January 5, 2014

Does the Length of a Blog Post Matter?




Today, I'm gonna be very straightforward and boring, folks. Pardon me for the lack of deliciousness throughout the post and you will have to pour the gems. I'll let you decide though ;) Actually, I had another post coming and even scheduled to be published. But something terrible happened about a few hours ago - I CHANGED MY MIND!

Now, I have a real simple question ready for you ~ Does the length of a blog post matter?


Yes? No?


I don't know about you, but I can't recall reading a blog post which I can claim it's too short or long.

Considering the word count, I can recollect reading a post written under 300 words and over 3000 (As depicted by author) too. I was tremendously surprised how they did it fine without disappointing their readers.

You'd think, then I'm truly fortunate to come across only quality content and fantastic authors. Yeah, I did. But I've come across terrible writings I given up halfway too. Yet I failed to find a clue how the length of a blog post could gain or ruin the value. If you ask me, I don't consider word count in my writing unless it's a prerequisite.


What's the Fuss?


While my research online, I could have drown in hundreds of posts written on this topic based on the perspectives of different authors / group of authors. Even their experiments and public statistics contributed to their conclusions, and came up with minimum and maximum word counts too. Anyway, I could made only 22 posts and articles.

However, what's common I realized was that they were discussing the ratio between traffic over word count, not the quality over word count.

I know we have to go with what's measurable. But I was like,

"Once you were implying that quality content matters the most in blogging and again, suggesting we might need to compromise the quality considering the relationship between word count and traffic. Are bloggers suppose to write or count?".

I was wondering if they knew majority of Internet traffic is non-human. Is blogging just turning into a sole marketing tool, with the coated quality content?


On to EXPERTS


Does the length of a blog post matter? I believe readers are the best to answer such a question, unless bloggers writing for themselves. Hence I'll leave this up to you to spill your gems.

Now, You are the EXPERT I count on here! ;)




Awesome! Thanks for coming by and taking your time to read this post :) I hope you have learnt something today. Now you can share it with your friends and I'd love to hear from you too.






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Harleena Singh said...

Hi Mayura,


Interesting topic for discussion :)

Yes, this is one question that often creates waves in the blogosphere. I don't think the blog length matters as long as you convey what you want to in such a way that is accepted well and taken up by your readers.

Bloggers have said what they want to within 300 word posts, and they said it well, while others have given awesome posts even if they have exceeded the 3000 word count. All in all, people have their say, this way or that, and as long as what they write brings them happiness, is helpful to the readers and people can relate to it, it's good!


You know me, I can never say it all within 300 words! I think even my comments (like yours!) run over 300 words!! So, for me the length of post is always over 1500-2000 words, which I think is what Google also prefers now. Nevertheless, it's to each blogger and what they like, isn't it?


Thanks for sharing. Happy Weekend. :)


BTW - I think this post is one of your shortest, but the length doesn't matter ;)

Bren Lee said...

Hey Mayura. I may be one of the odd ducks here but I don't think it matters how long or how short, as long as the message is being conveyed. I don't set word limits on my posts nor to the contributor posts. I'm interested in seeing what your other readers think.

Lisa Buben said...

Hi Mayura, interesting topic of debate. I try to do at least 500 words per post. It's harder for me as I'm not a wordy person but I've gotten better about it over time and have reached the 1,000 word count on some posts. I think though the quality is the upmost important factor. And we don't want to bore our readers right with added words to reach a count, right?
I had to check my most popular post and it was just 558 words. My 2nd most popular was just over 1100 words. Interesting!
I love how you started this one Mayura with some personality :) Now I wonder what the other post could be about? Great way to start the new year my friend!
Look forward to seeing what others have to say about this one too.

Gilbert Samuel said...

It doesn't matter, funny enough I just read the shortest blog post ever blog post ever http://www.briangardner.com/epic-posts/

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Harleena,


Ha ha... My first draft had only 12 lines, but it expanded as more thoughts flowing dear ;) Way to go!


Well said! I agree with you there 'cause I believe length shouldn't interfere the quality either. I know you are known for writing quite long posts and of course, comments too :) But you know the art of writing and how to convey effectively. Each time, the curiosity lasted until the end.


