How Long Should Your Artist Blog Posts Be For Best Results

How To Write Art Blog Posts That Drive Traffic

Are you finding it difficult to be ranked higher on Google’s search? 

There are many reasons why blog posts never reach page one in Google search. 

There are many reasons why a blog post will not have a high PageRank. 

Some reasons are technical, and others are in your control, like the length of a post and the reader’s intent.

In this post, you will discover how long your artist blog posts should be for best results.

Google ranking factors:

There are over 200 algorithms that affect a site’s rank in Google.

These algorithms are continually changing because Google’s mission is to provide the best information to its audience.

Here is a list of some of the top factors that affect PageRank:

• Keywords
• Content length
• Duplicate content
• Image optimization
• Content updates
• Internal links
• Outbound links
• Sitemap
• Site speed
• Mobile friendly
• Domain authority

As you can see, you will want to think about many things when you are writing your content.

Today we will talk about the length of the posts and determine if it matters.

How Long Should Your Artist Blog Posts Be For Best Results

Before we get started, I would like to highlight a few of my most popular posts:

Art That Sells – What Artists Need to Know – over 20,000 social shares. Word count 2566.

How to Write an Artist Statement That Sells Art – over 16,000 social shares. Word count 1888.

Art Pricing Guide – How to Price Art to Sell – over 13,000 social shares. Word count 3182.

15 Places to Sell Art Online and Make Money – over 14,000 social shares. Word count 2293.

What Is The Objective Of An Artist Blog

I am sure that every artist has unique objectives, but I can almost guarantee we are all blogging to create an online presence and drive traffic to our art websites to land a sale and build a following.

Your online art gallery is a place to showcase your art. Your artist blog makes it easy for people to find you in Google’s search.

For example, the posts I have written above generate over 20,000 unique page views a month. Each of those posts is ranked on the first page of Google’s search. 

When someone searches for the keywords that the post is about, they will come across my article.

Even better, some of those articles are over four years old. Think about that for a moment.

A post that might have taken me a few hours to write attracts thousands of people to my site every month.

That is time well spent. I would rather spend time writing a creative blog post that will drive traffic to my artwork than posting on Facebook only to get a few likes.

Put your time and effort into what will help you to reach your unique goals.

If your goal is to sell art prints, put your effort into what will help you to sell more art prints.

If your goal is to sell an oil painting, put your effort into strategies that will help you to sell your oil painting.

If your goals are to increase your art sales, develop a strategy to increase traffic to your art listings.

I am not saying that blogging is the only way to drive traffic to your art for sale, but I can tell you what has shown me the best results.

Hands down, my artist blog and Pinterest drive the most traffic to my artwork. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube do not even come close.

Let’s talk about how long your artist blog posts need to be to rank on the first page of Google’s search so you can receive the same amount of traffic I do.

Ranking on the first page of Google’s search should be your main focus if you want to compete with all other artist blog sites online. If you do not rank higher than the top art websites in Google’s search, you are handing over other artists the sales.

The Big Debate

There is an extensive debate on how long blog posts should be.

I have read articles that claim that a post should have 1,500 words to rank high in Google, while other reports say that 5,000 words are the golden ticket.

750 words or more is said to have more shares on social media sites, while other articles say that most readers only want to read 250 words.

Are you rubbing your eyes and shaking your head yet? I was when I first read the reports.

With all of the post-length debates, you still have no idea what the best length for an artist blog post is.

Blog Length Studies

SerpIQ did a study based on the average content length of the top 10 search results. The content ranges from 2,000 words to just over 2,500 words.

Daily Blog Tips article What Is the Ideal Length for a blog post? Share some great studies that they have researched.

A Huffington Post article had more than 470,000 shares with a blog post that had 2,500 words.

Another post, according to BuzzSumo had only 130 words with almost one million shares.

My most shared posts averaged a little over 2,000 words.

That is a drastic difference in length, and the shorter post had more shares. What does this information tell us?

Artist Blog Post Length 

I could go on with the studies that contradict each other, but I would instead share some critical points that will help your artist blog posts be shared and read more.

After all, you are writing your artist blog posts to attract your target audience and drive them to your artist website.

Google Search

All artists would love to have their posts ranked number one in Google search. The higher a post is ranked in Google’s search, the more free traffic the site will receive.

Did you know that most people do not leave the first two pages of the search results when searching for content?

When was the last time you visited page three or page four on Google’s search before you clicked on a link?

Even better yet, when was the last time you scrolled passed the first three links in the search results before you clicked on a link?

Most organic traffic is generated from the first three links on the search results page. 

Google has worked hard over the past years to develop different algorithms that will only recommend the best content for its reader’s queries.

If you would like to be known as one of the top art blogs online, you will have to write content that will rank high in the search results. When you can achieve this, you will start to generate a large amount of free organic traffic.

How does Google determine what content should be ranked higher?

Google wants people to enjoy their experience while searching the web using Google search.

Google has developed a sophisticated algorithm with over 200 unique signals that will determine the PageRank of a post.

Some key factors are detailed information about a specific topic, the reader’s intent, site speed, and how long a reader stays on a page.

Google’s mission is to provide the best available content.

The quality of the content is an essential key factor for a higher PageRank.

How does Google know if the content is of good quality or not?

One way Google can determine if the content has excellent quality is the bounce rate of a site.

Bounce rate tracks how many pages a reader will read on a particular website before clicking off of that site.

If a reader lands on a post and immediately clicks off and goes to a different site for the same search, the bounce rate will be 100%.

A 100% bounce rate shows Google that the reader was not interested in the content that they landed on.

