One of the biggest concerns of would-be bloggers (and those who are already blogging) is how often they should post new articles. It’s a valid question, because professionals want to use their time wisely. Blogging can take up plenty of time, if you let it. And you want to make sure that you’re getting a good return on your investment of itme.

The first thing to remember about blogging is that content is key. It matters less how often you blog, and more what you blog about. Readers come to your blog for engaging content that teaches them something or gives them an alternative point of view to consider.

I’ve been blogging on my corporate blog The Fraud Files for over four years. During that time, the types of articles I post has changed. When I first started out, I mostly posted short articles about news stories related to fraud. I didn’t offer a whole lot of opinion, as I was just feeling out this whole “blogging thing” and I wasn’t sure whether I should let my very strong opinions be heard.

As time has gone on, I have moved toward posting articles that include very much about my personal point of view. That has included my opinions on issues, as well as my conclusions based on original research on a topic or company. I’ve found that articles including original thought from me have been much more appealing to blog readers. So my conclusion is that it’s important to give readers “your take” on the topics you’re writing about. They can get straight news anywhere on the internet. You need to provide readers with something new and original to consider.

But back to the main point of this post… How often should you blog? My blogging has ranged from posting several times a day, to posting a few times a week. That has been based on what exciting things are going on in the world of fraud, as well as how much time I have to devote to writing.

What I’ve found is that the best frequency is about three times a week, focusing on publishing those three articles on weekdays. When I post more often than that, say five or seven times a week, I don’t see a measurable increase in traffic. It seems my readers are happy with three new topics a week, and anything more is really only published for my own enjoyment.

Of course, there is no right or wrong in how often you should publish on your blog. But from my experience, posting new articles three times a week, with original thought and content, seems to work best. It’s often enough to keep your regular readers coming back consistently, without overwhelming them with tons of posts they don’t have time to read.