What is the best and most optimal blog post length?
Apr
28
Written by:
2010/04/28 07:28 AM
Probably one of the most frequently asked questions in the blogging community is, how long should my blog posts be?
This question has been asked and discussed at length all over the internet. What I found is that there is no hard and fast rule.
But one might think that if a post is too short and readers will be finished in the blink of an eye, too long and your readers might get bored and be gone before they finish reading.
What is the ideal length? Before we get into that here are a few things to consider.
- Reader attention span. It is well known that the average blog reader has a very short attention span. Just look at your stats to prove this.
- SEO. Search Engine Optimisation is the latest buzz word. Most SEO specialists agree that too short and too long blog posts do not rank highly in the search engine results.
- Niche/Topic. The topic and/or niche of the blog and blog post often determine the average length of a post.
Having said that here are a few tips for you to consider.
Variety is the spice of life
Don’t be too overly concerned with the ideal length. As I have studied this I found that there is no hard and fast rule. Both my longer and shorter posts have had a variety of success and failure.
Having a variety of types of posts as well as varying the length of posts is probably the best advice I can give on the optimal post length.
Keep your blog interesting by it’s variety.
Quality not quantity
Being concerned about how long or short your posts should be means that you have completely missed the bus. What is the focus of your blog? Are you focusing on the word count?
You should be focusing on the quality of the blog post. Good quality has no length limit. It can be short or long. The point is quality will captivate your readers.
Remember Content is King.
Statistical Data
Looking at various statistical data on the internet and the studies that other people have made can help us understand the mindset of the readers.
A study by Stuart Brown in a post posted on Modern Life entitled How long is the ideal blog post, revealed some interesting stats. Basically it revealed that a vast majority of posts were in the 100-500 words length region. With the greater average at 100-249 word length. Below are the graphs from that post.
Then in a post written by Glen posted at ViperChill entitled This is how long your blog post should be, reveals the average post length broken down by niche.
While another study on BashBlosh entitled, Choose the perfect blog post size, gave us these trends.
Although neither are very scientific, it does show some interesting trends.
Give your readers what they want
You are the commander of your blogs destiny. Only you know what your goals are. You know your readers. Over time you will get to know what works and what does not.
Give your readers what they want, not what some other blogger or statistical analysis says. If your blog readers thrive on more shorter posts than longer posts, then that's what you give them. If they desire longer posts, then guess what, that's what you give them.
Also, a lot depends on the topic or subject matter as well as the post type. A tutorial, educational post tends to be lengthy. While list posts for example are short and punchy.
The point is that it will take time and analysis to determine the perfect post length for your blog. It will differ from every other blog.
Use every tool in the book to present the best blog that you possibly can.
Conclusion
Post length is not as important as you might think. Making your point in your post and delivering good quality content is by far more important.
There is no perfect blog post length. But there certainly is a perfect blog post. Whatever the length might be. Don’t get hung up on word count, rather concentrate on delivering quality to your readers.
What works for you? Do shorter blog posts, or longer blog posts? Do you like to take the middle ground? Do you mix your posts up? Perhaps you don’t even care, you just write whatever you are inspired with.
I’m keen to know your thoughts and experiences.
Related Reading:
Top 10 tips on what types of posts to write that will increase your blog readership and traffic.
T = mc2 – The quintessential formula to blog traffic.
35 Ways to fail at blogging.
How to become a better blogger?
The 3 most important things for a Successful Blog – or you’ll fail
Remember you can win a weeks worth of free ad space just for commenting. The best comments during the week will get a weeks free advertising space. Check out: Win free advertising for your blog
New here, or perhaps you've been here a few times? Like this post? Why not subscribe to this blog and get the most up to date posts as soon as they are published.
Get involved in our community. Help promote other bloggers. List your blog in our directory for bloggers. Blog Directory for Bloggers
blog comments powered by