How Much Content Before Launch

19 replies
I'm starting a new authority site. I've got all the main pages (explaining what peopel will find in each section) just about completed and am now starting to work on adding the actual content.

Is there any rule of thumb on how much content a site should have on it before you start trying to drive traffic? I want the site to provide value when people arrive, but at the same time I don't want to keep waiting and waiting to 'launch' since I know the site will never be done.

Any tips? Thanks

Michael
#content #launch
  • no.i thinks start ASAP is the best because google will immediately crawl your site and if there's content update google will do the same.
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  • I say start ASAP. Just throw up an optin form so people can sign up for "updates." And make everything you write good enough so they want to sign up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ghoster
    If your content is the best in your niche and you know it, start driving traffic to your first post.

    Use Twitter (#) hash tags but remember to post to other sites besides yours as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Luck
    I've been building content sites since 1999 and can speak from experience when I say...

    "GO LIVE IMMEDIATELY"

    I've fallen into the trap on several occasions where I kept waiting and waiting and waiting to launch a site, when it had - what I thought - was enough content.

    Then, after months of building them.... you're taking the chance of launching.... only to find that the idea for the site wasn't that great of an idea... and you just wasted all that time.

    So start immediately.... and grow your site along side your traffic.

    I speak from 15 years experience.
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  • Profile picture of the author alexandersmith
    I think it's good to get it up as soon as possible. Chris makes some great points above, & I also think the search engines would rather see fresh and unique content being regularly added as opposed to just all released at once.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    I seem to disagree with everyone who's posted so far.

    I don't see the point in launching when you've nothing much on the site for visitors to see.

    If I go to a site and it's half finished I might not bother going back or remember about it.

    Create 3-5 pieces of REALLY great content. A different mix. Like an 'ultimate guide', a 'list' post, a case study, maybe an infographic...or whatever suits your site / niche.

    Have them live on launch day.

    That way people will come, can engage with multiple bits of content, and get a real feel for what you're doing.

    If they come and there's 1 lonely article there's little incentive for them to hang around. Keep them engaged and they are more likely to sign up to your list / visit.
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    • Profile picture of the author alexandersmith
      Originally Posted by Stuart Walker View Post

      I seem to disagree with everyone who's posted so far.

      I don't see the point in launching when you've nothing much on the site for visitors to see.

      If I go to a site and it's half finished I might not bother going back or remember about it.

      Create 3-5 pieces of REALLY great content. A different mix. Like an 'ultimate guide', a 'list' post, a case study, maybe an infographic...or whatever suits your site / niche.

      Have them live on launch day.

      That way people will come, can engage with multiple bits of content, and get a real feel for what you're doing.

      If they come and there's 1 lonely article there's little incentive for them to hang around. Keep them engaged and they are more likely to sign up to your list / visit.
      IMO I don't think it's a case of getting the site up as soon as there is a piece of content up there - I still firmly believe the site should provide value to the end user before going up, but I don't think it's a good idea to wait until you've got everything ready before going up. BY all means wait until there is sufficient material to give genuine value, but as long as keep building the content up and regularly update, I see no problem with releasing early.

      Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    Depends what you mean by 'everything'. I'm not saying wait until the site is 110% perfect (it never will be) and there's 100's of pages but getting 3-5 solid pieces of content up for launch isn't too difficult.

    You can even be driving traffic BEFORE launch and capturing emails like Pat Flynn talks about....

    How to Launch a Brand New Website (with a Bang!) – The Ultimate Guide

    Another top resource you need to read before you do anything...

    How I Built A Top 100 Blog In 12 Months & How You Can Do It Too!
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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    Have enough content so that people find your site useful. If you've separated the site into different sections, make sure each section has *something* in it before you launch. I'm sure you've explained in your copy that the site is going to be updated on a regular basis, so give people a good taste of what you're offering.

    Good luck!
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  • Thank you everyone. I do already have some general content up, and hopefully by the end of today I'll have 3-5 'articles' too, so that should be good for a start.

    I appreciate it!

    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    I hope you're not going to write all 3-5 of those articles IN ONE DAY as the quality will just not be there.
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    • Profile picture of the author MaxGalitsyn
      I guess quality can beat quantity here. Just make them sure that you've come once and for all with your ever updated niche website. So start just with a handful of quality articles and schedule the others for further updates. This will add to your authority and to search engine ranking.
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  • Profile picture of the author KayaIsmail
    There's no real rule of thumb, but I'd start off with at least three. The more the better though.

    I launched my blog with three posts and it went down pretty well. Although the key is quality, not quantity.
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  • Profile picture of the author Assignmentwriter
    Make a blog for your own website and make posts in blog. Google love fresh content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Pushkar Gaikwad
    Michael, even one big useful article is enough to kick start your content marketing. Quality will always trumps quantity. Don't wait, you will never find the right time to launch.
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    • Profile picture of the author amcg
      Originally Posted by Pushkar Gaikwad View Post

      Michael, even one big useful article is enough to kick start your content marketing. Quality will always trumps quantity. Don't wait, you will never find the right time to launch.
      I agree with this. I'm actually going though this phase with my latest project, Octopus. The more I'm learning about pre-launch after a couple of failures, the more I feel this statement is right.

      For example, I've posted a few updates to my Tumblr account without much success in terms of engagement. Thus, I'm reasoning that in order to get engagement, the content needs to be both quality and applicable to your audience.
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  • Profile picture of the author mcmdx
    Banned
    I usually launched my blogs with 3-7 articles with 700+ words each... That works fine for me..
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  • Profile picture of the author JamieBeresford
    As you already have content (and it sounds as though you have enough), I'd recommend you GO FOR IT! Don't delay. Any additions of authority content will only make it better. Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author dgiles63
    I've seen a lot of mini sites with only a few pages of content--however when it was the exact content I was looking for and I made a purchase immediately.

    I think that providing something actionable that really solves a problem is more important than quantity. I've heard of the "thud" factor before--the idea that more content is better and that bigger books make a larger "thud" when dropped.

    I believe that today's information consumer is always in information over-load, if you can deliver what they need in a single page, and show them exactly why they need it, that will convert the best and create the best relationships.

    Having said that, make sure you have your squeeze page up, and that everything looks professional. Make the first impression a good one, you don't get second chances on a first impression.
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