Recently, I posted a blog that was originally incredibly long. It took me a long time to write – mainly because I kept losing motivation and got distracted. If that happened to me while writing, I can only imagine the experience for readers.
Anyway, I ended up splitting up the article. I posted only part of it.
In our constant search for more readers, more comments, and more backlinks for SEO, we can go too far. If we make a post that is too long, we lose reader interest. We bore our audience. When a post is too short, Google often ignores us.
So, what is that sweet spot?
I have said this so many times, I’m beginning to think of myself as a bad joke: But, it sort of depends.
Ideal blog post length depends on what goal you are trying to accomplish. Are you looking for stronger search results? Go for longer blog posts close to 2,000 words. Do you want more comments from readers? Stick to short, easy-to-digest spurts of information.
A mix between all of this is ideal, in my opinion.
If you build a blog full of short posts, you might have plenty of comments from readers, but your search engine results won’t be strong. Conversely, if you have a blog full of long posts, your readers will get bored and leave. But, you’ll have great search engine results.
Know Your Audience
Think about who you are writing your blog for. If your desired audience consists of beginners, long posts are helpful. These individuals are looking for explanations of the basics. They appreciate when technical terms are defined. Or when articles feature step-by-step instructions.
This isn’t the case for an experienced audience, though. Experienced audiences know the basics already. They understand the terminology and don’t need step-by-step instructions for simple things. For an experienced audience, shorter posts are better because it provides them with new data and information without explaining stuff they already know.
Based on your target audience, you will also have a specific type of information that you share. This further aids in finding the right blog post length. Your articles have a purpose, whether that is sharing new information or providing actionable tips. That purpose determines the ideal length for your posts.
Yet another consideration is the reading habits of your target audience. Your audience may prefer reading content on their phone during their commute home. In this example, small, easily-digestable posts are ideal. This audience is likely disinterested in long-form blog posts. On the other hand, audiences who enjoy reading time in their evenings enjoy longer articles and deeper reads.
Understand Your Topic
Not all topics are created equal!
Well, obviously, right?
Anyway, this is something you must consider when determining the right length for your blog posts. If you understand your topic, you will know how much explanation you need.
Complex subjects require a hefty amount of exposition. However, they benefit from direct explanations. Don’t add extra fluff with complex subjects. Keep your explanations straightforward and avoid wordiness.
In fact, some complex subjects, like my company culture article, are best split into shorter articles. This retains reader interest.
Simple subjects don’t require in-depth analysis. For these, have shorter articles that get the point across and preserve readability.
The importance of knowing your topic in relation to article length is balancing value and brevity. Whatever you are writing about, you don’t want to sacrifice important information for the sake of cutting word length. Similarly, don’t add in extra words and unnecessary explanations for the sake of increasing word length.
Consider Your Goals
What do you want out of the content on your blog?
If you want more search results, prove that you are an expert in your niche. You prove this by having longer articles with in-depth explanations. The same is true if you are educating your audience about different subjects.
This applies to many of my articles here. I have in-depth articles focused on educating my readers about different subjects. My goal is not to get a lot of social media shares or to entertain. My goal is to educate and be a reliable and helpful source of information. Hence, my articles are long-form.
Now, there is nothing wrong with having different goals. If you want articles that are shared on social media and have a chance of going viral, stick to shorter lengths. You want articles that are easily shared and enjoyed quickly by audiences.
There are also some writers who have the goal of reaching new customers for their business. In exchange for a new client’s subscription to their newsletter, or interest in a product, those companies must provide valuable information in return. These are usually extra long-form articles.
Common Article Lengths
To help you further understand the different lengths and what they are good for, here are some common lengths:
- Micro content: This incredibly short content is ideal for a lot of comments. It isn’t great for SEO results, nor does it garner many social media shares, but you sure will get plenty of discussion. Micro content ranges from 75 to 300 words in length.
- Short-form: Many bloggers recommend short-form content. It is perfect for getting a mix of social media shares and comments. However, since it ranges from around 600 words to 1,000 words, it doesn’t do as well with search engine results.
- Long-form: Ideal for SEO, long-form articles lack the share-ability of shorter articles. Some of the shorter ones – the ones closer to 1,000 to 1,500 words – still get shared on social media. But, long-form articles have a different goal than social media shares. Since they provide valuable information, though, they retain their value to readers longer. And they usually cover subjects that are searched more often (which is why they excel in SEO).
Determining the right article length for you isn’t complicated. But it does require consideration of several different factors. I would advise you to not worry much about article length.
Yes, article length is important.
But, if you know your goals, audience, and topic, knowing the right article length will not take much thought. You will recognize it as you write it, so don’t stress about it.
If you find yourself questioning whether an article is too long, then it probably is. That’s your intuition talking to you. Make sure you listen.