As I search through the web on this very topic, I didn't expect to come across so many posts with different kind of opinions and conclusions :) Now it reminds me how vast the blogosphere is. Anyway, I thought of having discussion with bloggers / readers up here and here you are!


Ah... GOOGLE! I think bloggers are kinda afraid how good looking they are to Google. Isn't it? Something I feel we need to talk more and get over with. Not being anti-Google, but I don't know why bloggers choose to please search engines rather than readers. Seems, QUALITY or READERS isn't their top priority. I wish if all the bloggers stick to their own style with patience :)


Thanks for coming by and contributing your thoughts to the discussion Harleena :) Now it extends the topic.

You have a wonderful week dear! :)


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hey Brenda,


Ha ha... Odd is good, and it takes courage! ;) Personally, I like how independent you are when it comes to blogging and yet I have to achieve the freedom by being away from minor restrictions.


Neither I take word count into account here, and had no problem with guest posts, as I exceeded the minimum. But I thought "what if I couldn't or didn't"? :)

Now that's what I'm looking for ~ What others think ;) Let's hear out 'em!

Thanks for coming over and sharing your views into the discussion Brenda :)


You have a lovely week dear!


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Lisa,


Yippy! I thought of incorporating more personality into the blog through discussions dear :) Actually, I thought why I always feel great when commenting rather than blogging. May be I need more discussions happening. Let's see where it leads us all to. Glad to hear you loved it :)


Exactly! I believe quality should be the utmost factor among true bloggers and if we can eliminate "at least" and "at most" from our blogictionary, more hidden skills will be unveiled. Well, like you, I'm eager to hear different opinions here :)

Very interesting statistics Lisa :) Thanks for sharing with us all. Did you check the time frame they were published? I think you can delve into more interesting facts. When I start out as a blogger, my posts had only one or two paragraphs, but attracted 2x to 3x traffic than lengthy ones I've been doing.


Anyway, I'm not gonna focus on getting more traffic by simply changing my style though :)


Thanks for coming by, and sharing your thoughts and stats on this topic Lisa :)


You have a fantastic week dear!


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Gilbert,


Glad to hear word count isn't a problem at all mate ;) The spirit I'd love see from all bloggers!

Ah... Now that's SMART! You just made me read the blog post with least word count I've ever read too. See, it's not too short either ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and sharing your view and interesting post up here Gilbert :)


Have a fabulous week mate!


Cheers...

Debbie Doglady said...

Hi Mayura; As others have said, content is more important than length. The point is making your point, yes? If you are writing a longer article, I do think it's important to keep it interesting, as our friend Harleena always does. Some people's attentions spans can be short. ;) Word limits only serve to stifle creativity,

eyram (http:WorkWithEyram.com) said...

Mayura,

When a post achieves its aim, it is long enough

Jeevan Jacob John said...

Great topic, Mayura!


Depends.


I don't think there is a good answer to his question.


I could argue that long posts could be more useful (since they are long) or perhaps that you need a long post to convey some meaningful.


Of course, that is far from true, since I have read a lot of short blog posts that are more useful than many long posts.


Long posts can also overwhelm the reader (I have closed a few blog posts because they were too long....but in the end, I always came back. Because I knew, as a blog owner, that I can't judge the post by its length. Perhaps it does have some awesome tips. I wouldn't want to miss that, would I?).


For the blog owner - write as you like. What do you prefer? Long or short? or medium?


How long does it have to be (to be meaningful for you?).


For the reader - never judge a post by its length. Give it a chance.


That's all I have ;)

Angela McCall said...

Wow Mayura...


This is the shortest post I've ever read from you. *LOL*


Well, you know I just ask this question on my Facebook. Will my friends and readers would like me to post between 500-1000 or what.


But the answer to this question is YES. It makes a difference how many words you post online. First off Google is happy when you post at least 500 words. Second, it doesn't look good when a blog post just a bunch of commercials. In fact, I just came to one just like that. There was nothing but "banners" on his post and he had like less than 100 words there, it was a real shame. I wonder if Google will slap these type of people. Or, their page just never make it on PR.


