How long should blog posts be to keep your readers interested in what you have carefully prepared for them? Is your latest blog going to attract enough interest from your readers that they will be anxiously waiting to read your next publication?
Well, in fact, it isn’t all about the length of your blog that will have your readers in awe of your content and looking forward to the next publication, it is also about the heart of the content. It’s about the quality and how well you delivered the message or messages contained in your blog that they first discovered.
In other words, what will bring your readers back to your site is how much you hold their interest when they first came across your writing on your website.
When visitors to a website find interesting content relevant to the subject they are focused on, that is when they will get absorbed in what they are reading and take notice of the name of the author.
Not only will they be taking notice of who the author is, but they will be looking for more content written by that person.
When writing is to the standard of grabbing the attention of the reader, that’s when the reader will look for more. They are enjoying the content. They are learning from the content and they are gaining knowledge that will help them with some aspect of their life, be it family, work, children, or whatever their interest.
If you are providing valuable information that will improve the life of your readers, even if it’s just short term, that is when they will continue to look for additional content over and above that which you have already provided.
It’s rather like reading a book. I’m sure you have read more than one book that you didn’t want to end. You were absorbed in the book, either through emotions of sentiment, passion or feelings of happiness. You were looking for more but, of course, the book had to end at some point, and you had to accept that fact.
Getting Back to How Long Should Blog Posts Be
It is consider by some that a good length for a post is between 1,200 to 2,000 words. I believe that to be so when the post is well written with interesting, helpful and relevant content.
Realistically, between 500 to 800 words is an acceptable length for some blog posts. This number is often sufficient to include the basis and purpose of what the blog is intended for.
There are readers who are turned off by content that is up to 2,000 words. They prefer a lesser number of words that deliver the information they are looking for in a short space of time.
Discussion and Comments
There are readers who enjoy a lengthy, detailed post that provides good information and raises issues for discussion.
And discussion leads to comments which are valuable from the point of view of adding interest to the post, as well as attracting more readers to the website.
Addition of Links External and Internal
Another reason why a lengthy blog is helpful to the author, or website owner, is that the greater amount of content provides for adding links both internal and external. This helps with SEO and consequently better rankings in the search engines.
It’s a matter of pleasing the majority
No matter what we do, or how we try, it is not possible to please all the people all the time. Not everybody who visits a website will be pleased at the length and quality of the posts. Alternatively, there are many who will visit that same website and enjoy reading the posts they find.
So, to all those who are inexperienced with writing posts for their websites, I suggest that you keep your visitors in mind. But, at the same time, write your blogs to suit your style.
The more content you write, the greater your confidence and writing style will develop.
Rather than being concerned about how long should blog posts be, the most important fact is to continue producing content and posting to your website at least once every week, but certainly more often if you are able to do so.
I look forward to your comments or questions. Please leave them in the space provided below.
Thank you.