There is a lot to think about when crafting a blog post.
First, you need your topic and your research. Then comes the writing.
But how much should you be writing? Is there an ideal blog post length?
Asking this question is a bit like asking ‘how long is a piece of string?’ There is not one definitive answer to this seemingly simple question.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the length of an article on your blog.
Let’s look at what those factors are so that you can see if you should be writing a 300-word mini piece or a 2000-word in depth article.
What Is An Ideal Blog Post Length?
The Minimum Length
While there is not a concrete rule that a blog needs to be a certain length, it is generally recommended that your articles should be a minimum of 300 words long.
This is a generally accepted opinion from the powers that be.
The reason behind it is that it’s hard for search engines to catalogue anything shorter than 300 words.
Search engines send out little “spiders” to crawl across your content and catalogue it in their giant databank. They crawl across everything from the title of your piece to the URL and the subheadings to the keywords.
Because search engines want to produce the best search results for their users, their algorithms are becoming more and more savvy. They “read” your content for an understanding of what your blog post is about. It is hard for the spiders to understand the context if your piece is very short.
So, if you want to boost your SEO rankings, longer posts are the way to do it.
An Ideal Blog Post Length
Personally, I don’t think 300 words is enough to tell a good story or to educate your audience. It doesn’t give you the opportunity to dive into a topic in enough detail.
Aiming for 500-600 words gives you the chance to deliver great value to your audience without being overly challenging to write.
Articles that are in the 500-600 word bracket tend to do well with social shares as well. It is enough words to get the point across to your readers without giving them the chance to get bored. They consume the content in a couple of minutes and if they like what they read, then they might share it to their own audience.
The Longer The Better?
The general consensus from the big players in the blogging world is that longer is better when it comes to SEO.
In fact, Hubspot have come out and said that based on research conducted on their 2019 content, the ideal length for an article is 2000 words long.
Basically, the rationale behind that logic is that it helps you to build authority with the search engines. If your site is seen as an authority in your field, then it will be promoted higher in search engine results.
Hubspot say that it is easier for longer content to rank.
As Long As It Should Be
Having said all of that, there is no point writing 2000 words of pure waffle! We all know that waffles are better suited for the breakfast table.
For small businesses, it is not practical to write 2000 words for every blog post! It is better to write a shorter post that is to the point and delivers great value for your audience, rather than filling up the page with words for the sake of it.
While longer posts will rank better in terms of SEO, if you can complete your piece in 400, 500 or 600 words then that’s great.
Word length is not the only determining factor when it comes to SEO. Your blogs will rank higher in search engine results if more people click to read them.
So, if you have an actively engaged audience that is reading all your content every month, then it won’t matter how long the piece is. Search engines will like it because it is considered popular content.
The Short And Tall Of It
What is the short and tall of it all?
Well, in terms of an ideal blog post length, you should be aiming for 600 words. This gives you the chance to create a great educational piece that is easy for your audience to share.
If you have more words in you, then go for a longer statement piece. Your Google rankings will thank you for it!
And, if you have all the ideas but none of the time to write, then you could always outsource the job of drafting and preparing a blog to a professional content writer.
If you know you should be blogging, but don’t have the time to dedicate to it then why not let me write your content for you? Shoot me an email on hello@gemmaknightwrites.com and we can chat about the next steps.