There are many gurus who claim to have the answer to how many words a blog post should have. But, the truth is that there is no true and proven answer. There are good reasons to have long, short, and in-between blog posts, so a combination of all post types is probably the best answer to this question.
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 interesting. 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.
- Cured – Collect the content you think is relevant that your audience should see and write a short review or introduction to the content.
- product ads – These don’t always need a long post. You can just say the product is ready or a good product, and link to where they can buy it, which is often a longer sales page.
Many people are very successful with these types of blogs. A true advocate of short posts that get straight to the point is Seth Godin and no one can deny his success.
2. Medium Length Blog Post
These are the kind of posts that many gurus rely on. Writing between 500 and 1,000 words is considered pretty standard for the industry. Some blogging platforms actually suggest keeping posts to no more than 600 words because you’re being too long and you might get off topic if you go any longer. Limiting your writing to a certain number of words can help you stay focused.
- What – This type of blog explains how to do something that is very unique. Sometimes he uses images to convey the message.
- Informative – The exchange of information with your readers is often done in the publication of medium length.
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 readers. HubSpot.com is a big contributor to the mid-length blog post.
3. Long blog posts
This is a post that is over 2000 words and is often considered more authoritative and in fact they are great for SEO. Google respects authority pages more than niche blogs with thousands of short pages of content. So creating longer posts, even up to 3,500 words, can be great for your audience and search engines.
- case studies – These, by definition, should be long because you are telling a story about something that is deeper. Case studies that are too short will not tell the whole story.
- annual reports – If you have a business big enough to create an annual report, posting it for perusal on your blog is a great way to put content that your readers are interested in.
Neil Patel, founder of KISSmetrics, is a long-form blog post lover and it works for him and many other bloggers. However, it is important to stay on topic, not drift or change the subject, and be able to write well enough to hold the reader’s interest.
