How Long Should a Blog Post Be?
The length of your post will depend on a variety of factors, including the topic you are writing about, the audience you are targeting, and the goals you have for your blog.
Depending on which study you read or which expert you ask, blog posts between 1200 and 2500 words perform best in search. Cornerstone content can be as much as 9,000 words.
When a blog post’s text is longer, it gives Google more clues to what the content addresses. However, according to Yoast, as long as a blog post is at least 300 words, it can technically rank in Google if the information is relevant and high-quality content.
The key to blog post length is this: Quality outweighs quantity.
Search rankings have less to do with the length of the post. Rather, these three factors impact how well your content will perform in search.
- Blog post quality
- Lack of fluff or repetition within the text
- Relevance to search intent
Your goal is to add value to your content so that it meets the needs of your audience.
I recommend that you never add fluff to your content just so that you can make it longer. Your readers are looking for useful, detailed posts.
Factors Influencing The Length Of Your Blog Post
There is no perfect blog post length, on how many words you should write. It largely depends on several factors.
Below is a detailed description of the main factors that influence your decision of writing a blog with a specific length.
1. The Topic You Are Writing About
One of the main factors influencing the length of your blog post is the topic you are writing about.
If you are writing about a complex topic that requires a lot of explanation and examples, then your post will likely be on the longer side.
On the other hand, if you are covering a simple topic that can be easily explained in a few sentences, then your post will be shorter.
2. Your Target Audience
Another factor to consider when deciding how long your blog post should be is your target audience.
If you are writing for an audience that is new to the topic, you will want to make sure your post is long enough to provide them with a thorough explanation.
On the other hand, if you are writing for an audience that is already familiar with the topic, you can be more concise in your explanation.
3.The Goals You Have For Your Blog
Finally, another factor to consider when deciding how long your blog post should be is the goals you have for your blog.
If you are looking to generate traffic from search engines, then you will want to make sure your post is long enough to include the relevant keywords and phrases.
On the other hand, if you are simply looking to provide information to your readers, then you can be more concise in your explanation.
Doing simple keyword research is a great way to accomplish this, and there are many keyword research tools available at a low price.
4. Nature Of The Blog Post
Nature of the blog post also helps you determine how long should a blog post be.
Oftentimes you’ll find strictly informational content is longer than a post created using a blog post template.
How-to blog posts are a specific type of post that usually includes a step-by-step explanation of how to do something.
These types of posts are usually on the longer side, as they need to provide a detailed explanation of the steps involved.
What Expert Bloggers Suggest About The Length Of Blogs
While attention spans appear to be getting shorter, blog article word counts are on the rise.
The average length of a WordPress post increased by 42% over the last five years, from 800 to 1,151 words, according to IsItWP.
This is likely because longer posts tend to rank better in search engines and generate more traffic.
But how long should a blog post ideally be?
How do you find the perfect balance between providing enough information and keeping your readers engaged?
We asked some expert bloggers to weigh in on this question.
Here’s what they had to say.
Ideal Length of Blogs; Experts’ Opinions
“It depends on the purpose of the blog post.
If you’re writing something that is evergreen and will be relevant for a long time, then you want to make sure it is thorough and complete.
On the other hand, if you are covering a news story or something that will be quickly outdated, then you don’t need to be as comprehensive.”
“The answer isn’t how long the post should be, but how long it takes to say what you need to say.
If you can say what you need to in 500 words, don’t force it to be 750 just because you think that’s the magic number.”
“It depends on the topic. If it’s something complex, then you will need more words to explain it fully.
On the other hand, if it’s a simple topic, you can be more concise.
The important thing is to make sure you are providing value to your readers.”
“A blog post should be as long as it needs to be to cover the topic thoroughly.
If you try to force a certain word count, it will show in your writing and your readers will notice.
Just focus on providing a well-written, informative article, and the rest will fall into place.”
“There is no magic number for how long a blog post should be.
It depends on the topic you are writing about and your audience.
The important thing is to make sure you are providing value to your readers.”
As you can see from the expert opinions above, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how long a blog post should be.
It depends on the topic you are writing about and your target audience.
The important thing is to make sure you are providing value to your readers.
Advantages Of Long Blogs
An ideal blog post length has the following advantages for the readers.
1. More Comprehensive Explanation
As we mentioned before, one of the advantages of a longer blog post is that you can provide a more comprehensive explanation.
This is especially important if you are covering a complex topic.
By including more information, you can make sure your readers understand the topic fully.
2. Improved Search Engine Rankings
Another advantage of a longer blog post is that it can help improve your search engine rankings.
This is because longer posts tend to rank better in search engines since they generally provide more value to readers.
3. More Engaging
Longer blog posts are also generally more engaging than shorter ones.
This is because they allow you to include more information and details.
As a result, readers are more likely to stay engaged with the post.
4. Thorough Cover Of The Topic
A longer blog post also allows you to cover the topic in more depth.
This is helpful if you want to make sure your readers understand the subject matter.
By including more information, you can make sure they have a thorough understanding of the topic.
Disadvantages Of Long Blogs
Longer blog posts have the following disadvantages as compared to shorter blog posts.
1. May Lose Reader’s Attention
Blog articles with significant word length may cause the reader to lose interest.
This is because they may find it difficult to read through the entire post.
As a result, they may only read the first few paragraphs and then move on.
On the other hand, short blog posts keep the reader’s attention on the blog.
2. Takes More Time To Write
A lengthy blog post also takes more time to write.
This is because you need to include more information and details.
As a result, it may take you longer to write the post.
3. May Not Be as Shareable
Longer blog posts may also not be as shareable as shorter ones.
This is because people are generally more likely to share shorter articles.
As a result, you may not get as much traffic from social media if you write longer blog posts.
You may try to write such an amazing post but you are sometimes bounded by SEO criteria as well.
Do you know sometimes, the search engine optimization bounds the writers to meet a certain limit of the word count?
Wrapping Up
So, there is no ideal blog post length. The optimal blog post length depends on many factors as described above. You should write as per the needs of the topic and your target audience.
Long-form blog posts have their advantages and disadvantages. Choose the length of your blog post wisely to provide value to the readers.
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