Blog Post Length is one of the most widely discussed topics every time someone discusses writing a blog post, including my boss.
The first question is about how long a typical blog post should be.
They are never satisfied with my answer when I say it depends on the content you are writing.
People always argue that longer is better, and I couldn’t agree more.
And then we see articles not as long as we expect, but are getting first-page ranking, and sometimes, we see low DA websites are also performing well without writing long blog posts.
So how does that happen, and what is a good blog post length?
How to write a better blog post that ranks?
Here are the rules of thumb for blog posts according to science.
The ideal length of a Title tag
The ideal length of a title tag should be 55-60 characters.
According to Moz, 55 characters are the ideal length for a title tag.
The title tag defines your webpage in the search result, and it gives a fair idea about the topic.
Most of the time, both SEO and blog titles are the same; however, you can write two different ones.
P.S: Make sure that you are not using more than one keyword in the title tag.
You can increase the title length above 55 characters, but using more than one keyword is not a good practice as this will create a bad user experience, and the chances of Google penalty is high.
Search Engines understand keyword variations, and there is no point in forcing them in different ways.
Our take
- Optimal title length: 55 characters
- Add at least one of your target keywords to your <title> tag.
- Don’t use each target keyword more than once: How To Find The Best Restaurants in NewYork
- Target Keyword is “Best Restaurants in NewYork“
The ideal length of Meta Description
It describes the article/content you create and should be 50-160 characters.
Keep in mind that both the title and meta description are the most crucial things for SEO because this is where people will decide if they click the result or ignore.
Writing meta description is like copywriting because this is where you can convince visitors to click the result.
Our Take
- Use the primary keyword once in the meta description.
- The ideal length of the meta description is 156 characters.
The ideal headline length
The most crucial part of any content in this globe is its headline.
8 out of 10 people will read, and 2 out of 10 will read the rest of the content.
If visitors do not proceed after the headline, it means all your hardwork will become a waste.
Now you understood the importance of the headline.
However, we live in the era of the internet, where finding the perfect headline is not a big deal. Right?
Wrong. Writing a headline is an art and which is why copywriting exists.
But this does not mean you can not write a better headline that sells.
Of course, you can write, but if you know the rules of headline writing.
- The ideal length of a headline is six words as per Neil Patel
- People notice the first and last three words of the headline
- The focus should be on the use of the right words, not the length of the headline.
- Add all your target keywords once in the headline.
Now, the real pain point is the length of the headline.
We all know it is impossible to use only six words in a headline.
The good news is long headlines perform well, and you should write long.
Make sure that you follow the six words rule while writing.
- Use number at the beginning of the headline
- Ask a question
- Use a popular brand/celebrity/product name
- Create a fear, but offer the solution
The Ideal Blog Post Length
Ideally, there is no particular word count, and it entirely depends on the niche you work.
Sometime, you should not write less than 550-600 words, and sometimes, 2000 words are not enough.
Different subjects require different explanations, and you need to do thorough research about them.
An ideal blog post is where readers want to spend more time, and unless it gives them value, they won’t read it.
According to HubSpot, an ideal blog post length should be 2100-2400 words, and individual blog post lengths ranged from 333 to 5,581 words.
So, how to know about blog post length?
Wikipedia is the best example when it comes to content.
You will see it in the first result when you type something in the search engine.
It’s because they have written in-depth about those topics comparing others.
The golden rule for finding the ideal blog post length is that you need to write a detailed article on that topic that your competitors can’t.
Here is how to find the ideal blog post length
- Select the keyword for your topic
- Type in the search engine and see the first page result
- Click each link and evaluate their word lengths
- Check the average word length of each content
- Find out what are they missing in their post
- Now your blog post must be longer than them, and you should cover those missing points
We have talked above how to find the right length of a blog post, but before that, you know what kind of content you are going to write.
If you understand your blog post type, finding the ideal length won’t be difficult.
It is no secret that longer articles attract organic visitors more organically, and usually, these are more than 2000 words.
According to OkDork, 3000-8000 words articles get more shares, which are 8,859 on average.
Remember, it’s not about how long your article is; it is about how unique and insightful your content is.
Here are four types of blog posts with average word count
Listicle Blog Post Length
Usually, the average word count of a listicle should be 2300-2600 words.
The success of Buzzfeed and Listverse are not unknown, thanks to their listicle approaches that continue to engage their readers.
The best part of these blog posts is that you don’t need to be an expert on a subject.
Listicle means making a list and explaining them, which are already available.
You are acting like a source that gathers information and publishes them.
Thumbs up rule for a listicle is the longer you write, the better it will perform.
At the same time, you need to engage the users with the correct data and information.
How to Blog Post Length
How to blog post length should be 1875 to 2200 words.
