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What should be the length of a Blog Post
Posted by shankha72113 • 5/20/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blog, blogging, blogging help, Help, length, post length, posting
I have a storybook blog and always have a very lengthy post.
Is it necessary to cut the post length short? As much as 200 words / 300 words max???
How can we achieve that all the time?
User Comments
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I try to keep mine short and concise but my topic lends itself to that. -
Don't limit by words your blogpost. Blogging is an art of expression. It can be short or long, depends on topic and your expression. But most of the people recommend 500+ words for a better blogging. -
since you are writing stories , you can not cut it short.
So you need a template with 'read more' function.-
Thanks Umesh I liked your suggestion. And of course thanks to jaynisha, I won't limit the actual post.
Now the question is, how to get a "teaser" kind of thing, that is, the only first 125 / 150 words will be shown at first and will work as the home page ?
I am using Blogger. -
i am sending you free blog template resource by message.
You can choose template with read more function from that site.
In case you are not aware of how to change blogger template there is a post on my blogtraffictips blog.
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Whatever length it takes to get your point across. As long as it doesn't turn into an unnecessary ramble, length doesn't matter too much.-
I agree. You wouldn't want to put your readers into sleep in the middle of your article, wouldn't you?
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I think the read more suggestion is the BEST suggestion ever.
You could get a template that does it for you.
Check with Weblogian here on BlogCatalog - he usually has a few really cool templates.
And also - check with falconhive - they/he/she always have a great selection of blogger templates.
I don't think that you should limit yourself at all.
If your followers or visitors become interested in your stories - then you WILL be read - regardless of your length - they may even choose to print you out.
So do NOT limit yourself.-
Amen to that!
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Thanks wagerwitch ... the blogger templates in falconhive is really great. Thanks for giving me the hint.
You are all great
blogger. Thanks a lot.
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Honestly, I tend to stop reading blogs that I have to keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling to get to the end. I don't mind long blogs but when they tend to ramble on and on I quit reading.
If it is a story I understand I will read because it is a story and they can be long.
Blogs about information on a certain subject like, debt solutions (the ad on the side as I read this) need to get to the point quickly. -
I tend to keep mine to standard newspaper commentary length, about 1200-1500 words.
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I find your posts to be more in depth and more intelligently written than most blog posts I come across. -
Stillthinking thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. A little appreciation from a reader do wonders.
Thanks again. I shall come up with a new look and some new posts very soon.
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I agree with what MissSuzie says. I write as much as is needed to get the story or point across and if one does this the post will remain to the point, concise and interesting for the reader.
Since you are posting stories I guess it makes this rather difficult to do but I am sure your readers will understand this and wont be bothered about the long post.-
Yes. It is really difficult to make a story a real short story. Still, I am trying hard to do that.
That is why though I have two drafts ready, I have not published them yet. Also planning to change the look and feel of my blog and add a "teaser" for the stories.
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Quality content, either short or long, makes the difference. -
The length of a good blog post is like a woman's skirt: long enough to cover the subject, yet short enough to keep it interesting-
This one is really an interesting and very meaningful comment. Thanks itSAMEERacle.
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I try to keep "short" posts to under 300 words, the Longest posts to no more than 1,000 words and the average post around 700. It does depend though on your topic and writing style, as well as your audience so these guidelines may not work for you. -
Mine tend to be long, am on WP and use a "read more" plugin -
If twitter is any indication, less is best -
long enough to get your point across and short enough not to lose you readers' interest. I'll read long posts if they're interesting. -
IMHO there is no rule of thumb for post length aside from adequate coverage of the topic at hand. My overall goal for my blog is to have a mix of high quality posts of varying lengths that contain relevant information presented in a reader and search engine friendly manner.
I have four goals for every post:
(1) Adequacy - I write enough to comprehensively cover the subject. I use as few words as possible, and I use adjectives and adverbs sparingly so those I do use have more impact.
(2) Brevity - The type of post and subject matter that I'm writing about will usually determine it’s length.
(3) SEO - I insure that the basic SEO techniques are incorporated into each post I create, as it makes no difference how wonderful my post may be if it's not readily found in Search engine results by interested readers.
(4) Engagement - I try write in an engaging manner in order to maintain reader interest from the beginning to the end of the post.
SEO experts say that both extremely short and extremely long web pages are not ranked as highly as pages that are of a reasonable length. No one really knows how many words are ideal but at least 250 words - 100 words recommended. Pillar posts AKA flagship content that provide timeless value to readers are longer posts.
Relevant posts:
BC member — Robert Stevenson in An Exercise in Brevity robertstevenson.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/an-exercise-in-brevity/
Better Blogging: Post Length
onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/better-blogging-post-length/
Blogging: Characteristics of pillar posts
onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/2008/06/17/2008/05/05/blogging-charact...-
Thanks timethief.
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@shanka
You're welcome and happy blogging.
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Average length of a post should be around:
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Although vertically, of course. -
I try to keep my regular blog posts shorter. I had some helpful advice about my rambling on and I had to agree. I've gotten better with length now.
My jukebox blog is short now but as I write more and get further into the renovation I'll be putting up some very long entries. I don't think I can avoid that, if I cover what I do I have to explain it step by step. -
How long is a piece of string?
I use zero - 1000+ words depending on mood and topic.-
Thanks all blogger here for sharing your precious views with me. I have changed the look and feel of my blog and well, could cut the crap but now have a teaser kind of look. So, one can have a highlight and leave if he/she wants.
Thanks again. And will be glad if you visit me.
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Short copy for blogs. Long copy works better on websites. useit.com has loads of useful advise on how to write for the web. -
The length of the blog post should be that appropriate so it is able to cover up and explain the purpose for which you have written on you're blog -
On our blog at blog.onesuite.com we try to make the article/entry between 300 to 500 words. But I think it also depends on the topic, just don't make it 1000 words or your reader will surely get sleepy.
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