News: our 2026 benchmark data is free to download
Numbers from 140 small business blogs, free to read.
From today, anyone can download sample benchmark data from our 2026 content benchmark, free and under an open licence. The file sits on a new page with a data dictionary, our method and a note on how to cite it.
What we released #
The new download page holds one spreadsheet file in the CSV format, which any spreadsheet app opens. Each row is one blog. Each column is one habit we counted: whether posts carry an author name, how many descriptions were left blank, whether anything was updated in the past year, and whether numbers link to a source.
The page also explains every column in plain words, so you can check a figure before you quote it.
Why we opened the benchmark data #
We publish numbers in almost every post. Readers who want to check them should not have to take our word for it. Opening the benchmark data lets you rebuild our charts, test a different cut, or tell us where we got something wrong.
It also follows our own advice. Our complete guide to content strategy argues that original data is one of the few things a small team can publish that nobody else has.
How you may use it #
The file is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. You may copy it, change it and use it in your own work, for any purpose, as long as you name Larkspur Ledger and link to the data page.
What comes next #
We will add the 2027 rows next autumn, in the same columns, so the two years line up. If a column would help your own planning, write to us and say what you would do with it.
For the findings themselves, start with the 2026 content benchmark, which walks through each habit and what it means for a small team.
Signing up by email is not open on this site.
About the author
Research editor at Larkspur Studio
Experience MSc in Statistics, runs the yearly Larkspur content benchmark
Priya turns questions about content into numbers you can trust. She designs the yearly Larkspur content benchmark, checks every statistic we publish against its source, and writes about measuring what content earns and how AI search chooses what to quote.
Reviewed by
