As a copywriter and marketer, I write a lot of blog posts. For my clients and, occasionally, for myself.
A common question I get is how long should a good blog post be? My first answer: As long as it takes to convey the information to readers in a way that won’t bore them to tears.
So, how long is that? My second answer: Let me find out.
I read an extremely interesting article earlier this year from Backlinko CEO, Brian Dean. Dean is considered a reputable resource on search engine optimization by many top industry publications.
For maximizing your content’s ranking on Google, Dean suggests content that is at least 2,000 words, so your article covers everything a Google searcher needs to know about a topic. According to Backlinko’s ranking factors study, it found “longer content (like ultimate guides and long-form blog posts) outranked short articles in Google.”
I also checked out HubSpot’s recommendations. My site is built on HubSpot, so I figured if I trusted them enough to host my business web site, I should trust their blog length recommendation.
Sure enough, they agree with Backlinko: 2,250 to 2,500 words.
Finally, earlier this year I took an online seminar on writing through the Public Relations Society of America. It was one of the most interesting courses I’ve taken in a while. If you aren’t familiar with Ann Wylie, I highly recommend you check her out.
Did you know that more than 50 percent of readers today read below a fourth grade reading level? Scary stuff. With that stat in mind, you’d think Ann’s research might contradict that of SEO experts, but surprisingly it does not.
Reading and sharing of blog posts increases with word count. Wylie’s recommendation for blog posts is a length of 700 to 3000 words, with the caveat that your blog must be dense — filled with good, useful information that will hold a reader’s interest.
So, there you have it. The ideal length of a blog post in 2018 is probably longer than the 500 words you expected. The challenge is, your content must be rich, accurate and interesting. That’s not an easy feat.
As a point of reference, this blog post is only 400 words long, but I’m out of ideas about what else to write on the topic and I need to get back to working on my client accounts. It might not rank well on Google, but I hope this post helped you out.