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Do you sometimes struggle to determine the perfect length for your blog articles? There is a real skill to this, and it is important that you find the right length for each piece - too short, and you will frustrate readers, but too long, and people will get bored and never finish. There are a few key considerations before drafting your blog post that will help you determine the ideal length. Keep reading to find out more.
Establish the Purpose
First, you should establish the purpose of the piece. The goal of the post will significantly include the ideal length for the article. A few common goals and the rough best word count include:
Increase traffic (300 to 600 words)
Engagement (600 to 1200 words)
Increase authority (1200+ words)
Know Your Audience
You should always have a strong understanding of your audience when it comes to content creation. This will influence the topics that you should cover, the language you should use, and article length. You should conduct research into your target market to determine the age, interests, and professional background. As a few examples, younger audiences tend to prefer short-form content, while lifestyle enthusiasts will prefer long-form, narrative-style posts.
Determine the Type of Blog Post
There are many different types of blog post, and using a range of these is helpful for creating an interesting blog that keeps people coming back for more. A few of the most common types include:
Short-form content (300-600 words): News updates, how-to guides, quick tips, brand announcements.
Medium-length content (600-1200 words): In-depth how-to guides, opinion pieces, product reviews.
Long-form content (1200+ words): Research articles, case studies, comprehensive guides.
Focus On Quality
No matter what kind of blog posts you are creating, you should always focus on quality over quantity. There is nothing worse than a blog post that clearly has a lot of filler and fluff to try and meet a long word count. You should focus on getting your key points across in a clear yet concise manner without worrying too much about hitting a particular word count.
Consider SEO
You should also consider SEO with each individual blog post. Longer articles tend to perform better in search engines as they provide more opportunity for including keywords naturally and provide a more comprehensive cover of the topic, but quality and relevance are also key - this is why you should prioritise quality, use keywords naturally, and use multimedia to make the piece more engaging.
Track Metrics
Finally, you should track the metrics of all blog posts. This will give you an idea of whether or not you are currently choosing the right length for each piece and if the piece is engaging enough. The key metrics to look at include:
Average time on page
Bounce rate
Social shares
The information in this post should help you choose the perfect word count for each blog post. There is a real skill to this, and it is important that you are able to consistently choose the right length to ensure that you achieve your content goals and keep your audience engaged.
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