Anyway, have a nice week my friend.


Angela

Corina Ramos said...

Interesting post indeed my friend and I for one am glad to see you back in the blog-o-sphere :).

I don't bother with the word count. I write a first draft and go back and edit. When it's all said and done I look at the word count. It's normally about 500 words but there have been a couple with a less word count than that.

The only time I'm concerned with the word count is when I'm doing a guest post and want to comply with their policies....other than that...I guess I'm saying I write and not worry about the counting while I do it.

Thought-provoking post Mayura! Have a great week!

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Debbie,


I'm with you there ;) Indeed, it's about making point as you implied. Hence I was wondering how come someone just decide minimum or maximum word count and suggests others to comply with it. Well, Internet traffic matters most to 'em.

Very good points! Keeping our posts interesting is something we need to embrace while writing and we all have different kind of styles. Isn't it? Harleena is really a wonderful blogger who made us scroll more, but without exhausting readers.


I'm glad to hear word count couldn't ever get in your way Debbie. Wish blogging will be pure blogging among most too :)

Thanks for coming over and contributing your interesting thoughts into the discussion Debbie :)

You have a lovely week dear!

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Terungwa,


Exactly! I believe creativity matters to bloggers (Oh! everyone) and they should let it out in blogosphere, instead of restricting to rules. Anyway, I don't think bloggers themselves are the ones to decide quality, but the audience :) That's where readers like you become experts.

Reading over 3000 words without even noticing is impressive :) Yet the link shared by Gilbert is indeed interesting even it couldn't reach 5 words. I guess, numbers is something we bloggers need to stop whining about.

Thanks for dropping by and sharing your interesting comment Terungwa :)


You have a fabulous week mate!


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Eyram,


Now yours resonate with mine ;) Mmm... Every blog post is long enough as long as it serves the value intended. Taking control over word count should be eliminated :)

Thanks for coming over and adding your input to the discussion mate :)

BTW be cautious about having link mentioned with your name Eyram. It could send your comments to moderation. Just wanna let ya know! :)

You have a fabulous week there mate!

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Jeevan,


Very subjective indeed! ;) I was bit worried some bloggers feeling the need to restrict or achieve optimal word count suggested by experts and here I'm getting it into a discussion.



Ah... Long vs Short! There will be no winner I guess ;) But search engines tend to prefer more word count and we human beings should get that they are only tools and not smart enough to measure the quality, eh?

Very interesting point Jeevan :) I, as a reader, didn't check word count or length in first place and if I feel bored while reading (either it's long or short), I was likely to skip that one. Hmm... May be that's why I stick to favorites. I need to follow your tip sometimes ;)

I'm with you there! Write as you like and care what you have to say :) No boundaries need to be attached. Gotta stop trying to be ourselves, but just be ourselves ;)


Now I love the thoughts pouring over here :) Unveil clues about their ultimate goals of blogging.

Thanks for coming over, and adding your thoughts and experiences into the discussion Jeevan :)


You have a fantastic week mate!


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Angela,

LOL :D I guess I must work on more short ones then.

Now that's a very good move as you can get feedback from your readers Angela :) Feedback matters a great deal!

Now I love your answer, my friend! But, mind you, I respectfully disagree with it though ;) I know search engines prefer crawling more binaries, and we bloggers seeking for traffic too.

I think bloggers need to be independent and follow their style no matter what others have to say dear. Well, I mean blogging as real blogging, not as a marketing tool to support our businesses though. We can learn about a blogger when we see more commercials but not rich content in his / her blog. Isn't it? They are not here for blogging, my friend.

I must admit that you have your own style where you can't just lay few lines, and may be you are trying to balance it with word count too :) I could be wrong over here with my opinion, but I'm just looking for a discussion with vivid opinions :) I'm thrilled to know what's going on in their cute little minds (including yours).

Thanks for coming over and contributing your genuine thoughts into the discussion Angela ;) I think we need more of such opinions.

You have a fantabulous week dear!


