Have you ever asked yourself how long a blog post should be? No wonder you did if you are already trying to establish an online writing platform
The answer is never anything exact. The length should be exactly what it requires to be, and it highly depends on the topic, audience, and platform.
However, a blog post with long length is basically taken to be ideal. At the same time, if your content is audience-driven and has lots of interesting or valuable information divided into segments, someone will even take his or her time to read a lengthy one.
In addition, there are different types of blog posts needing different lengths. Here, we are going to explain how the ideal length of different types of blog posts should be. So, stay with us till the end.
The ideal Blog post length for SEO
The high ranked SEO blog posts are between 2,100 to 2,400. According to the recent study of HubSpot data, most of the ranked SEO blog posts fall in this length of 2000 or exceeding it. Usually, blog posts emerge with 333 to 5,581 words, and posts containing around 2000 words are seen as standard.
However, before jumping to the conclusion that you exactly need content of 2000 words to rank high, you have to make sure your topic is worth it. Not all the blog posts are this lengthy; instead, blog posts under 1500 falls in the top 16 to 50 top read posts. So, you might have already guessed that there are other ways to rank your post other than bulking it with unnecessary words.
You may need to keep an eye on the following things to rank up your SEO blog posts:
- Adding proper backlinking.
- Making attempts to capture Google’s featured snippet.
- Including alt-text.
- Pulling off topic authority and domain.
- Going for the right key-words.
- Adding media-rich contents like videos, images, or social media embeds)
Ideal Blog post length for pillar pages
The ideal post length for pillar pages should be around 4000 words. Pillar pages cover a wide range of content than regular blogs; that’s why the word count has to be higher too.
Typically, pillar pages target a subject and cover various topics centering on that very subject. As a result, readers get an abundance of information in a single platform. The average length of pillar pages being 4000; in 2019, the range stood 4,048 and a median word length of 3,639. Also, the average range was from 2,137 to 10,939.
The word count might seem like a lot, but you have to keep in mind that the contents for pillar pages are extended and not a task of overnight.
Therefore, writers should take time and write, linking out all related blog posts, and cite several sources. In the end, you will see the contents attracting higher traffic because of the cluster contents.
The ideal Blog post length for listicles
The other name for list blog posts is “Listicles.” In this blog post category, you can put lists with examples, tools, ideas, or resources covering a single topic. The more example you put, the better it becomes. And so, the best length for such a post should be around 2,300 to 2,600 words.
In 2019, the most read listicles had an average length of 2,500 words, while the median length was 2,300. The average length for listicles stands between 1,050 to 5,581 words. In the end, the research suggests that listicles with higher word count deliver better performance.
When you think about it logically, posting a blog with high word counts really makes sense. Naturally, you would read a post that is offering more options and information coming with images, details, explanations, and links to sources. Adding efforts to present an authoritative list is vital to rank up, and length is one criterion.
The ideal Blog post length for how-to articles
A How-to blog post totally depends on the topic. For example, you want to write about “How to unlink Twitch. ” The word count for this topic would be nothing more than 500 words. On the contrary, you want to write about “ How to start a graphic design business,” the word limit can exceed up to 3000.
Having said that, the ideal average length for a how-to article is around 1,700 and 2,100 words. The top-read how-to posts are between 2,151 to 2,500 words, while the median is of 1,668 words.
If you want to write a how-to article, remember, readers don’t need bulk of unnecessary words to get a process. Therefore, you should be able to explain the how-to process in moderate length, not more or not less. Plus, the content should be straightforward and to the point. Do not add words relating to the imagination; it doesn’t help readers. They want sold information from a how-to article. In that sense, you should put forward instruction, not fantasy.
The ideal Blog post length for “what is” blog post
“What is,” blog post writes to answer a question, which is why the slightest irrelevant words will not do. Within the definition, one can add important information in section by section unless it doesn’t divert from the sole topic.
So, the ideal word limit should be 1,300 to 1,700 words. Furthermore, when someone searches for a who/when answer, they look for a quick response. So the writer should hit the main point at the introduction and not brag with an unwanted chunk of words.
For a “what is” blog post, the length is not the prime concern. Instead, 30% of the most read articles are below 1000 words.
Minimum blog post length
Theoretically, there is no exact word-count of minimum blog post length. Yet you may follow the recommendation of Yoast that sets the minimum limit to 300 words.
However, in most cases, longer posts gain audiences trusts and attention. According to o Aja Frost the SEO Head Content of Hubspot, the longer blog posts are more comfortable to rank up. So it would help if you cultivated the habit of posting lengthy contents except for some exceptions. Thus, with time your blog would gain trust and even post short content to rank better.
But remember, it is not always mandatory to post content with 2000 words or more. The question of trustworthy information is the fact, have you covered your topic? Did you write enough? If so, then 500 or 800 should not be a matter.
Word limits and value:
Blog posts of 75-300 words: Such posts are great as a discussion post, though horrible in ranking SEO. But with such a post, you can expect lots of comments and share on Social media.
Blog posts of 300- 700 words: We will put it on the smart length list. Often experts recommend such length. However, it is not much of help in gaining authority. You can expect better social media sharing and comments, though.
Blog post of 750 words: A pretty good length for getting links and sharing on social media. Also, it’s an ideal length for newspaper journalism.
Blog post of 1000 to 1500 words: Such length is seen where you are actually providing an in-depth solution to a problem. Therefore, these posts get fewer comments but a lot of sharing on social media.
Blog post of 2,450+: It is the best length for ranking as SEO content. If your mission is to rank in the search engine, then aim for such a length or almost 2,450. Even so, writing colossal content is not enough. You have to make sure you chose a good topic and answered it diligently. Don’t you think it’s a shame to write a large content having no viewers at all?
Conclusion: The answer to how long a blog post should be is you and your target audience. First, practice writing shorter contents enticing the viewer’s comments. If you already intend to write a large one, it is definitely in your favor because extensive content showcases your knowledge and builds authority. Nevertheless, wordy content having no value has zero outcomes.