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How many words are your blog posts?

by scrapgirl42
19 replies
I am always adding new content to my various sites and I average between 350 - 700 words per post. But I am not sure if this is the best length - too long, too short?

I am just wondering what everyone thinks is the best length for a content post?
#blog #posts #words
  • Profile picture of the author Devon Brown
    Content is far more important than counting how many words are in your posts. You can say a lot in a little amount of space (like Seth Godin) or post small novellas that go on and on and on.

    Re-read what you wrote. If you don't finish reading it yourself, why would you expect your reader to?
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      On one blog that I haven't messed with in a while, I have one post that's all of 14 words. ("Who do you think you are, trying to please everyone? Even God can't do that!")

      The post just before it is 961 words.

      If your blog is meant for reading by humans, say what you have to say, the way you want to say it. Write for your readers, and make search engines a secondary consideration at best.


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      • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        On one blog that I haven't messed with in a while, I have one post that's all of 14 words. ("Who do you think you are, trying to please everyone? Even God can't do that!")
        Haha, that one's awesome! You could fit that in a tweet
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
          Curtis,
          Haha, that one's awesome! You could fit that in a tweet
          I did. It was in my file of original quotes for Tweeting, and I liked it enough to post it to the blog. Another one that made it to the blog post level was "More people have failed while chasing perfection than any other prey. And there is no record of anyone surviving the hunt."


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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Allen
    There isn't a formula as mentioned earlier. But, I look at it this way. Blog posts are shorter than articles. Tweets are shorter than blog posts. With readers wanting quick information, a blog post that makes its point in as few words as possible is ideally the rule of thumb.
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  • Profile picture of the author tess47
    My blog posts tend to average anywhere from 300 to 600 words, depending upon whether I'm in a rambling mood. I think any length is fine, as long as the content is compelling and offers value.

    Whatever length it takes to get your message across should be okay; you will read that many people try to limit their posts to around 250 or 300 words, but often at that point I'm just getting started

    I wouldn't worry too much about it, as long as it doesn't get too drawn out or bore your reader.
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    • Profile picture of the author scrapgirl42
      Thanks for the input. There are some topics I write about that I can go on and on about and others that I can't think of much This helps me realize that anything is good, so long as it is readable and informative!
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelParsons
    If there is a subject which is better explained in a video or screen capture, then the post will be significantly shorter, and the video will pick up the slack. Though I doubt I can add much more than has already been said, I think the proper length of a post is not one word more than, or less than, you need to get your point across.
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    • Profile picture of the author scrapgirl42
      The reason I ask the question is because a long time ago, when I first started in IM, I read that 350 words is ideal. Something about anything shorter gets bypassed by the search engines.

      That is fine and dandy for my information sites, but I have some Amazon sites that I prefer to only write a short paragraph about the product and then feature the product. Since I read about the 350 words, I wonder if I am being effective . . .
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    • Profile picture of the author psresearch
      3
      your
      blog
      posts
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      • Profile picture of the author DomenicoGrecojr
        If you want to create a quality blog, then I would focus on the content and forget about the word count factor.

        Just write information which you'll think your readers would love. If you're in a writing mood then write more posts in advance.

        If you think you have a lot of things to explain, then be as detailed as you want. The things to focus on are the keywords, the entertainment factor and how useful the info. is.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Thai
    Content is the key but 350 - 700 words per post is a good amount as writing too much might take up a lot of your time
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  • Profile picture of the author mnonline
    I prefer at least 500+ words plus descriptive info. Try to write in a way that search engine can understand. What most people search for. That's one of SEO part.
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  • Profile picture of the author good2go4
    It honestly has a lot to do with your writing style and the niche you are writing for, IMHO. I write "conversationally" for some niches like parenting or in some format where I am trying to show I have empathy with my reader, but if I am writing technical or how to topics then I keep things a lot shorter and to the point. Academic topics again seem to favor long sentences and heaps of verbiage, but I can tweet with the best of them as well

    Take as long as it takes for you to say what you want to say.

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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    How many words are your blog posts?
    Exactly as many as the subject/topic requires.

    (when I worked as a journalist, in my previous life, there was a slogan in the office: he who writes long is capable of other crimes, too...)
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  • Profile picture of the author salegurus
    Personally i "skip read" ie: I read only bits that interest me.
    It is hard to keep readers interested these days, you have to snag them within the first paragraph and keep them captivated.
    IMO, Keep it informative but don't waffle on, if you can get your point across in 250 words then so be it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
    I honestly don't count the words of my post, I just write and post. Some posts are longer than others but that doesn't really bother me as long as I say everything that I need to say then that is long enough
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  • Profile picture of the author rypher21
    i dont really count each word nor set a limit..just write what you wanna say and share..
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  • Profile picture of the author peter.max
    I found that more concise, well structured blogs get more attention. I use the PREP method when writing.

    P : Make a Point
    R : Give your reason (explanation of the point and why you made it)
    E : Exampe (give an example or 2 if applicable)
    P : re-iterate the Point

    It brings clarity to the writing process and stops me from rambling on.
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