You’re making too much content

How much content do you need? It’s much less than you think. About 10% of your content drives 90% of your traffic. If that isn’t 5-95 by now, thanks to AI overviews now replacing clicks in Google search results.

We’re in a content burnout. That AI can help you create more content and tailor it to a specific channel doesn’t mean you need to. 

This is what you'll need to do instead:

→ Focus with intent. You don’t have to be everywhere for everyone and publish on everything.

• Focus on your decision-making audience and be rigorous
• You only need a handful of well-written pieces of content that you update and use over and over again
• Simplify your KPIs and don’t use micro data to make macro decisions; zoom out, long term, and team happiness matters

Here's what you need to know.

1. Choose an audience and be rigorous

Be rigorous and say ‘no’ more often to content requests.

• Avoid ‘just in case’ or ‘nice to have’ content, often created to satisfy internal egos, not business outcomes.
   
• Be a Sherlock and focus on the needs of your decision-making audience, not on showcasing your expertise. The web is full of explainers. Don’t compete, differentiate.

I’m not saying one is more important than the other. But you can’t do both. All I’m saying is you’ll need to focus on the content that drives the business and makes your decision maker tick.

Next, you don’t need to be on every channel. Simplify and focus on, for example, LinkedIn and email marketing. No need to be on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok either.

Who are you really creating content for? Explained by example

Imagine you’re a content marketing agency, focused on capacity and helping marketing teams become AI- and future-proof. Your decision maker (audience) is the senior marketing manager who needs capacity and struggles to get their team ready for the future, and to work with AI to become more effective and efficient.

Which content do you think will contribute more to the business?

• In-depth knowledge about different CMS systems and analytics to showcase your in-house expertise
• A step-by-step guide on how to adjust your content production processes to put AI at the core of your way of working, instead of just using it as a tool

→ Be honest, for whom are you actually creating content: showcasing your expertise, or are you giving a solution to your audience's problems?

2. Update. Frequently

The content game starts when it’s live. It’s not about more, it’s about getting more from what already works. Publishing is just the beginning.

Too often, management prioritizes new content over optimizing what’s already performing. Teams don’t get time to distribute, analyze, or improve. That’s a loss, and you’re leaving money on the table.

And please, add the publication date to your content. Your readers love context. AI does too, and it will reward you for it.

Use and reuse a few strong pieces. Explained by example

In 2025, I have 7 articles that drive 76% of my traffic. And 6 of those articles I update every two to three months. 

And I tell my audience that I update the article frequently. Reusing is not a shame, it's a strength. By telling I update, I show that I care and want to stay timely and relevant.

3. Use data wisely, but it's often misused 

We all have data, but we use it in the wrong way. 

• First of all, we analyze and draw a conclusion, but we don’t follow up by adjusting the content strategy accordingly.
   
• Secondly, we go too deep, and we want to use that microdata to make macro decisions. Often, you see that all the content on the website gets measured down to the tiniest details. From click paths, click-in, click-out, sources, keywords, etc. They’re secondary. Don’t over-index on them. 
   
• Third, mostly, there’s no cross-check on audience relevance, and it can’t be measured how that piece of content really contributes to the business objectives.

What to do instead: focus on 3 long-term KPIs and zoom out.

3 KPIs to measure long-term impact.Explained by example

Let's use the same content marketing agency to give a tangible example. 

• KPI 1. Total number of visitors. Year to year, do we see an increase? If so, we’re doing a good job. Taking into account the expected decline due to AI overviews, you can add the AI spider traffic to your analytics.
   
• KPI 2. Leads per year. How many new requests do you get on a yearly basis? Or how many new clients or projects? Zoom out and use an overarching view of all your channels. It’s never one channel that causes a potential new client to reach out to you. Neither is it one piece of content. It’s always a combination.
   
• KPI 3. Team happiness. This sounds a bit cringe, but it is important. A happy content team means they produce the very best work possible. Do they feel their work makes an impact and contributes to the business? Or do they feel they are just a production machine to facilitate the rest of the organization?

Summary. Do less, better

How much content do you need? Answer: It’s a lot less than you think.

→ In 2026, the landscape changed, and so should you. 

Focus on less with more intent. Free up your content team’s headspace to work on distribution and updating as well. Let them report on how they contribute to the business, rather than focusing on microdata and vanity metrics.

Again, you really need just a few really good, brilliantly written content pieces that you use over and over again. The prerequisite is that these pieces are relevant for your decision-making audience and are focused on driving business rather than just showing your expertise.

Now it's up to you. Let's go!

About my confessions

More about me and my confessions. Why I hold content to a higher standard. And why I write what most people in this industry won't say out loud.

I'm a content strategist with a university background in marketing, media, sociology, and psychology. I've worked in this industry for 25+ years and for 50+ global brands and agencies. 

I've seen a lot. Made many mistakes. Learned even more. 

Now, I share all this to inspire everyone working in marketing and communication to more accountable work. There's already too much crappy content out there; no need to add to it.

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