company blogs may think of the posts published there as regular website articles or company updates.
Blogging statistics show that the majority (65%) of those who say they read blogs do so 1–3 times a week. Another 18.3% read daily, and 16.7% check for updates 4–6 times per week.
2. How Many Bloggers Are There?
(Statista)
The number of bloggers in the US has been constantly growing in recent years, reaching 31.7 million in 2020. With annual increases in the six-digits, experts believe the rising blogging trends will continue. According to their projections, the number should surpass 32 million in 2021.
3. How Many Blogs Are There on Tumblr?
(Tumblr, Statista, SimilarWeb)
Tumblr currently hosts an impressive 520.5 million blogs — more than any other platform.
A decade ago, the site had just 17.5 million blogs. Despite several ownership changes and content policy updates, Tumblr has steadily grown its user base over the years. With 292.3 million visits in February 2021 alone, it ranks as the 96th most popular website and one of the 10 most popular personal blog sites worldwide.
4. How Many WordPress Blogs Are There?
(WordCamp Central, BuiltWith)
WordPress currently powers about 75 million blogs worldwide.
Besides allowing users to create beginner and self-hosted blogs, WordPress is also the world’s most popular content management system (CMS). According to 2021 statistics, more than 28.1 million sites currently use this CMS. Some of the most popular blogs and websites are powered by WordPress, including TechCrunch, the Star Wars News blog, and Sony’s PlayStation Blog.
5. What Types of Blogs Are There?
(FirstSiteGuide)
Based on their primary purpose, there are seven different types of blogs:
- Personal — Diary-like expressions of what’s on the author’s mind
- Business — Used by companies to attract new clients and increase brand awareness
- Niche — Blogs focusing on a specific topic, product, or service
- Professional — Designed by their owners to generate money through marketing
- Affiliate — Professional blogs that make money through affiliate marketing
- Reverse — Blogs that only publish guest posts and thus have multiple authors
- Media — Mostly personal blog sites that focus on a single type of media content
There are also microblogs, recognizable for their very short blog posts. Tumblr was once primarily a microblogging platform, but many of its users now publish longer text-based posts.
6. How Many Food Blogs Are There?
(Feedspot)
It’s impossible to determine the exact food blog count. However, considering how popular the niche is, it’s probably in the seven-digits.
These blogs typically share recipes, provide cooking tips, and teach the readers about different food items and their characteristics. Most food bloggers enhance the textual content with original photography.
As of March 2021, the most popular food blogs based on their Alexa rank are as follows:
- The Recipe Critic (2,500)
- The Kitchn (4,000)
- Eater (4,400)
- Food & Wine (6,000)
- Serious Eats (6,200)
7. How Many Fashion Bloggers Are There?
(Marie Claire, Feedspot)
Some of the world’s most successful bloggers work in the fashion niche. But same as with food blogs, it’s impossible to say precisely how many fashion blogs currently exist.
According to some estimates, about 10% of all blogs focus on style, meaning there could be up to 60 million fashion blogs. However, this is likely untrue — especially as many people deemed “fashion bloggers” or “fashion influencer” post exclusively on Instagram.
The list of the most popular weblogs in this niche includes the following:
- The Fashion Spot (Alexa Rank: 34,200)
- A Well Styled Life (Alexa Rank: 122,300)
- Extra Petite (Alexa Rank: 166,300)
- The Curvy Fashionista (Alexa Rank: 217,600)
- Wendy’s Lookbook (Alexa Rank: 308,500)
8. How Many Travel Blogs Are There?
(Feedspot)
Again, it’s difficult to assess how many travel blogs exist on the internet.
It’s safe to assume travel blogs are on par with fashion blogs — if not more numerous, seeing as travel is one of the most popular blog niches. Because travel blogging is primarily visual, many of this niche’s top bloggers in the world have migrated to Instagram.
Of those who have remained loyal to the blog format, some of the most popular include:
- The Planet D (Alexa Rank: 36,200)
- The Blonde Abroad (Alexa Rank: 58,900)
- Goats on the Road (Alexa Rank: 90,700)
- Be My Travel Muse (Alexa Rank: 91,900)
- Hand Luggage Only (Alexa Rank: 94,800)
9. How Many Blog Posts Are Published per Day?
(Internet Live Stats, Orbit Media Studios)
According to statistics, bloggers worldwide publish about 7.5 million posts a day.
Only 4% of bloggers publish new content daily. Others post less often — 17% post up to six times a week, 22% post once a week, and 22% publish new content a few times a month. Furthermore, 16% post once every month, while 7% publish under 12 posts per year.
10. How Many Blogs Are Successful?
(Orbit Media Studios)
Depending on their goals, different bloggers have different ideas of success.
A large industry survey found that 24.7% of bloggers are pleased with their blog’s performance. Another 54.2% say they are satisfied with their results but wish to improve upon them in 2021. Blogging statistics reveal that just 8.4% of bloggers don’t consider their blogs successful.
Conclusion
Even though some bloggers have migrated to social media, blogs are still relevant.
At least 60% of internet users still read blogs, proving there’s a large audience for this form of online expression. With 600 million blogs currently online and hundreds of thousands of Americans expected to start their weblogs in 2021, blogging is certainly not a dying industry.
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