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Corina,


Now, that's my pleasure to have you contributing my friend! Indeed, we were bit busy and away from usuals at the end of last year. Now, back in action ;)

Interesting statistics from your end Corina! :) Accomplishing the quality over word count, eh? Fortunately, Blogger has no way for me to reveal the word count as I write and I really like that.

That's what I've been doing so far too dear! I was curious when contributing to another blog and else, it's a matter of getting my thoughts and relevant information written.

I was wondering what if we were just painters and do we have to paint as Google or some other expert expects us to do? Guess we should cherish the power of freedom ;)


Thanks for coming over, and adding your views and practices into the discussion Corina :)


You have a great week too dear!

Cheers...

Debbie Doglady said...

Well, I wouldn't say never. ;) I have entered some writing contests that have specific word counts, but, those are challenging and sharpen one's writing skills.

Tim Bonner said...

Like many of your readers Mayura, I'd agree that a blog post only needs to be as long as the points you want to convey.


Just recently my posts have been between 750 to 1,000 and I've seen an increase in organic traffic from that.


I can't be sure though that the longer posts are the reason because I've also been playing around with post titles as well - trying to make them more interesting!


Personally, I think most people these days would prefer shorter posts. I know I do. We all lead busy lives.


It also depends on how often you publish too though. If you publish several times a week, I would suggest experimenting with different length posts and including slideshare presentations, video etc.


If you only publish once a month then I reckon a longer post might be more important to achieve.


I'm pretty sure Google are looking for the longer posts too, so long as they add value and are content-rich.

Angela McCall said...

Let me clarify myself on this. You ask, does the length of a blog post matter? I said, yes. Yes, it matters because anything below 500 is not good. We are here online to convey our message are we not? Don't you think you can write a tutorial less than 500 words? If you can then so be it. And no I don't write for SEO either. In fact I hate SEO. But at least I write more than 500 words. To me it matters. If I didn't care about the length of my blog post why even be online? I'll just won't blog then.

If you're writing for yourself then it shouldn't matter how short or long coz you're not here for business but for a hobby. (I'm not pertaining to you okay, this is general) However, business entrepreneurs who wants to be found, who agrees to play by Google business rule anyway whether she wants it or not...I'd be lying to myself if I said it didn't matter to me because it does. I do want to have a better rank. I'm here for business not for play. And my page rank, serp, google authority all matters to me.

However, I don't write for SEO but for humans and so it doesn't matter how long it takes for me write as long as I convey my message and they understand me. Have I written something less than 500 words and if all the necessary explanations included and my readers understand me that's all it matters to me.

Angela

Mayura De Silva said...

Really?! I didn't know you were involved in contests too :)

I can feel you there Debbie :) I was careful when I contribute to other blogs too, but fortunately there were no maximum word count.

Yeah, you are right there! Challenges can learn us to be in control and sharpen skills :)

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Indeed, Angela :) Actually I delivered the question to be answered in reader's mindset, instead of imagining the perspective of bloggers. Either way, it's possible to answer.

You know, readers' feedback is a very determinant factor when it comes to the quality of our content. Isn't it? :) Hence I called you (readers) are my experts in this discussion.

Yeah, that's your opinion on anything below 500 words or so cannot be good. But I don't think it's always true 'cause I've read shorter but very entertaining and thought provoking posts too dear :) Can Google determine 'em? I doubt.


Yet they are conveying the message intended and have to see through if we need to get the whole meaning. On the other hand, detailed and through content consume more words too.


I think whether it's as a hobby or for business, bloggers don't need to worry about word count unless they are using it solely as a marketing tool and worrying about ROI. Even we can find successful entrepreneurs and authors who don't worry about word count too. We all have different kind of style. Don't we? I think we need to preserve that and be more genuine to ourselves.


Anyway, what do you think if there was no Google, Angela? :) Businesses were successful even before Google and yet building relationships do beat 'em. Don't you think? Successful businesses make most out of the relationships and trust they built upon as I find, and use marketing aspects to attract more too.

