Have you noticed? Bloggers these days seem to be writing shorter and shorter articles, with many of the longer ones artificially inflated with images. So what’s up with this trend? And why is it starting to dominate the industry?

According to the experts, readers want simple easily-digestible content, that can be quickly read or scanned.

There is stiff competition online. Writing shorter posts gets your point across quickly without giving visitors a chance to leave.

Realize that people have choices. With 80 million other blogs to choose from, I know you could leave at any moment (see, there goes someone now). So that makes blog writing shorter and faster and more exciting.

So is short the way to go? Maybe. There are indeed advantages to writing short posts which include:

the ability to write more frequently. Drafting long articles takes a lot of time. When you write less per article, you can easily crank out a few more.

Also, new visitors from search engines are looking for specific information. If they see a shorter post, they are likely to scan it for their search terms. But if they see something longer, they might just return to the search engine that sent them there.

A greater number of comments per article.

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But before you decide that short posts are for you, you should be aware of the benefits that you can have by writing longer posts.

Forget The Experts: Why You Should Go The Distance

Some of the most important reasons to write long articles include:

long articles are better link bait.
many topics cannot be adequately covered in short articles.
search engine optimization is arguably easier with longer posts.
long posts help you to build credibility.
quick ideas can be better shared in a different format such as Twitter.
sometimes visitors are looking for depth.

And if you are concerned about losing potential readers because of the length, be sure to structure your post so that it appears shorter. You can do this by using headlines, lists, and images to break up an article into smaller sections.

So what do you think? Are you conscious of the length of your posts? Do you care? And what do you think readers prefer?

To all loyal Nairalanders like me, I'm building followers here. If you're truly interested in TECHNOLOGY, especially the ones that relate to you as a consumer. Kindly follow me and remember my signature.

Thanks.

Cc: velvetblues

i guess not everyone likes to read long post..

Yea, for example i can't read the story u wrote beyond 5 lines...

Its because it ain't easy. Give them what they want straight and direct. Simple

mokoshalb:
Yea, for example i can't read the story u wrote beyond 5 lines...

Lol.. you must be a Nigerian!!!

Sphilip1:


Lol.. you must be a Nigerian!!!

Article might be short but conveying more meaningful message is the key.

Longer posts (usually between 2000 to 3000 words long) are likely to rank higher. Yes, you'll lose readers but when they get tired of seeing you as number one for their search term every time, they'll succumb and read through.

Moss9ja:
Longer posts (usually between 2000 to 3000 words long) are likely to rank higher. Yes, you'll lose readers but when they get tired of seeing you as number one for their search term every time, they'll succumb and read through.

u mean naijarians..? wtf.? 2000 -3000 rank higher

tell me u are joking..

because they have nothing to write noni

Most people are lazy when it comes to reading.

Nigerians do not like long articles, I guess, sorry, I know

He is right. It is an SEO requirement to give your readers enough page content to digest. Google Algorithm favours lengthy quality post over brief posts.

confirm from here: http://robminds.com

mokoshalb:
Yea, for example i can't read the story u wrote beyond 5 lines...

I clap for u. U even try. I no make am pass the thread title before I run. I mean for this one wen dey do person I wan know about longer or shorter stories?

I just thought of doing 10 short posts this morning to link to my pillar(longer) posts. This too is wisdom.

and another thing, adverts takes 2/3 of the content

Because they understand that people would read the summary and not the whole thesis from Genesis to revelation

Is this particular OP's post long?
Some of this didn't read it, we just strolled down to the comments.

wakes:
I just thought of doing 10 short posts this morning to link to my pillar(longer) posts. This too is wisdom.

Really? Too wisdom

I thought you will help will the long post..... It's all about 'the click' not the content

This day we glance through no time to read.. I feel bored reading entire life history...

Long post meant lead to reading off key then miss the point so go hit the nail to the head and Stop beating around the Bush.... Ooop mine is getting Long oh... OYA op summarize..

Ask Nairalanders , they have the answer to your question .But wait a minute , the answer you seek is already answered by the same question you asked ,read again , there you will find your answer

Bloggers are pseudo journo. They depend on hear say, beer parlour and beauty shop gist to post "make up" stories.

Recessions

Long ko, longer ni

mokoshalb:
Yea, for example i can't read the story u wrote beyond 5 lines...

Same here, no long thing jare.

These have to do with hungry linda ikeja wannabe bloggers.

You got Tinder, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Xvideos, Badoo, Snapchat, Nairaland, Linda Ikeji's Blog, Naij.com, Pulse.com, Instagram, BBM, Whatsapp, etc. People have too many distractions, and would rather spend the least amount of time reading a story on a blog. Attention lifespan of most people around the world is getting shorter and shorter everyday.

When Tonto Dike makes the news and you want to break it faster than Linda Ikeji, Stella, 80 million other blogs. Some go just put the headline for there add one picture then click publish

Longer posts require more planning and research. The average Nigerian blogger (celebrity, news) doesn't have the time for that. You don't want to be caught behind when a news is trending. Only a few go back to do a more detailed analysis and opinion pieces.

To churn out 10 well-researched 1000-word posts every day is not beans. And if you can't keep people's attention in your long posts, OYO is definitely your case.

Well written, attention-holding long posts are beautiful. Read Guardian UK and see 2,000-3,000 posts that keep you glued to the end.

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