It’s one of the internet’s longest-standing questions: “How long should a blog post be?” Since the very first blog posts appeared online back in the mid-90s, people have been trying to understand what the ideal blog post length is. In truth, nobody really knows.

And since the definition of the ‘perfect blog’ is constantly changing, so too is the best length for a blog post. From SEO to reader attention spans, structure to blog purpose, finding the ideal blog post length is critical for bloggers, website owners, and content creators everywhere. 

Blogs have been around for almost 30 years, yet we still cannot agree on how long a blog post should be. While some argue for the “short and sweet” post’s concision and readability, others maintain that they lack context and body.

At the same time, proponents of the “long-form” post claim that they represent good online literature, while opponents contend that they take too long to write and can bore readers.  

In this article, we unpack what determines how long should a blog post be. We take a peek into how a blog’s structure, function, and audience affect its ideal length and why landing in that blog word count “sweet spot” is so important. 

Ever heard of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears“? It’s a fairy tale that teaches people to respect the privacy and property of others. But we’re not here for that. We’re here to understand how to figure out what blog post length works best for you – and Goldilocks is the perfect teacher. 

In the story, a hungry Goldilocks enters a cabin in the woods, which happens to be the home of a family of three bears. Inside, she finds three bowls of oatmeal. The first is too hot, burning her mouth. The second is too cold and unappetizing. But the third is just right – the perfect temperature, amount, and flavor. The young girl eats the whole bowl – before further looting the bears’ home. 

Think of Goldilocks as your blog readers and the oatmeal as your blog. People won’t want to read a blog that runs too long (the porridge that’s too hot), and they aren’t interested in something too short (the bowl that’s cold). Instead, they’re looking to gobble up that delicious content that’s just right. And finding the ideal blog post length is how we get there.  

Too Long

A blog that’s too long can have a damaging effect on your traffic, SEO, and general blog marketing efforts. Aside from taking too much time to create, edit and publish, readers have a habit of glancing at how wide the scrollbar’s “thumb” or scroll box is. The narrower the scroll box, the longer the text.

While longer posts are important (we’ll get to that later on), people’s attention spans are dropping, and if a post is too long: 

• Readers are more likely to bounce away from your blog without even reading anything
• Search engines will ignore your content on their SERPs
• Your content will be viewed as ‘boring’ and needlessly long
• You’ll spend too much time drafting your post

Too Short

Blogs are intended to communicate and convey information, a story, or a narrative with substance and context. While shorter posts are more likely to get readers to the end, getting your message across or encouraging the audience to take action can be difficult. 

Short blog posts are still commonly used across many mediums, with microblogs forming the basis of social media platforms and status updates. However, if your blog is too short:

• People will spend less time on your blog pages, meaning less exposure per page view or session
• Search engines will struggle to pinpoint keywords for ranking
• Readers will see your content as ‘anaemic’ or vague and lacking substance
• You’ll run out of room to properly communicate your message or to add in your CTA’s

Just Right

Finding the ideal blog post length can be challenging, and getting it right relies on several factors. But if you can understand what your readers are looking for and which elements of your blog search engines value the most, you’re already halfway there. 

Finding that “just right” blog word count is a delicate balance between ensuring that your blog content is rich enough to offer value and keep your readers engaged but not so long that it bores them or becomes redundant. 

Blog posts that are just right can do wonders for you, including:

• Keeping readers engaged and interested and thus more likely to share your content with others
• Helping search engines identify the right keywords, phrases, and context that tells them your content will be helpful to people – in other words the best blog length for SEO
• Optimizing your blog’s monetization potential by retaining visitors, encouraging them to spend more time on your pages, and exposing them to more ads.
• Convincing people of your blog’s credibility by providing them with the correct information without spending too much time explaining it

No, not size – length. In case you couldn’t tell the difference, the length of your blog refers to how many words it contains. This includes your title, all headings, backlinks, and even image captions. But the type of blog you’re writing can also determine how long should a blog post be. 

Looking at the Data

According to HubSpot, their top 50 posts, ranked by number of leads generated in 2021, averaged 2 330 words (down from 2019’s 2 569-word average), but 32% of those top 50 posts were under the 1 500-word count. Wix’s claimed best length for a blog post happens to be in the lower 2 000-word range, while Marketing Insider Group found that 1 600 word-long posts are the sweet spot for them. 