I get it, yours supporting your business and so far, your contribution is unique in this discussion. I know you care readers and write for 'em too. Hence I implied, you may trying to find the perfect balance among blogging and business. May be it's primarily about the business. Or not at all :)

Eventually, I don't think Google or some other brand should come in the way of blogging Angela :) They are still developing and yet algorithms are updating. Anyway, I feel it almost did. Human beings are much more smarter. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't make use of the resources available.

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Tim,


You know, someone may still concise our 1000 words post into 450 words and convey the same message while preserving the value. Can search engines determine the quality between both? :)

Very interesting statistic Tim! Some experts conclude minimum word counts to be used in posts and newbies take the word promptly. But they are based on traffic they have got, not necessarily by assessing the quality.

How true! As you implied, there are many ways to optimize and promote our content. Bloggers do bring traffic that way even content quality is not impressive enough.


Ha ha... Yeah, shorter posts are time savers! However, as long as the content is interesting enough, time wouldn't matter. Isn't it? Qualitative content is the way to go!


Thanks for coming over and adding your thoughts into the discussion Tim :)


You have a fabulous week mate!

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Sue,


Of course, I remember that dear! I had yours in mind while writing about this topic and been there to read comments I've missed too. Now I wanted to turn this topic into a discussion :)

I believe it's about getting the message across too, and it could be short or have readers scrolling :) Anyway, the thing which worries me is that rigid views seem to be popular among bloggers eventhough they vote for qualitative content. Blogging is not blogging anymore?

Yeah, the trend for long posts have been increasing and heard positive feedback from some bloggers too, Sue :) Well, it's about increased traffic. Now, it's being a usual practice where bloggers trying to follow rules of so called experts as they bring more traffic, but devote their own style.

Feel that the quality is at stake and bloggers who used to enjoy blogging haunted by marketers. Compromising quality shouldn't be in the list, I believe :)


Thanks for coming over and contributing your views into the discussion Sue :)


Have a wonderful week there dear!


Cheers...

Angela McCall said...

When I said anything that is not good below 500 words, I meant this for Google alone. But not for the readers. I have some post that are only 140 words and that's because it didn't need anymore than that and it was just fine.


Predominantly speaking, when it comes to Google I don't know why they want it at least 500 words to qualify. That's their rules. It's not our rules as a writer and/or blogger.


Google should be able to have an intelligent "identifier" of some sort, whether the post is quality or junk. But why do they measure it per words? Beats me. Perhaps they haven't invented that type of intelligence yet. Coz me too, I can not agree with you more, we should be able to have the FREEDOM to write whatever, whenever we want to write despite of how many words it should have.


As far as whether it's a hobby or business is concerned, you're right, we should be TRUE to ourselves.


So what do I think if there's no Google? I will still be successful, I believe. Coz all of my clients are referrals. When I was in Livejournal doing my "diary online" that's when Google started too. And it was so easy then to APPEAR in Google search. It was no sweat. We just post something and put our meta tags, tags, whatever and *BAM* there we are! And in fact, we had to create a CODE to block Google from crawling into our personal diary online. And so Google or not, I think I would be just fine. :)


Thank you, dear, for a very thought provoking discussion. This is an excellent post for debate and/or discussion. I hope you have a great week my friend. Back to my work now...as if this is not work? haha...I just love blogging and interactions which we call now "engagement."


Until later,
Angela

Cole Wiebe said...

Hi Mayura,

For me, the length of the post is determined by how much I have to say. Some days I'm inspired and the words just flow. Other days the perspective I have to share can be summed up in a very short and to the point Seth-Godin-length post. I would find it very restrictive to write posts that are almost exactly the same length, like those on the Brick Marketing Blog.

Wishing you a very prosperous and memorable 2014,

Cole

Mayura De Silva said...

Ohh... Angela! I thought you weren't referring to Google there ;) Ugh... We gotta gather bits and pieces for clarity.

Actually, 500 or 750 (or so) word count is NOT something Google has defined, but marketers who had gone through experiments and suggested it to others dear. Since then they started to blame Google for having 'em do sort of restrictions in writing. Google has no right to define such rules and they didn't :) If it was Google, I don't think the brand could survive so far.

