One of the questions that newer writers and marketers frequently put to me is: how long should a business blog post be? I think there are really two good ways to answer this question.
First, the general rule of thumb is that a blog, like any piece of writing, should be as long as it needs to be, and not a word more.
Put another way, it should take you as much space as you need to make your points succinctly, but without going on and on.
You're asking your readers to give you their time and attention - be sure you're respectful of that by sticking to the point.
With that being said, however, I will admit that I normally try to keep my posts somewhere in the area of 500 words apiece.
While that might seem like an arbitrary number, it's actually the result of a lot of trial and error.
That length, which is roughly the same as a single spaced page of text, works well for a few reasons: It's brief.
Most online readers are looking through blogs for quick tips and snippets of information.
You want to give them something they can get through quickly, not a lengthy draft that will tempt them to put aside until later or skip reading altogether.
Your blog doesn't have to be the last word on any subject; in fact, you can often reach your marketing goals faster by using your blog as a teaser for longer, more substantial piece of information like a white paper or longer article.
But not too brief.
At the same time, a full page is enough to introduce a topic, make a couple of points, and reinforce your point of view.
Thinking in those terms can often help you make good decisions about editing.
If what you want to write about wouldn't fill a piece of notebook paper, then ask yourself if you've really explored the topic enough to share your ideas.
On the other hand, if you think you need a lot more space, you might think about breaking the post into smaller topics, or expanding it into an e-book or series.
It's search engine friendly.
We all know that content is king when it comes to impressing Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
And since that's usually one of the goals behind starting a business blog in the first place, why not make it easy for your writing to be found and indexed? While the specific formulas and ideas behind search engine optimization are always changing, I've found that a fresh 500 words every week is a good start towards reaching the top spots online.
Of course, as with every marketing guideline, there are going to be times when it makes sense to do something different.
You might have an idea that only needs to be half as long, or an urgent piece of news that requires twice as much space.
But, if you're looking for a good business blog post that's easy to read - and easy to find - aiming for 500 words is a good place to start.