What is the perfect length of a blog post? If it’s too short, people may think that you have no clue what you are talking about or that your post is not of a high quality. Likewise, a post that is too long will seem like a chore to read and turn visitors away. So what is the perfect length? – Well with the help of some web statistics and a little insight, I will show you.
It’s all about the attention span of the average reader. Evidence suggests that the typical web reader has a short attention span when it comes to reading content online. Reflect back yourself to the best posts you have read, there not essays or single sentences are they?
Statistics on Problogger state that “…The average reader spends 96 seconds reading the average blog.”
Checking my own statistics, I tend to agree with this statement. Whether it’s absolutely correct or not is entirely up to debate, but the fact is that readers generally don’t spend much time.
For this reason, stwtched-on bloggers and webmasters purposely condense their content so that it is readable in short grabs.
For me, I have found that a post between 200 & 500 words are about the acceptable boundaries.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:16 am
I think the length of the blog post really depends on the topic itself. Some topics tend to be simple and does not require much elaboration. On the other hand, other topics are complex and entail indepth analysis.
I totally agree with you that the average reader does not spend more than two minutes on a blog post. However, 200-500 words do not always capture the exact scope of the post.
September 27th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Brett
good topic, and one that would have been interesting to discuss early in the semester
Ghiath’s comment is particularly relevant concerning type of content, and I also am adamant that writing for the web, and not in an assignment like manner is even more important
Interesting, browsable content with images,links and bullet points are essential – readability, facts and past experience are important, but not quite as critical
cheers Peter
September 29th, 2009 at 9:29 am
[...] recent blog by Brett Mifsud suggested that the optimal length for a blogpost should be approximately 200-500words. Problogger [...]
September 30th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Brett,
Interesting topic. I am finding that along with posts on enterprise 2 related material, anything that provides insight into effective blogging is extremely relevant and valued by students in the unit. I am learning so much from my fellow bloggers thanks to posts like this one and your previous post on Googledocs. Im realising the benefits of collaborative learning more and more all the time. Im going to check out problogger. If you’re interested, check out this link on blogs serving as great resumes…pretty interesting!
Cheers,
Haley
http://bokardo.com/archives/the-blog-is-the-new-resume/
October 20th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Your post’s really brought to the forefront an issue I’ve been fighting myself over the course of my (albeit limited) blogging venture. While I agree with the evidence put forward regarding ‘200-500 words’ as acceptable boundaries, it also depends on the tone/theme of your website and your particular target audience. For a Q&A self-help blog shorter is definitely the way to go for quick, no-frills assistance. But if it’s a research topic for academia purposes or specific to professional reference, they might extend to 1000+ words. I’ve noticed that a subject mightn’t adequately be reviewed without evidence, which requires more explanation.
I suppose it also depends on whether it’s an individual’s opinion or an amalgamation of research to prove your opinion where needed. Hope this helps!
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:51 am
Nice post Brett, many thanks.
I am very new to blogging and one of my worries (see one of! lol) is the length I can keep someone’s attention for.
I have just written my 3rd post and was interested in seeing other peoples views. Yours was one of the first that came up on Google (woohoo)
My current blog is 474 words, so I’m glad I came across your words
http://jobrichuk.blogspot.com/ if your interested
Cheers
Richard Johnson
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Richard,
I am glad that you found the post helpful.
There are some good communities on Linked-In that can also help you with your blogging questions.
I will have a read of your blog soon also.
Best of luck