When people first step into the blogging arena there are many questions that seem to stop them in their tracks. Wondering what to write about and how long should a blog post be, to name but a few. In this post we are going to talk about post length and how it can impact the engagement of your readership.
The first thing you need to consider is what is the goal of your post? By that I mean there should be a purpose for everything that you write. Is that purpose to build social currency, advertise a product or service, highlight your expertise or simply voice your grumblings? That will impact the length of your post.
A product review will be longer than a personal grumbling, in contrast, writing a post in response to a comment you have received may be short, highlighting your expertise on a subject.
If you have developed a loyal fan base then your readers will know what to expect. The chances are they will read your blog whether it is 1000 or 350 words. However for a new reader to your site, unless you have the ability to grab them by the proverbials from the headline, and then continue to present educational, enlightening and entertaining content, they may simply become another statistic in your bounce rates.
With the proliferation of content available on the internet and the fact that many people prefer to opt for video or audio format over text then writing a blog post that is too long can be detrimental, however I still feel that a mix of both is natural.
I want you to recall the last 5 conversations that you had. How long where they? 5 minutes, 10 minutes, an hour, 30 seconds? Where they all the same length? Unlikely. And that is my point. Conversations naturally take on different lengths of time dependent on the message or topic being discussed. That is how a naturally structured blog should look. Just enough words to deliver a compelling message through value adding content.
How long should a Blog Post be for effective Search Engine Optimization
When writing blog posts, search engine optimization needs to be taken into consideration. Why? Because if you don’t, then no new users will find your content. I am not suggesting for one second that you should write for the search engines before your readers, if you do then your readers will simply fall away!
What I mean is search engines are the biggest source of traffic for most sites. If you neglect what the search engines want, the best possible answer to their customers’ search queries, then the search engines will forget you and in fact might not even rank your post.
To read more about SEO On Page Optimisation click on the link.
How can you keep the new users on your site?
If you have gone through all the hard work of getting people to your site then you need to know how to present your content so the readers follow all the way thought to the very last full stop.
Get to the point
There is nothing more frustrating than reading two paragraphs of text and taking absolutely nothing from it. So don’t do it. Be clear on your point, make it and move on.
Include sub headers
Sub headers are a great way to break up block after block of text. If titled well it allows the reader to skim the copy until they find exactly what it is they are looking for. Sub headers also help with your.
Knowing how to blog effectively will mean you will not worry about the length of the post you will focus all your energies on delivering your message with clarity.
So, How Long should a Blog Post be. Does Size really Matter?
Personally I don’t get too hung up on the length of the blog post. What I aim for is to deliver on what I set out to do and that is to provide relevant and compelling information on the title of the blog post that I am promoting. There are some posts on my blog of 450 words and others of 1500 words plus.
Other opinions suggest that a blog post should be around the 500 word mark. I guess what I am trying to say is there is no definitive answer. Just give your audience what you said you would and the length of the blog post will not matter.