There are a lot of gurus who claim to have the answer about how many words a blog post should be. But, the truth is, there’s no real tried and true answer. There are good reasons for having long, short and in-between blog posts, so the best answer to this question is likely to have a combination of all types of posts.
1. Short Blog Posts
Keeping blog posts short, say under 500 words, is great for readers who have short attention spans and to update your readers on something exciting. Bite-sized content is great to read while waiting in line, at the doctor’s office, or when your reader has a short break. You get to the point quickly, so they can move on to your call to action.
- Curated – You collect the content you think is relevant that your audience should look at, and write a short blurb or intro to the content.
- Product Announcements – These don’t always need a long post. You may just say that the product is ready or that it’s a good product, and link to where they can buy it which is often a longer sales page.
Many people are very successful with this type of blogging. A real proponent of short posts that get right to the point is Seth Godin and no one can deny his success.
2. Medium-Length Blog Post
This is the type of posts many gurus swear by. Writing between 500 to 1000 words long is considered fairly standard for the industry. Some blogging platforms actually suggest keeping posts to no more than 600 words because you’re being too long-winded and perhaps off topic if you go longer. Confining your writing to a certain word count can help you stay focused.
- How To – This type of blog explains how to do something that is very singular. Sometimes it uses images to get the point across.
- Informational – Sharing information with your readers is often done in the medium-length post.
Most blog posts fall into this category. They are the perfect length to tell a story, share information, and include a call to action – while including enough keywords without overwhelming the readers. HubSpot.com is a huge proponent of the medium-length blog post.
3. Long Blog Posts
This is a post that is more than 2000 words long and are often seen as more authoritative and the fact is, they are excellent for SEO. Google respects authority pages more than niche blogs with thousands of short pages of content. Therefore, creating some longer posts, even up to 3500 words, can be great for your audience and search engines.
- Case Studies – These by definition need to be long because you’re telling a story about something that is more in-depth. Case studies that are to short will not tell the whole story.
- Annual Reports – If you have a large enough business that you can create an annual report, posting it for reading on your blog is an excellent way to put content that will interest your readers.
Neil Patel, founder of KISSmetrics, is a lover of long form blog posts and it works for him and many other bloggers. However, it’s important to stay on topic, not deviate and change subjects, and be able to actually write well enough to keep the interest of the reader.