Behind the search engine, it's a logical algorithm (coding, mathematical expressions and calculations, you name it) and sometimes human beings take manual action to improve it too, Angela. You can learn more here ~ Google Inside Search.

The thing is simply an algorithm can't satisfy all the publishers until it reaches to perfect formula. Hence we can always expect changes, but yet it has been quite smarter to help us bring traffic :) Should be grateful. You know, way to go though!

Exactly! You are truly inspiring and good at what you do my friend :) Even there were no Google or search engines present, still you would make it. Hmm... May be even more as we might solely focus on building relationships. Remember, search engines are in the business too!

Now there I totally agree with ya. I haven't found a client who found me through Google, but from referrals and after landing on my blog. Word of mouth is really a key there.

Ha ha... Don't you love the thought provoking discussions? ;) I know you do and always have been. I'm glad I got your opinion wrong at some points, 'cause we could talk through it.

Now, happy blogging and have more engaging discussions dear :) You have a great week there too, my friend!

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Cole,

Mmm... Yeah! Length can imply you have got more to say, and again Sue implied a good point that it could be of missing the thorough editing. Anyway, I think it's fair as long as it contains the style of publisher and get the message across.

I can totally relate to you there 'cause when it comes to blogging, I need a bit of inspiration too mate. However never needed such in commenting ;) Got me thinking and hence I came up with this post.

Ah... Aligning to rules concluded by someone else is imposing a friction and we don't need to sweat when blogging like we developing a software. Do we? I'm glad you are into getting the message across in blogging and not following the Brick Marketing Blog's strategy, Cole :)

Thanks for coming by and sharing your thoughts into the discussion mate :) I really appreciate your kind wishes too Cole.


Wishing you a wonderful 2014, filled with success and happiness where your dreams come true! :) Now, have a lovely week there.

Cheers...

Sylviane Nuccio said...

Hi Mayura,


OK, I promise, from now on I will be better at commenting on your blog. And sooner too.



Ah, that's been a long discussion. Are long posts working better than short one? All I know is what I read, and they say that Google is supposed to like longer posts better, but frankly I have no idea where this comes from as I have never "checked" this, not having such knowledge and/or power :)


I remember how you told me recently that most of our traffic is not even human. When you told me that on facebook, I thought, wow! but again I'm not really surprise.


Thank you for discussing this great topic, Mayura and giving us some clarity on that.

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Sylviane,


You just proved the improvement of your commenting dear :) Seems no more few liners from you ever again. That's really awesome!

Indeed, we have been adoring the Google's preferences but actually, Google never made such a statement dear :) It's due to experiments and conclusions coming from marketers, as they could impress Google through such tactics.


Yet we can make use of it at some points, I believe yet we shouldn't lose ourselves in that process. Should we? :)

Ah... YES! A study revealed over 60% traffic are solely bots dear :) As more crawling and requests happening around, it's likely possible. Gotta focus more on human beings :)

Thanks for coming over to contribute your thoughts into the discussion Sylviane :)

You have a lovely weekend dear!

Cheers...

Karen said...

Mayura,
It seems that I agree with most of the other bloggers. It is hard for me to cover my topic in less than 1,200 words. That is kind of my baseline. If there is a mini-topic or a news flash, I will post it. But my general rule is 1,400 words.

What I like best about this blog is that we get an opportunity to see what the rule of thumb is for others. Many of these writers are mentors for me, including yourself! I'm happy to say that the quality of content is still what counts.

Like others, I heard that the search engines are happier when the post has more words. Maybe it helps insure that the blog is not scammy marketing content? I'm not sure, but I learn more every day. One of my favorite places to see what is up in blogging is right here dear friend!

Thank you so much,
Karen Hoyt

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Siraj,

Indeed! Well, bloggers have to think beyond writing though ;) That's a process incorporated with lot of activities.

I agree with you there on obsessing about word count. Yet we can except marketers who are solely working onto convert their traffic into sales, but yet they can have the traditional approach to impress readers too.

Definitely value comes first mate ;) Either it's long or short, if it fails to convey the message or offer information to the audience, I think they better have to focus on it instead of counting words.

