Writing a blog post is a great way to send a message across to readers. Maximizing its potentials however to grab attention and retain it gives rise to the question as to its appropriate length. How long or short should a post be? That is the question. Long posts are said to generate more traffic from search engines. Blog entries that are a least 1,000 words are generally considered long. In certain types of writing that require much explanation to extensively cover a topic, long blog posts are somewhat expected. Short posts on the other hand, are said to be ideal for the average reader’s short attention span. Blog entries having a length from 200 to 500 words are categorized as short posts. These articles usually contain one main idea which is tackled to the point without much fanfare. The emphasis is on providing a gem of an idea that is easily digested for the purpose for which the reader seeks the information for. There is an unwritten rule that favors blog entries having a length anywhere from 200 to 600 words. This length allows the writer to present his case with lesser risk of losing reader interest at the middle. Definitive content works better than articles that have been way too extended. It provides more value in relation to the time spent on reading them. Must writers then stop at 600 words? Definitely not if it would take more to provide a comprehensive discussion of the topic at hand. Terminating an article just to conform with the rule as to word count is not a viable move for any writer. One way of striking the right balance between long and short entries is “compartmentalizing” ideas within a long blog post, through the use of subheadings. Another is to present a topic through a series of articles instead of just one word-heavy article. Writers must remember that readers rarely notice the length of articles that are truly informative and pleasurable to read.
Originally posted on December 17, 2011 @ 10:58 pm
