Here at Big Red SEO in Omaha, we’ve been hearing a lot of myths and misinformation going around regarding just how long a blog post has to be to get the most traction with views, shares, and search engine optimization. Our SEO and content creation teams in Omaha have been running the numbers, and we believe we have an answer for you that’s based on hard data, not conjecture or hearsay. One thing to understand before we start, though, is that there’s a lot of conflicting data out there, and that the “sweet spot” for blog post length in one situation won’t necessarily work in another—it all depends on your purpose, message, and the audience you’re trying to attract.
Our search engine optimization specialists in Omaha will go through and debunk some of the common myths about the perfect blog post length, and afterward we’ll show you our analysis and explain the ideal length of a blog post for your SEO marketing efforts.
Blog Post Length Myth #1—Shorter is Always Better
There are some who still believe that “nobody reads anything on the Internet anymore,” so to capture people’s attention you have to write in the style of the content they do read, which are Facebook posts and Tweets.
Some bloggers have been very successful with this short format (we’re talking less than 100 words per post here), but the important thing to remember is that they’re catering to an established audience that they know appreciates brevity.
If you decide to write short blog posts, you have to have an audience already established that you know will be excited to read your content in that style.
We here at Big Red SEO want to make it clear that we don’t recommend these micro-length blog posts for the simple reason that they aren’t good for Omaha SEO marketing. Google and other search engines use the length of a piece of content as one of many indicators of its quality and because of this, longer blog posts can consistently outrank short ones. So if your goal is to attract new customers to your business who may not have heard your name before, a longer, better value-add blog post will serve you better than a micro-article.
Blog Post Length Myth #2—Go Loooooong!
In the exact opposite camp, these bloggers insist that only long-form articles can carry your blog to victory over the competition. There’s a certain logic to their argument—Google likes longer posts because of the better likelihood that they’ll contain more value for searchers, so they’ll rank those blog posts higher than shorter ones. However, is longer always better?
Our search engine optimization experts in Omaha say no. Keep in mind that we think long-form articles are great! More often than not they provide information that’s in-depth, well thought-out, with fresh ideas that expand everyone’s knowledge of the industry they’re talking about. Look at the Moz Blog for a great example of a company in the SEO industry that does the long-form article right.
However, as soon as you say that long blog posts offer the best search engine optimization results period, an exception pops up to prove you wrong. If long-form articles of 2500 words or more aren’t what your ideal audience is looking for, you shouldn’t write long blogs just to impress the search engines.
Blog Post Length Myth #3—Nobody Reads Anymore!
We mentioned this myth briefly before, but it deserves some more attention to clear up what’s become a common misconception. The idea that nobody reads anything on the Internet is absurd on its face, but it’s used all the time as an argument for extreme brevity in content writing.
While it’s true that people generally have shorter attention spans these days, it’s equally true that they stick with long-form content that interests them. Think of it this way—if people don’t have the attention span needed to read long articles anymore, why hasn’t the novel gone the way of the dodo?
It’s simple; people are willing (and even eager!) to read long-form content that interests them. There’s a difference, though, between your business blog writing and the next best-selling novel. People aren’t generally searching for your content to be entertained (although it’s always nice when that happens), so their interest in your long article comes from how helpful they think you can be to them.
The takeaway? Write content that’s genuinely helpful to your potential customers (it doesn’t hurt to entertain them, either) and they’ll read it, no matter how long it is.
Contact Big Red SEO Today at (402) 522-6468
Our SEO and content creation specialists here at Big Red SEO love setting the record straight when it comes to search engine optimization myths, and we hope this article has given you some things to think about when it comes to deciding how long your blog posts should be. Stay tuned to the Big Red SEO blog as we continue our Search for the Perfect Blog Post Length, and feel free to contact us today at (402) 522-6468 to talk about SEO marketing strategies that can take your business to the top of the search engine rankings!