Why long blog posts suck
One of the things that you probably heard when you started blogging is that people prefer longer articles. Well, here is the truth: that’s a very incorrect assessment of the modern, internet surfing individual. And the fact that Google, the world’s biggest search engine, supports this notion by rewarding longer articles with better rankings only goes to prove that Google is a dummy. Here are a few reasons why nobody really cares for long blog posts;
- The average internet user is a fickle being
This is something that you, as an internet user in your own right, will be quite aware of. With so many distractions, who has the time to read articles of 2 or 3 thousand words. There are bloggers out there who routinely produce articles of more than 4 thousand words. Seriously!
Chances are high that in spite of the efforts that you may have put into such articles, all that will get read will be the first paragraph.
- People do not have the time for drivel
The world is a busy place, and most of the people who are in it do not have time for drivel. That is another reason why those long articles that you have been writing are loved by nobody.
The average human being would rather do something else important, such as forwarding fake news and having nonsensical chats on Facebook and WhatsApp, than spent 2 minutes adding to their knowledge by reading your long articles.
- It doesn’t take that much to make your point
A common fault for bloggers is to be rather long winded. Again, it’s not entirely their fault. The common wisdom out there is that bigger is better. However, when it comes to the reader, size does not really matter.
What matters most is the content. This article, as an example, could have been written in a couple of sentence. We are, nevertheless, padding it to make it longer, for the sake of Google and Yoast.
However, the common reader is not concerned about such trivialities. All that they want is to be given the information that they are looking for in one quick burst so they can go on with their lives.
- Long articles are only good for college students
Now, if you are a college student, longer articles may be what you are actually looking for. However, for the rest of us, we would rather not be reminded of school through long winded essays.
Google, the purveyor of longer content, actually shows a contradiction. When someone types in a search query, they are usually presented with what they want in point format right on top of the search results.
Indeed, most of the information that people look for on the internet can be presented in point format. There is, therefore, no need for you to write longer articles.
The case for longer articles
The blogging world is in a trap in this regard. We all know that people prefer shorter, to the point, articles. However, Google wants longer articles, and when it comes to search, what Google says becomes the gospel. Therefore, you are better off, when writing your articles, first presenting a summary, preferably in point format. Then you can go on with the business of being long winded. That way when someone lands on your page, they can quickly get what they are looking for without having to go through an article of 3 thousand words.