Usually, such posts are written as a guide and for informative purpose.
If you see a “How to” guide is less than 1000 words, don’t be surprised.
Keep in mind that not all “How to” blog requires a minimum of 1800 words.
It depends on the topic you are writing.
If the niche is competitive, you have to create in-depth content to beat the competitors.
Such guides should not act like an inspiration because your target readers are looking for exact tips and tricks and ensuring that the content acts as an instruction for them.
Case Study Blog Post Length
Case studies are the best way to advertise your product and service with proven examples.
These are more than testimonials, and you will have real examples of your clients.
Usually, Case Study length should be 1600 to 2000 words.
You can increase the length depending on the content.
A case study covers three facts
- Your client’s problem.
- Your product or service details.
- How you solve your client’s problem.
Even though case studies are the great way of advertisement, keep in mind that your content shouldn’t talk solely about your product/services.
Instead, you should focus on the customer’s problems and the way you solve it.
Pillar Page length
Pillar pages are different than other contents that provide a comprehensive overview of a particular topic.
These are the longest form of contents that contain no less than 4000 words.
You can even find pillar posts, which are no less than 10K words.
It is not easy to create a 4000 words content, but are the best way to attract organic traffic.
As per HubSpot, their average length of the pillar posts are 4048 words and median posts are 3639 words.
Quick Guide for SEO friendly Blog Post
We have discussed the blog post types and length, however, we have to still follow some common SEO rules while writing a blog post.
It doesn’t matter if you are writing a pillar page or case study, these rules are the same for all.
If you are a beginner, check this SEO guide for more information.
- Keywords: 2 keywords per page (roughly),
- Keyword Implementation: Where and how to use focus keywords.
- Internal Linking: How many internal links to use per page.
- External Linking: How many external links to use (if applicable).
- Headings: Amount and formatting of H2 and H3 tags.
- Organization: Above- vs. below-the-fold content; the outline of sections of content.
- Length: Number of sentences per paragraph (e.g., for mobile optimization).
- Calls-to-action (CTA): How many CTAs and where they should go.
- Other: Formatting for featured snippets, anchor links, bullet points, etc
In the title, use the primary keyword once, and again mention it in the first 100 words.
The primary keyword should be present in the meta description too.
The title length should be 55 characters.
The meta description length should be 160 characters.
Use the primary keyword in the H1 tag by using a sentence.
Use only one H1 tag in the entire article, and that to be at the beginning of the article.
For example, Title: How to find a job in FMCG sector as a fresher
Primary keyword: Online Marketing
Secondary Keyword: Online Marketing Agency
Here agency is the secondary keyword.
While writing the article, use the primary keyword in H1 tag too.
It means, before writing you should write a headline that contains the primary keyword.
Start with the primary keyword while writing the first sentence.
Though it’s not possible always, however, this helps a lot in on-page optimization.
- Focus on natural writing with the keyword placement in the title, first 100 words, H1, and meta description.
- Apart from that while writing, use H2, H3, H4, H5; based on the requirements.
- Use bullet points, to increase the engagements.
- Try to write in active voice and unless necessary, don’t use passive voice.
- Don’t use jargon or difficult words.
- A good article should be understood by an 8th standard student.
- You can use Grammarly for engagement score, and grammar.
- You should not use more than 35 words in each sentence.
- Short sentences are better for engagement.
- Always give references to the statistics, data you are writing in the article.
- Use a minimum one external (outbound) link to an external website.
- Maximum 2-3 depending on the requirements.
- Minimum 2 internal links and a maximum of 3 internal links.
- Use images as possible and optimize the alt tag of the image.
- Don’t abuse keywords while writing. That means don’t use the same keywords repetitively.
- Keyword implementation should look natural. You can use the alternate word too if you feel repeated use.
- Write naturally, and include the keyword phrase once or twice to rank in Google and avoid demotion.
- If you are repeating keyword phrases, it means you are doing keyword abuse.
Example of Keyword abuse
We sell custom t-shirts. Our custom t-shirts are handmade. If you’re thinking of buying a custom t-shirt, please contact our custom t-shirts specialists at custom.t-shirts@example.com.
Focus on LSI and Longtail keywords more
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are semantically related words, while long-tail keywords tend to be lengthened versions of a keyword combination that searchers often use.
Longtails are search terms we all use which often show a searcher’s intentions like “top”, “how”, “what”, “why”, etc.
Each article should have an introduction, details about the topics, and a conclusion.
If you want to check your blog post seo score, you can try SEO Review Tools.
Note: This is not a paid promotion of the tool. We have recommended it from our personal experience.
Conclusion
Hope you have a better idea about the blog post length. It’s time to create content for your blog.
Here are some resources you can check