You’re ready to start your content marketing journey in 2022! Diving into your first blog article this year or maybe ever, but how long should a blog be? In this guide, I’ll talk about the different lengths of the article you can choose, and the factors that determine the choice. When it comes to blog length, there are many variables, including what is actionable and achievable for you as a business. Read on to learn more.
Different Blog Article Lengths
The length of a blog has been a hot debate for many years, especially as there is no concrete advice from search engines (SEs) on what the best length is. However, one of the main things that SEs have concretely said is that quality is way more important than the number of blogs produced. This is the first indicator that a longer length may yield greater results, as more time and effort is usually put into a longer rather than shorter piece. As a result, quality should be intrinsically linked to blog length.
Less than 300 Words
Most marketers would agree that 300 words is too short for an article. This is from both an information perspective as well as for SEO. 300 words will not convey a lot of information to the audience and have limited scope to show off your knowledge or expertise – Which is what content marketing is all about.
While the vast majority of articles should be longer than this, I would argue that microblogs are still useful in some cases. They can be used to extend articles without detracting from the main message, for example, a glossary article to explain a concept or word. Users can click a link in a longer piece to find out more without spoiling the flow of the main article. They are also useful if you need to share news or company information. It may not have an SEO purpose but is vital for sharing info with your customers. Don’t be afraid to use them when it makes sense to do so.
300 to 1000 Words
This range of length was the original benchmark of blog writing. As said above, 300 words are usually considered the bare minimum for content. And it’s also the case for general web pages, not just blogs. You will find that a large number of blogs produced today fall into this category.
This length is quick to read but can still share a good amount of info. Articles at this length are great for your average consumer looking for info on common goods or businesses researching more general services.
While longer is usually better, there is a caveat to that. In my experience bulking out the word count for the sake of it will lead to a more convoluted article than it needs to be. If the article is about well-known services and items, write what is needed and don’t overcomplicate it.
1000 to 1500 Words
The 1000 to 1500 words range can still fall into a fairly average lengthen blog, but you can spot the difference in the type of content. An article like this will still likely be about a well-known topic but needs a little bit more space to get into the details. It could be a fleshed-out companion about choosing a consumer product, a more detailed piece on a service concept, or a long-form shopping guide. I find that this article length naturally occurs when you have needed to do more research than expected on a topic. Usually, when you become immersed in a subject that seems simple at first glance.
1500 to 2500 words
We are upping the length here in much the same way as the section above. These articles are covering more on a topic and will have several chapters with several subheadings. This is the length that is bridging the gap between a succinct topic and a cornerstone piece of content. They are a deep dive into a topic but have fewer branches to explore.
An example of this is my article What is Local SEO? which features around 2300 words, whereas my cornerstone article about What is Content Marketing? is over 3000 words. Local SEO is a large subject but fits as a topic under more overarching SEO avenues such as on-page SEO or Off-page SEO. Content Marketing, on the other hand, is one of those overarching avenues, therefore it needs a large word count to get into the nitty-gritty of it all.
2500+ words
From this word count upwards you will find detailed articles that are more like essays. These blogs could be pillar pieces or long reads. Cornerstone or pillar pieces are overview guides. They list many different concepts and resources to provide a synopsis of a subject.
Many of my SEO basics articles such as UX And SEO: Balancing Design & Content, showcase a wide range of subtopics and resources related to them. Long reads which could even be 10,000+ words are incredibly detailed articles about one topic that may have many complicated subtopics.
The length isn’t the determining factor, more the detail the author wants or needs to go into. While a tremendous amount of work, articles over thousands of words long will draw the attention of both SEs and your audience.
How to Choose The Length Of a Blog Article
With an overview of different lengths under our belt, we have a clear picture of formats and why we might pick a particular length. Here’s some more info on those reasons as spotlighted above.
Topic
Realistically the topic of the blog will often determine the length. If the subject is straightforward or has limited extra info needed, a shorter article is all you need.
My article What is Thin Content is a brief article of only 500 words. This is because it is discussing thin content as defined by Google and the 3 core things they highlight as causing your content to be marked as thin. While I could flesh it out further, it was created to make an article that was simple to understand and brief.
An article that has a huge amount of data and external research will need to be covered in more detail. This 10,000-word article from Growth Tools highlighting data from their product launch is all about the data. As such, it needs space to write about the findings.
Audience
The reader is as important as the topic when it comes to length. Someone who is looking for a quick answer to a question does not want to scroll through thousands of words to find the answer. On the other hand, a user looking to fully understand a complex problem will be looking for a well structured long-form article to explain the details. The length of a blog in relation to the audience is based on educational level, answers they are looking for and whereabouts in the buying journey they are.
The educational level is about the readability of your piece and a long piece usually needs a higher level of understanding and vocabulary range. The buying journey can determine the length of a blog because those further down the sales funnel, will want more in-depth pieces to help them decide on a product, service or company. Always consider your audience first when writing a blog.
Competitiveness
If your blog strategy is tied into your SEO strategy (which it totally should be) then you should consider the competitiveness of the keyword you are focusing on. A more competitive keyword or phrase will likely require a longer more detailed piece if you are hoping to contest other competitors’ articles on the same subject.
If you’re the only one writing about a topic, then your shorter than usual article might rank first. However, you may soon find it outstripped when your rival writes a longer more informed piece. This is why historical blog optimisation should also be part of your overall content and SEO strategy.
Start Your Content Marketing Strategy
Know how long a blog post should be? now? Yes, but I don’t have the time. No worries, I can help. Get in touch with me today to find out my current availability and how we can grow your business together. I can work as a consultant, providing your staff with the advice and support they need to do it themselves. Or for a more hands-off approach, I can provide a full strategy and implementation service. Whatever works for your business style and set-up.