There’s been a lot of data recently showing that page word count significantly affects conversions and inbound links, and while this is somewhat surprising given the short attention span of the average individual, it shouldn’t be. To determine whether length had an affect on individuals across the board, I looked at three forms of media–music, books, and movies.
Music
Here’s the Rolling Stones top 10 songs of all time:
| Title | Length | Year | Decade Avg. | % Difference |
| 10. Ray Charles, ‘What’d I Say’ | 6:25 (385 secs) | 1959 | 2:36 (156 secs) | 147% |
| 9. Nirvana, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ | 4:38 (278 secs) | 1991 | 4:14 (254 secs) | 9.40% |
| 8. The Beatles, ‘Hey Jude’ | 7:04 (424 secs) | 1968 | 2:59 (179 secs) | 137% |
| 7. Chuck Berry, ‘Johnny B. Goode’ | 2:42 (162 secs) | 1958 | 2:36 (156 secs) | 3.80% |
| 6. The Beach Boys, ‘Good Vibrations’ | 4:57 (297 secs) | 1966 | 2:59 (179 secs) | 65.90% |
| 5. Aretha Franklin, ‘Respect’ | 2:30 (150 secs) | 1967 | 2:59 (179 secs) | -19.33% |
| 4. Marvin Gaye, ‘What’s Going On’ | 4:01 (241 secs) | 1971 | 3:55 (235 secs) | 2.60% |
| 3. John Lennon, ‘Imagine’ | 3:32 (212 secs) | 1971 | 3:55 (235 secs) | -10.80% |
| 2. The Rolling Stones, ‘Satisfaction’ | 4:03 (243 secs) | 1965 | 2:59 (179 secs) | 35.75% |
| 1. Bob Dylan, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ | 6:10 (370 secs) | 1965 | 2:59 (179 secs) | 106% |
The average length of song difference between the top 10 songs and the average for the decade in which they were released is +43.03%.
Books
Next, I looked at the top 10 books as voted by GoodReads users, using the generally accepted book length average of 64,000 words:
| Title | Length | Avg. | % Difference |
| 10. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas | 463,958 | 64,000 | 624.93% |
| 9. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck | 29,160 | 64,000 | -54.44% |
| 8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte | 107,945 | 64,000 | 68.66% |
| 7. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain | 110,668 | 64,000 | 72.92% |
| 6. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov | 112,473 | 64,000 | 75.74% |
| 5. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky | 211,591 | 64,000 | 230.61% |
| 4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte | 178,404 | 64,000 | 178.76% |
| 3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | 47,094 | 64,000 | -26.42% |
| 2. 1984 by George Orwell | 88,942 | 64,000 | 38.90% |
| 1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | 123,880 | 64,000 | 93.56% |
The average difference in length was +130.33%
Movies
Finally, I looked at the top 10 movies as voted by IMDB users and their length in minutes:
| Title | Length | Year | Decade Avg. | % Difference |
| 10. Fight Club | 139 | 1999 | 127 | 9.45% |
| 9. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King | 201 | 2003 | 129 | 55.81% |
| 8. Shindler’s List | 195 | 1993 | 127 | 53.54% |
| 7. 12 Angry Men | 96 | 1957 | 114 | -15.80% |
| 6. The Dark Knight | 152 | 2008 | 129 | 17.83% |
| 5. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | 161 | 1966 | 127 | 26.77% |
| 4. Pulp Fiction | 154 | 1994 | 127 | 21.26% |
| 3. The Godfather: Part II | 200 | 1974 | 125 | 60.00% |
| 2. The Godfather | 175 | 1972 | 125 | 37.80% |
| 1. The Shawshank Redemption | 142 | 1994 | 127 | 11.81% |
The average difference in length was +28.48%
Many feel the ideal blog post length is between 1000 and 2000 words, which is significantly more than the generally accepted average of 400-500. In all, this research shows that longer things generate more popularity. Why? I think it’s because if you really have something valuable to say, it takes a long time to say it. The more time and detail you put into anything you do, the greater value it will generate.