Thanks for stopping by and adding your views into the discussion Siraj :)


You have a fabulous week mate!


Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Karen,


As you agree with comments so far, I feel better about the perception they all hold on post length dear :) Conclusions on content length doesn't bothering 'em.

I know you are always feel free to let your thoughts out Karen :) Not a single word being left out as I feel. It's impressive when you mentioned it's over 1000 words though. Yet Google seem to prefer such amount of words too.

Now I love that too Karen! :) Some comments are even coming from professional writers, so it's merely an encouragement on following our own writing style instead of bothering about the factors pleasing algorithms. Don't you agree? :)

Usually search engines are capable of assessing what they can crawl or index, so words do matter to 'em dear. Yet it can't assess the quality as our experts (readers) do.


Good point! Now there, some publishers just exceed the preferable word count and apply SEO all over to grab attention. Can you think of a post with keywords all over? Technically, we just need to adjust the variables to satisfy the algorithm :)


That's a trick that has been using by publishers, Karen. So search engines have to come up with more updates to deliver quality content. More words doesn't always mean it's enriched with valuable content. Does it? :) I think we are kinda lucky to come across valuable content most of the time.

Thanks for coming by and contributing your thoughts into the discussion Karen :)


You have a wonderful week dear friend! :)

Cheers...

Adrienne said...

Hey Mayura,


It's funny how so many people have an opinion about this but you only found about 22 posts on this topic. I think in the past everyone had their own views on this and it was mainly leaning toward them being shorter.


Over time though some people would claim that the long posts are what got the most traffic but the bottom line always goes right back to who is reading it, commenting, sharing and talking about it. I don't think the length of the post really matters much at all.


If the author can keep me entertained to every last word then I don't care how long or short the post is. If they can't then once again, it doesn't really matter. It's the quality of the post and nothing else.


Great questions Mayura and hope you're happy with the responses.


Enjoy your week my friend.


~Adrienne

Sherman Smith said...

Hey Mayura,

This is definitely an interesting topic. I had gotten on the bandwagon of writing what is considered short blog post because that was what I thought everyone else was doing and also that they wouldn't have to spend too much time on my blog since there are a plethora of other blogs to read.

Now I have a change of heart when it comes to length. I've actually just started writing longer blog, not because I feel they will draw more traffic, but because i just have a lot to say and now I'm writing once a week.

I believe what's more important is to convey whatever is on your mind, that you're readers gain something from your posts, and also to build and maintain relationships. Length has nothing to do with writing a great post! Great share Mayura!

Mayura De Silva said...

Hey Adrienne,

Indeed and every response matter in this discussion dear :) Either it agrees or not.


Ah... There's a lot to read on dear ;) I didn't proceed after the 22nd though. Anyway, it's surprising indeed that they couldn't write about the topic without mentioning Google in it. Hmm... Google has been very influential.

I'm with ya there Adrienne! As we already know, generally, half of traffic seem to be the bots and what really matter is human readers. You have already proven that being ourselves and relationships matters the most online. Yet bloggers seeking an easy way out sacrificing their inner qualities. That's not about standing out of the rest. Is it? :)

If any post is interesting enough, they always feel like shorter I guess Adrienne ;) Wish if we could read more on it. Yeah! The quality always be the determinant factor and yet search engines fail to measure that. Knowing that, it's sad to find publishers are settling for less.

Thanks for coming over and adding your thoughts on this topic Adrienne :)

You have a lovely week too my friend!

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Sherman,

Very interesting to read about your move mate ;) Actually, Tim has the same idea about writing shorter posts 'cause nowadays bloggers spending most of their time reading online.

Yeah, that may favorable for most readers as they can quickly read and hop onto next one. But I think being ourselves and having our own way of doing things will be adored by many. Yeah, it's about conveying what's in our mind and may it be right or wrong, it will bring lot of value after all :)

Mmm... Seems now you are focusing more on getting all your thoughts into the post, Sherman :) There you will find drawing more traffic too then. I believe, that's really a good thing rather than trying draw traffic by pleasing the algorithm or satisfying variables. We all gotta love that independence as bloggers ;)

Thanks for dropping by and vaccinating your views and practices into the discussion Sherman :)


You have a wonderful week mate!

