Short Versus Long: What’s the Ideal Length for a Blog Post?
As you build your blog audience, you probably have a lot of questions regarding the ideal length for a blog post, as well as which keywords you should use and how to find topics that appeal to your target audience. This is why many businesses hire professional content writers from a content writing service to help them navigate these issues and determine the right solutions. However, the answer to the ideal length for your blog posts will vary depending on a number of factors.
Quality Is the Most Important Factor
While today’s Internet users have a relatively short attention span, if the quality of a blog post is high, they are more likely to read it anyways. In addition, the search engines look for quality content, rather than how long a piece is. This means your long post that is well-written and thorough will be more likely to rank better than a hastily written short piece that seems to go nowhere and vice versa. The primary objective is to create high-quality content that informs your readers and keeps them engaged.
What Are Your Goals?
Another driving factor in the ideal length for a blog post is what you hope to accomplish with your posts. If you’re interested in giving your readers a brief overview of the topic, a short post can be the appropriate action to take. If you want to go a bit more in-depth with your topic, consider writing something a little longer. However, it’s important to exercise caution when writing a longer post. Depending on the overall length, it may be better to create a series of shorter posts to increase the chances your visitors will read it.
Is There a Minimum?
When you hire content writers for websites, they may already have an idea of how long your blog posts and other content should be. While shorter is often seen as the best option due to the short attention span of users, it’s also important to ensure your posts aren’t too short. In general terms, if you can talk about a topic in less than 300 words, it may not be worth the time and effort. Most blog posts should be between 300 and 500 words, though many can be longer, depending on the subject matter and how in-depth you would like to get.
What About a Maximum?
With a minimum word count of 300 words, it’s clear what number would create a blog post that’s too short. So what would professional content writers consider too long for a quality blog post that will still engage your readers? On average, an adult could read up to 2,100 words before their mind begins to wander or they consider moving on. However, this doesn’t mean you should create blog posts of this length. In many cases, 1,000 words is the ceiling if you want to build your blog audience. This length is ideal for ensuring your readers get the information they need without testing their attention span, risking they won’t make it through the entire article.
What Should a Good Post Include?
Beyond choosing the right length for your blog posts, it’s essential to ensure every post includes the proper elements to impress your target audience and increase the chances they will read your post. Overall, the ideal length for your post is exactly how many words you need to share your ideas with your readers, no more and no less. In addition, you should also include the appropriate number of images. The general rule of thumb is one image for every 350 words, though some content writing services have their own idea of how many images are needed for a post.
Content writers for websites often have a clear idea of how long the target audience in a specific industry is willing to spend on reading a blog post. However, there are no set rules when it comes to the ideal length for a blog post. As long as you keep your target audience in mind and consider their needs and habits, your professional content writers will be able to help you create posts that inform and engage your audience for the best results.
If you’re looking for a content writing service to help you create quality blog posts, contact us. We can help you reach your target audience on a whole new level.