Google can also determine if the post contains excellent content is the duration that the reader stays on the page.

You want to strive to have your readers stay on your page for at least five minutes.

These are only two examples of how Google ranks a page, but it is something that you should think about when you are writing your posts.

Your primary goal is to have people enjoy your posts and stay on your site. You can do this by creating great content that interests your readers.

Attention Span

Many arguments say that people’s attention span is lower nowadays, so shorter posts will perform better than longer posts.

I can’t entirely agree with this theory. I believe that people are busy, and they are obtaining content on the fly.

That does not mean that they have a shorter attention span or would not enjoy a more extensive post.

What I believe is that people do not have the patience for low-quality content. With their busy lifestyles, they do not have time to read “fluff.”

They want reliable content that solves their problem.

When I am searching for content, my time is limited. All that I am interested in is the solution to my problem.

If the solution could be explained in one sentence, I would rather read that one sentence than read a post with 2,500 words on nonsense and waste my valuable time.

That “one sentence” that answered my question is more valuable to me than a long post.

Does that mean that my attention span is shorter? No, it means my time is valuable.

Because I understand the importance of someone’s time, I work very hard at creating scannable posts and highlight key points so the readers can get the answers they are looking for quickly.

I don’t expect you to read every word, but I hope you find a solution to your problems.

Quality Over Quantity

• A quality post does not mean that it is the longest post.
• A quality post is filled with valuable information.
• A quality post is easy to read and understand.
• A quality post gives you the answers you are searching for.
• A quality post supports the headline of the post.

Don’t Make This Mistake

Some so many writers are more concerned about the word count of their posts over their post quality.

They have been told that the only way to be found on Google is to have posts with 2,500 words.

So they will write and write and write until they reach the magic number.

Let’s be honest how many words does it take to explain how to take care of paintbrushes?

How can you create a post that doesn’t require many words but is filled with value, so the reader stays on the page longer?

There are a couple of things you can do.

You can highlight each key point with an image, or you can include a video. Both of these tactics will have readers stay on your page longer.

Remember that Google rewards posts that can keep the readers on them for a more extended period of time.

However, if you want the reader to come back to your site, your goal is to value their time and make it easy for them to find the answers they are searching for.

Filling a blog with useless words is a great way to lose a reader.

There have been many times I have gotten halfway down a post and stop to ask myself, “What was I searching for?”

The content of the post did not support the title of the blog at all. It was evident that the writer was writing for word count.

When you are writing your post, do not look at the word count. Say exactly what you need to say and nothing more.

Focusing on your content’s quality over the word count of a post is the best way to build a loyal audience.

Here is something to think about.

Let’s say that Google will rank your page higher if it had 2,500 words.

If that were true, every post would have 2,500 words. There are only ten posts listed on a page for Google search.

There are millions of blogs written every day.

How is Google going to put all of those 2,500-word posts on the front page?

I guess that means that there is no truth in 2,500 words rank higher. The quality is one of the critical factors for higher rankings.

Artist’s blogs that inspire the readers are the ones you will see on the first page of Google’s search.

Best Writing Practices

• Write like you are talking to a person.
• Keep your posts easy to read and understand.
• Only say what you are trying to get across.
• Structure your post, so it will be easy to read.
• Respect your reader’s time.

Blogging Strategies For Fine Art Blogs

Before I talk about blogging strategies, I do want to disclose that in no way am I saying or will I ever say that I am an expert at writing.

I am sure that every post I have written will have a spelling error or grammar mistake.

The good thing about blogging is that you do not have to be an English major to write useful blog posts.

The purpose of a post is to get your point across and provide value to your readers.

With that said, I do have a knack for business, and I have a passion for learning what works for marketing art.

Blog Post Ideas For Artists

You now know the importance of blogging regularly and the importance of publishing valuable content related to your art business.

Even though you understand that you should be writing posts, there will be times when you will not know what to blog about.

Even professional authors have writer’s block and do not know what to write about.

To spark some ideas visit 110 art blogging ideas.

Best Art Blogs

For some more inspiration, visit these art blogs. They all have a unique mission and focus on different topics.

Research:

• How long posts are
• How many images does a post have
• Is there videos
• Is it easy to read

The best way to become a better blogger is to research other fine art blogs and see what they are doing to drive traffic to their online art gallery.

Search for:

• Painting blogs
• Fine art blogs
• Drawing blogs
• Contemporary art blogs

Bookmark all of your favorite blogs and signup up for their newsletters so you can research their email marketing strategies.

Popular Art Blogs

• ARTnews
• Artforum
• Contemporary Art Daily

Independent Artist Blogs

• Lines And Colors
• Making A Mark
• Booooooom

Illustration Art Blogs

• Lisa Congdon
• Lora Marsh Design Blog

Final Thoughts On Artist Blog Posts

You do not need to be an English Major to write great posts that people will want to read. 

All you need is to be able to get your point across. 

Tell your story. People want to learn about the artist in you. 

Share it with them and forget about word count posts. Forget about how long your artist blog post needs to be.

Be patient and consistent. Success does not happen overnight.

Consistency always wins the race. People interested in your artwork will find you as long as you put your story out there.

How Long Should Your Artist Blog Posts Be For Best Results Overview:

• The Big Debate
• Studies
• Artist Blog Post Length
• Google Search
• Attention Span
• Quality Over Quantity
• Don’t Make This Mistake
• Best Writing Practices
• Blogging Strategies For Fine Art Blogs

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• Best Blog Length For Building Your Art Blog Following
• Blog Basics What Is A Blog And Why Artists Need One
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• Best Length For Art Blogs – What Drives More Traffic