For ranking your blog posts on Google you have to make sure that it is better than the competition. So is blog post length a ranking factor? If so, then how long should a blog post be for SEO? 

How long should a blog post be? – I get asked this question many times so I created this guide. 

If there’s one thing I’ve been doing for the last three years is writing SEO friendly blog posts. And I know that blog post length is one of the important ranking factors. But it’s not just the same for every blog post. You need to learn to determine how long your blog post should be.

If you are looking for an ideal blog post length then keep reading. I’ll also tell you my secret method of finding the ideal length of a blog post for SEO optimization. 

So, after this post, you will be able to find the optimal blog post length every time you write an article. 

Now save this pin and help me grow. 

This post may contain some affiliate links that is I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you that I would use to maintain this blog. Thanks for understanding.

How Long Should A Blog Post Be For SEO? 

Your blog posts should be longer. In general.

Google likes to rank longer blog posts. Why? Because your readers also like long blog posts. 

The recommended blog post length is 1200 to 1500 words if you want to rank on Google. 

But it is not that you have to stick to it. Your posts can be shorter and longer than this. It is just a number for good blog post length.

I know you would feel like long blog posts are boring and nobody likes to read them. 

But no! Boring are only those posts that contain fluff. 

Don’t think that your readers want to read short posts. 

Short posts are less informative and this way you might be annoying your readers by giving half information.

They clicked on your link because they want to know about it. So you better give them everything about the topic or they will bounce off. 

Imagine this, you want to start a podcast but you don’t know anything about it. 

Now you found two blog posts. 

One with the basic information on what it is, where to start one, and some examples. 

And the second one with the basic information on 

• what it is, 
• where to start one (with benefits and other details), 
• the exact step by step process to help you set up your podcast, 
• tips to create your first podcast
• and some FAQs. 

So which one are you likely to choose? Of course the 2nd one.

Because it will help you do everything, you don’t have to check other posts to set your podcast. 

Google wants to deliver the best possible results. If you want to rank then think like Google. 

But also, there are many benefits of writing longer blog posts. 

Benefits Of Writing Longer Blog Posts

Here are some benefits of writing long posts and I know you want to have all of them. 

Rank on Google Quickly

Longer posts mean more details. Which means more valuable and therefore ranks quickly.

Attract Backlinks

A great long guide will drive you backlinks without you having to run outreach campaigns all the time. 

Become Authoritative 

You have produced an extremely valuable long blog post, your readers will love you. They will talk about you.

More Social Shares

Since they love you they will share your content on Social Media. They might forget, so make use of your CTA. 

Increase Reading Time On Your Site

The longer they stay on your site the better it is for you. It will also help in improving the bounce rate of your blog. 

So these are some reasons why long posts are better. 

And you learned that you don’t have to stick with the recommended ideal length of a blog post. 

Because it depends on many things. Like, the information you have, your target reader, etc.

For example, my readers like to read detailed posts so I create longer posts. 

However, it also depends on the topic you write about. 

How does Blog Post Length change With Topic?

If you create an extremely detailed guide your readers are going to love you for that. 

Because you have explained to them to do something. 

And no, you can’t do that in a few words.

But also, you can’t write a 2000 word long post on a topic like “how to tie a tie?” 

I mean, what could you possibly write? If you did manage to create a 2000 word post, I’m sure most of the part is fluff. 

Because you explained how to tie a tie in 250 words only. Does it require more than that?

And it also depends on the type of blog posts. 

How does Blog Post Length change With Blog Post Types?

So there are different types of blog posts and they serve different purposes. 

For example, 

• How-tos – describe how to do something. 
• Listicles – list down all the relevant items. 
• Beginner guides – to teach something from the start. 
• Opinions – tells what you think about something. 

And there are more. 

Generally, how-to posts and guides are longer because you are making them as detailed as possible. 

The more questions you answer the better. 

Listicles can be long or short. If you want to create a massive list you will use lots of items and hence it becomes a longer post. 

But if you want to talk about the top 3 or 5 then it will be a shorter post. 

Tip – longer lists outperform. I have a few 100+ item lists that work amazing for me. 

But opinion-based posts don’t have much to talk about. You give your thoughts on something that you agree or disagree and that’s it. 

So that’s how it depends on the type of blog posts. 

Now, what should you do? Your question remains the same – how long should my blog post be? 

It depends on your goal. 

Let’s tell you how. 

How To Identify An Ideal Blog Post Length For SEO? – My Trick

If you want to rank on Google then you should find an optimal blog post length for SEO optimization of that blog post. 

How would you know that? 

Here’s how. 

After you have found your target keyword go to the search and type of the same keyword to find out the already ranking posts. 

Remember the goal is to create better than these ranking posts? 

So, if you can create an article that is more words than these ranking posts then you are doing better. 

Okay, that makes sense but how? 

The first option is to use KeywordRevealer and type the keyword, it will tell you the average of how many words the ranking articles are. 

The second option is the free tool WordCounter. 

Open the top 10 or more posts (if you want) in new tabs and copy the text, now paste it on WordCounter and it will tell you the number of words. 

After doing this with the other posts you will get an idea of how long the average post is. 

Then you can decide on an ideal blog article length. 

You will have to do this with every post which can take a lot of time and effort. 

That’s why I recommend using KeywordRevealer that gives you the exact number. 

Related – Best Keyword Research Tools For Bloggers

Should You Worry About The Optimal Blog Post Length As A New Blogger? 

When I published my first blog post, blog post length was the last thing that mattered to me. Forget about SEO too. 

I think that’s okay. 

If you are about to publish your first few blog posts then don’t stress about the blog post length & SEO. Focus on getting them out first. 

Why am I saying this? Because the good thing about WordPress (and any other CMS) is that you can easily update your posts. 

So, you can always update them as you learn new things. 

Don’t stress about it too much. 

At the same time, it is good to keep a number in mind.  

But if you are serious about SEO, which is good, then you have my trick for finding the ideal word count for a blog post. 

I know that it’s work but it will pay off. SEO works for bloggers who take these small steps. 

How To Write Excellent Blog Posts? 

If you noticed that I have told you to write longer articles. But I also told you to write quality content. 

Because nobody cares if it is not. 

Your readers will simply bounce off to a better blog post. Some may assume that your blog isn’t helpful and might decide to not return. 

Therefore, always focus on creating valuable content. 

Don’t add extra words to make it longer. It is fluff. And not very helpful to your reader. 

If you need help with writing good blog posts, start with this SEO guide. 

Conclusion: How Many Words Should A Blog Post Be For SEO? 

So you know that if you want to rank on Google you will have to play with its terms. 

You know there is no ideal word count for a blog post. It depends on many factors. 

But you can find the ideal length for blog posts using my method above every time you write a post.

More posts to check out:

• How to set up a custom domain email using Bluehost?
• How to generate blog post ideas?
• What are Evergreen blog posts & how to write them?
• 101 blog post ideas for new bloggers
• How to optimize your blog post for SEO?

Have you tried the trick before? How long do you keep your blog articles? Do you think about your target audience before writing? 

I hope you found this post helpful. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Or why not subscribe to my newsletter and get blogging and writing tips straight to your inbox every week?