Blog Types

Here are some of the most common blog types or formats, along with their purpose and general uses:

• Standard or “What Is” Blog Posts – are the standard-issue format and usually contain an introduction, body, and conclusion. These blogs tend to be shorter, with the content broken up into sections, each with its own headline. 
• Listicles – are one of the most popular blog post types online and come in a list format, with each item containing additional text. Listicles are usually limited to around ten or fifteen items, but some can contain as many as fifty or more. 
• “How To” Blogs – explain the process or steps behind something and help the reader to achieve a goal or complete a task. These blogs often combine the standard and listicle formats and can range from quickfire instructions to detailed manuals. 
• News Articles – are similar to regular news posts but are published on blog sites rather than news outlet websites. News article blogs discuss current affairs and events and are often shorter in nature with limited SEO elements. 
• Pillar Pages, Q&A and Ultimate Guides – cover everything from combining an entire company website’s blog library to answering questions on ‘living’ Q&A posts’ which are updated daily, and providing detailed evaluations and studies of a specific topic or field. These blog posts are often very long and can sometimes run into the 5k+ word count territory. 

While the type of blog you’re writing can play an important role in understanding how long should a blog post be, so does how you intend to structure it. Most blogs follow a similar structural format: Introduction, body, and conclusion. While there are many variations and choices available to mix things up and get creative, it’s best to stick to the script wherever possible. 

Introduction

First impressions are key. The average reader spends 52 seconds reading a blog post before navigating away. Most people read at around 240 words per minute, or four words per second, meaning that your first 208 words or so are crucial to keeping people hooked. Try to keep your intro to around 10% of the total length of your entire post. 

Body

The body represents the “meat” of your blog and will take up the bulk of your post’s length. Here is where you’ll be making your case and communicating the primary purpose of your blog. Depending on the type of blog you’re writing, the body can take up anywhere between 60% and 90% of the post and contains most of your links, keywords, and headings. 

Conclusion

Many bloggers find the conclusion section to be the trickiest part of a blog to write, but it is arguably the most important. In the conclusion, you’ll communicate your findings, appeal to the reader to take action (CTA), and wrap up or sign off. Keep your conclusion brief and to the point. Try not to exceed 25% of the entire post here. 

As we mentioned earlier, there is no definitive “one size fits all” ideal blog post length, but we do have access to data to help us see which posts perform the best. Google claims that blog word counts are only one of the ranking factors they take into account, but it’s hard to look past the fact that the vast majority of 1st-page blog results fall into the 1 500 to 2 500-word range. 

Based on what we can see by looking at the median blog performance of these results, along with different blogs’ objectives, we can break ideal blog post lengths up into categories.

Microblogs

0-300 words | Social Media & Status Updates

Microblogs are short-form blogs that clock in at under 300 words. They aim to provide high-impact information in as short a space as possible. Microblogs are not recommended for SEO and are often used as a teaser, to make a comment, or to spark a discussion on sites built for microblogging. 

Short Blog Posts

300-600 words | Captions & Product Descriptions

Believe it or not, 600 words was once considered the standard ideal blog post length. Things have changed since, and short blogs are now completely overshadowed by longer-form content. These blogs are considered too ‘light’ to rank on SERPs and will severely limit your ability to get the message across. 

Lazy Blog Posts

600-1000 words | News Articles, Reviews & Blog Journals

While blogs that fall into this range are not necessarily the best blog length for SEO or to effectively make your point, they do still have a role to play for content that may be limited in terms of blog word count or for short-form purposes. These blogs are used mainly for news reports, event announcements, and lifestyle journals. 

Standard Blog Posts

1000-1800 words | Standard Blog Posts, About Us Blogs & “What Is…” Posts 

Once we break through the 1 000-word mark, you can expect your blog to start ranking on results pages and for people to take an active interest in your content as we approach the best length for a blog post. The goal of most serious bloggers should be to get past 1 500 words at least and push on towards the upper end of 2 000. If you can get your point across this early, good for you. But again, think about the type of blog you’re writing. 

“The Sweet Spot” Blog Posts

1800-2400 words | Listicles & “How To” Blogs 

Okay, here’s where things get interesting in our quest to find out how long a blog post should be. Blogs that fall into this range are considered ‘long-form’ blogs or content that holds more information than the average online post. Search engines value long-form content because it contains enough context for those algorithms to figure out what information the blog contains. Engines can also understand how the keywords and their surrounding phrases tie into headings and titles, and readers can consume everything without becoming bored or disinterested.

A 1,800-word blog is enough text to communicate a concept or point and should take a reader 7 to 8 minutes to get through. At the same time, blogs approaching the 2 400-word mark can give the reader a comprehensive picture of the topic, fit in any lists with descriptions and still find room for a compelling call-to-action. All this without taking more than 10 minutes to read. 

Advanced Articles Post Length

3000+ words | Ultimate Guides & Pillar Pages

Once you pass the 3 000 to 4 000-word mark, you’re heading into advanced article territory, and your blog would do better as an eBook or broken up into a blog series. These blogs require skill and experience to create, and keeping the reader engaged throughout their time on the page is tough. Advanced articles are usually targeted at readers looking for a very specific topic.