Cheers...

Ashley Faulkes said...

Hi Mayura


What a topic!


I think the length is important, but then sometimes I wonder.
I aim for about 800 words minimum. But I have seen bloggers be successful with far less - take Seth Godin for example, he writes mini posts.


So perhaps it is more about what you write and how, as well as the expectations of your audience.
I for one cannot give you a definitive answer.
ashley

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Ashley,


Indeed! It's really interesting to know about the thoughts on word count from different personalities ;)


I believe it's more about obsessing with marketing aspects, not the blogging itself where word count actually matters mate. Mmm... Now there if Seth Godin had no influence, his mini posts would have gone unnoticed. Isn't it, Ashley? :)


Now your statement makes me think :) I find those business (kind of) bloggers are trying to suite for the majority for more, while bloggers who wanna get the message out, will attract the right audience. Well, choice is ours ;)

Thanks for coming by and submitting your thoughts into the discussion Ashley :)

You have a lovely week there mate!

Cheers...

Hiten Vyas said...

Hi Mayura,

Excellent topic for discussion. My own perspective is that if the blog post aims to share tips about a subject, then 500 words as a minimum would work well. There are certainly bloggers who write posts shorter than this (I used to be one). However, I do feel that shorter posts can leave some readers expecting more.

Thank you.

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Mary,


Ha ha... Of course, you ought to think about writing a book dear ;) How about this year? Yeah, 2014!

Now you are one of a kind! Mmm... Posts with 400 to 600 words seem hard to find nowadays ;) I'm surprised to hear you were under 1000 all along. Must check out :)

I can relate to you as I've given up few times as the posts couldn't got me interested. As Jeevan implied in his comment, we can try next time to grab the knowledge shared too. Never did it so far though.


Good point! We always need to keep in mind that we can't please everyone all the time, but it's gonna help someone out :) Even yet I read some topics written on favorite blogs, which I've known, but failed to bore me. Interesting how enjoyable writings can be.


I think it's due to the unique voice of theirs and attracting the right audience for their content. Then word count is just another factor. Isn't it? No need of chasing readers, but they be right at the door :)

LOL :D Long winding is not bad after all! Especially, if it's interesting Mary ;) And here's your interesting comment with no long winding associated.

Thanks for coming over and contributing your thoughts into the discussion Mary :)


You have a wonderful week dear!

Cheers...

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Hiten,


Mmm... Yeah, it varies with the topic we gonna discuss :) Some topics may not even start talking about the core, without writing 500 words minimum. Anyway, we shouldn't be chasing words but getting the message across for the benefit of our audience. Isn't it?

Interesting to know you used to write less :) I kinda love getting more readers involved in a topic than delivering more. However, it depends on topic again.


Yet if some readers feeling they need more, we can offer more next time for them too. Now that's a visible sign of satisfaction, I feel :) Blogging is a two way street. Isn't it Hiten?


Thanks for coming by and adding your thoughts into the discussion mate :)


You have a fabulous week there!


Cheers...

Charmie Prajapati said...

Well, not actually. I have seen that people writing 300 word posts are awesome with their content and have great traffic and visitors too. While some with the length of about 2000-3000 words drive people, at least me mad enough to loose temper. Actually it varies according to the domain upon which you write.

Mayura De Silva said...

Hi Charmie,

Sorry for the latency on responding dear.

Ha ha... I'm with you there! 'Cause some writings can drive us mad and enforce to click the close button. Eventhough "SOME" posts could drive you mad, others could have kept you engaged despite of their word count. Isn't it?

You've made a good point! A post with 300 words can be awesome enough. Some may assume it's a very short or filled with thin content, just because it couldn't reach their own standard - Minimum Word Count. The critical factor is quality, not the quantity.


Hence, I believe, regardless of the word count, bloggers should feel free to get the message across or make their point clearly without worrying about the word count at all :)

Thanks for dropping by and contributing your thoughts and experience on this topic, Charmie :)

Cheers...