Never Forget That Size Matters in B2B Marketing Blogs

As marketers, we are all aware that companies which use blogs get 67% more leads than those that do not[i] – that’s a given. But, when it comes to ideal lengths of posts, there seems to be a huge lack of consensus. Some people say that 2,000+ words generates the best results, whereas others suggest less than 500 is the target. So what’s the answer? Well, we’re not so bold as to suggest we have the answer. However, we are able to offer some advice and guidance on choosing the length that suits you.

Front and centre

Marketing automation specialist, Hubspot, believes that the optimum blog length is 2,100 words based on average adult reading speeds and consumption times[ii]. Equally, studies have found that the average word count of top-ranked blogs on Google is 2,416[iii]. So that’s it sorted then, long posts are best, right? Not quite. Lengthy blog posts tend to rank better on search engines because they are providing sites like Google with lots of information to help rank them. However, researching and writing 2,000+ words once or twice per week can be resource intensive – and that’s assuming that the audience is happy to read this much text. So the obvious point here is… what are you trying to achieve with your blog? Is it enviable SEO and rankings? If so, then bigger is better.

Share and share alike

So far, the main ‘purpose’ of blogging has been to rank highly on search engines. But, what about when you want to generate engagement, social shares, and comments? Well, this is where the 500-750 word sweet-spot comes into play. These mid-length posts are the perfect length to keep readers engaged, cover a topic in a conversational way, and generate social shares[iv]. They might not get you to the top of Google, but they may reach much further via channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. If you’re beginning to think that shorter means better, just be careful. These lengths of blog post are good conversation-starters, but they’ll need to link through to more long-form content in order to fully discuss and cover a topic. And, if you’re thinking of writing super-short posts of less than 300 words, just be aware that search engines will generally ignore them completely, and you’ll be unlikely to provide any really valuable insight to the reader in such a small post.

Know your audience and your goals

Suffice to say, there’s no right or wrong answer when looking for the ideal blog length. Instead, the determining factors should be what you want to achieve and what you think the readers will find engaging and insightful. Without first considering these factors, your posts will typically spiral out of control and either end up being uninspired snippets of text, or ramblings of your ideas and musings.

 

So, if you’d like to find out more about effective blogging and how this can form a vital part of your multi-channel lead generation, speak to us today on 02392 314498 or email info@reallyb2b.com

P.S. This post came in at 507 words (including subheadings).