So you’ve decided to blog and now you’re wondering: how long does it take to write a blog post? While this is a common question, the answer isn’t quite so simple because it depends on a lot of factors.
The most common range of time it takes to write a blog post is anywhere from 2-12 hours. But how can you know whether you’ll be on the shorter or longer end of the spectrum? Let’s take a look at some of the factors that determine how long it will take you to write a blog post!
1. How good you are at writing
One of the biggest factors regarding the time it will take you to write a blog post is how good you are at writing. If you are already very good at writing and enjoy writing, it is likely that writing a blog post will take less time for you than for someone who does not have much experience writing.
But even if you don’t currently have much experience writing, the good news is that the more you write the better and quicker you will get at writing! So keep on with blogging and you’ll see the time it takes you to write each post shrink as you go along.
2. Whether you have already chosen a topic or not
If you haven’t yet chosen your blog post topic, then the first thing you’ll need to spend time on is coming up with a good topic to write about. However, if you already have a topic chosen, then you won’t have to spend a lot of time trying to come up with an idea! I like to keep a list of blog topics as I come up with them, this way I always have a quick place to find a new topic idea to write about.
3. How well you know your topic
If you’re writing about a topic that you know like the back of your hand, then it will be much easier and thus much quicker to write the blog post about it. However, if you don’t know your topic well and you will need to do research while writing it…well then it’s definitely going to take you longer!
4. Whether you plan to research SEO keywords
If you haven’t yet tried SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your blog, then this is definitely something you will want to do. It’s one of the best ways to get traffic to your blog! But researching and implementing SEO on your blog posts definitely takes some time, so if you plan to do this then you will have to add a little extra time to your blog writing schedule.
I like to use Keysearch to make SEO research super simple and easy. I highly recommend it if you want to get the benefits of SEO without the pain of having to come up with keywords out of thin air!
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5. Whether your blog post topic requires activities or experience before you can write it
Another huge factor in how long writing your blog post will take is whether you have to do activities or experience something before you can write about it.
For instance, if you run a craft blog and are writing a post about how to make a specific craft (e.g., a welcome sign for your home), then you will need to factor in the time it will take you to gather your supplies and make the craft.
Similarly, if you run a food blog then you will have to factor in the time it takes you to make a specific recipe before you can even get to the writing it on your blog part! Some niches are more involved with the behind-the-scenes time you will need before writing a blog post, so be sure to consider that when choosing your niche and considering how long it will take you to write blog posts.
6. Time needed to find, take, create, or add images
Depending on what you are writing about, the time you’ll need to find or take pictures and media to use in your blog post will vary. For instance, if you’re writing a post about how to make a welcome sign for your home…then you will likely want to take pictures of each step so your readers can follow along and make their own sign at home.
However, not all blog posts require taking your own photos. For more abstract topics (like this one about how long it takes to write a blog post!) you might be able to find images on stock photo websites. My go-to is Depositphotos because it’s inexpensive and still has some really good quality images! You’ll still have to factor in time to search a stock photo database to find what you’re looking for, but this may be much quicker than trying to take all the photos yourself. Check out Depositphotos now!
So depending on the needs of your blog post, the time it takes you to find appropriate media to use may be super quick or may take quite a while!
7. Time needed to format the post
Depending on how you like to write blog posts, you might need to spend some time formatting the post, adding categories and tags, etc. Many bloggers prefer to work in a separate editor (like Word), so then when they transfer it to their blog they’ll likely need to spend some time setting up heading tags and making sure everything looks good.
I tend to write in WordPress since this is quicker for me and I can format everything as I go along. So depending on your workflow, you might find you need to dedicate more or less time to formatting your posts once you have written them.
8. How long it takes to proofread
The final step, and one you won’t want to skip, is proofreading. This can be a quick or a long process, depending on your proofreading skills and the length of your article. But making sure everything is correct and written well is an essential part of creating a quality blog post that will help your readers come to love and trust you!
As you can see, there’s lots of variation in the length of time it will take you to write a quality blog post. While new bloggers will likely be toward the longer end of the spectrum, there is hope that as you continue to write you will get better at all the little processes that go into creating a great blog post. And as you get better at each of these processes, you will also get quicker at writing and putting together a blog post. Good luck!
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