by Morgan Drake Eckstein

Created on: March 06, 2010

Have you ever wondered why word count and article length is considered so important on Helium? One of the restrictions of internet writing, in fact all writing for profit, is word count and page length. Professional writers develop the ability to craft articles to the correct length. But why do they develop this skill? Why is it so important?

The skill to create articles of the correct length was a skill possessed by the writers of yesterday. The need for the skill came into play as soon as there was a need to restrict the number of pages that an article occupied. The skill to restrict your word count to the amount of space given is as old as the printing press.

Given the ability of the internet to have an infinite number of pages, restrictions on word count and page lengths may seem odd. And in fact, the restriction on word count for internet writing, including Helium articles, is generally not based on the limitations of the ability to store additional data. Rather it is based on the limitations of the human mind itself.

The typical internet reader has limits on how long of an article that they are willing to read. In general, the typical internet reader is looking for articles in the four hundred to one thousand word range. A person browsing the internet may be willing to put up with a two thousand word article, but the writing has to be flawless, entertaining and informative to keep them reading to the very last word.

In fact, if a person finds an article though a search engine and it does not look like it falls under the acceptable range of what they are willing to read, then they will rapidly click away and move onto someone else’s article instead. If you want people to read your writing, you must make it look right.

The first huddle that must be overcame is the bare minimum word count that they think is acceptable. You might be able to sum up a subject in a few sentences, but typically an internet reader ignores articles which are under four hundred words. Simply, they do not think that there is enough information in the article to be worth reading. There are times that this is not true, but those looking for quicker answers typically would not be looking on Helium in the first place.

The second huddle, while seemingly not related to word count and page length, is the length of your paragraphs and sentences. A page that consists of a single long paragraph is going to drive off readers. Your paragraphs need to consist of short, easily read paragraphs.

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