Data Supports Publishing Less Content for Better Results

A data-backed approach suggests that publishing less content, guided by the law of diminishing returns, can lead to better results than a high-frequency strategy. While publishing more frequently was historically associated with higher traffic, as found by HubSpot, every content strategy eventually reaches a point where producing additional content yields smaller returns compared to improving existing pieces. This threshold varies by organization, and a significant portion of traffic and engagement often comes from a smaller set of "compounding articles."

Identifying an organization's specific publishing threshold using performance data is crucial. This data can then be used to demonstrate to leadership teams that maximizing publication volume does not automatically equate to superior outcomes. The effectiveness of a high-volume content strategy has been further challenged by recent developments in search engine behavior. For instance, a client's experience revealed that many high-quality, human-written, and thoroughly edited articles were discovered by Google but subsequently not indexed.

This phenomenon, where Google chooses not to index discovered pages, has become more prevalent recently. Previously, Google tended to index most pages on established, high-quality websites. However, the acceleration of site creation, partly due to AI, has led to an increase in pages that are found by Google but remain unindexed. Discussions on platforms like Reddit indicate that this is a growing concern among content creators and SEO professionals, suggesting a shift in how search engines manage and prioritize content in an increasingly saturated digital landscape.