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Concise posting – Quick blog tip

I find that, if a post is too long, people get bored and leave your site. I won’t give a specific word count, but bear in mind that web surfers have short attention spans:

The average visitor stays on any one website for 30 seconds.

It’s your job to suck them in, enticing them to stay longer than that average.

  • Write a snappy opening paragraph. Try and sum up the content of the whole post in the first few sentences without giving away too much. If you’re struggling with this, try copying a broadsheet newspaper opinion column.

By their very nature they are geared towards the casual surfer as well as the regular subscriber. By this token, try to make use of the following techniques:

  • Bullet point ‘em, emboldening a word or two.
  • Do top ten lists. People are attracted to these for some reason.
  • Make use of Bold and italics to emphasise points, but be careful not to overdo things. Don’t forget the old cheeky strikethrough, too! (<s>Strikethough text</s>)
  • Use short paragraphs and images. This breaks up the text so it doesn’t overface the reader.

Illarterate

I know nothing about art; as a rule, 'modern' graphic design does not appeal to me. I like to write in the first person because I do not want to be someone else.

Influences: public toilet cubicle drawings/slogans; WordArt posters in Market Street shop windows; Mega-Zine; bootleg vinyl artwork; Janne Suni; Pink Floyd; whoever is responsible for the Max Headroom hijacking incident; Collie, the Inept Reviewer.

5 thoughts to “Concise posting – Quick blog tip”

  1. I suggest you make an average 300 words blog post for SEO purposes.

    Nice points though you have outlined here like bullet and top ten list.

    A blissful year ahead to you and your family.

  2. An Excellent Post! I write on Issues regarding Education and Technology. I struggle with this exact concept because Academia LOVES long drawn out papers with references. The WEB disdains such things. It would be a great research project to figure out what the word count really is. I agree with JD that 300 words is good for SEO, but is that too much for maximizing readership? (I sense a new blog posting in the works). Can I quote you?

    -Loren
    http://theteachingbox.today.com

  3. @Loren – you may certainly quote me! Apologies for the slightly late reply… but it is a very interesting point. I’ve learned that being concise is pretty important on the web, which is the polar opposite of what I was taught at College/Uni.

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