Blog content writing has become more critical in recent years and will continue to be a significant part of content marketing strategy in 2024 and beyond.
How long should my blog post be? It’s a conundrum that baffles bloggers, content producers, and digital advertisers alike.
To be honest, there is no straightforward answer to this question.
In reality, the ideal length of your blog post depends on several factors, such as your audience’s preferences, the topic at hand, and SEO considerations.
If you are not considering “how long should my blog post be,” it’s time to start. Because this seemingly simple detail can make or break your content strategy.
Not only are blog posts holding their ground regarding dominating SEO rankings and conversion rates, but they consistently drive traffic and build loyal engagement with your brand. But blog lengths and formatting trends are on the move.
So, what is the ideal blog length? And how can you balance quality versus quantity while staying on top of SEO?
To help you determine the blog length that makes the most sense for your content and your marketing strategy, this blog looks at the following:
The latest data on blog writing trends
- Word count versus content type and frequency
- How word count impacts SEO
- Engagement and Readability
- Visual Elements and Multimedia
- Google’s Featured Snippets
- Case Studies and Examples
- Keyword Placement and Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)
- Evergreen Content vs. Timely Updates
- Interactive Content and User Feedback
- Social Media Integration
- Mobile-Friendly Considerations
- Future Trends and Adaptability
Spoiler alert: there isn’t necessarily one hard and fast rule. But there are some pretty important stats to have in your back pocket this year.
How Long Should Blog Posts Be in 2024?
According to Hubspot, the average length of their 50 most-read blog posts in 2021 was around 2,300 words, with posts ranging from 300 to 5,000 words.
According to Wix, the ideal length of a blog post falls between 1500 and 2500 words. It is optional to force your posts to meet that word count, but there is indeed a general inclination towards long-form content.
A third of Hubspot’s most-read blogs were still under 1,500 words last year. So, the ideal blog post length depends on the type of content you are writing.
For example, according to Hubspot’s study, the median length of a “how-to” style post is about 1,600 words. And that’s precisely where okwrite blogs sit because our blogs focus on exactly that kind of content.
The average word count of an okwrite blog post delivered to a client is just over 1,800 words for your reference.
Article Length Versus Section Length
The overall length of the article is one of many factors to consider when calculating your preferred length. Consider the distribution of your content across sections as well.
Including lists, images, or charts every 500 words or so increases both readability and SEO, as does breaking the content into short, skimmable sections using headings.
Articles with H2 and H3 subheadings perform better because readers prefer text broken up into shorter sections. A SEMrush study shows that even the word count of headlines has an impact – longer headlines garner twice as much traffic and twice as many social shares.
According to Hub Spot, visitors spend between 3 and 5 minutes reading your blog. That’s not a lot of time. But if you format your content so it’s easier to read, readers will stick around, and overall session durations will improve.
What’s the Ideal Blog Length for Your Content?
Long-form blogs (posts with over 2,000 words) clock higher conversion rates and SEO rankings. In-depth, well-researched blogs go a long way in establishing your authority on a topic and keep readers coming back for trusted content.
But deciding how often you should blog goes hand-in-hand with determining your ideal blog length.
This rationale aligns with the idea that a higher word count provides a broader canvas for integrating essential SEO components into a singular piece of content. Greater word count equates to an increased capacity for incorporating diverse elements such as keyword phrases, section headers, backlinks, images, and more.
Posting less frequently becomes viable since a single well-crafted piece can potentially have a more significant SEO impact. Notably, the standard practice is often 1-2 blog posts per week.
The Hidden Time Versus Length Gap
A more practical problem is hidden in the correlation between post length and frequency. As blog lengths increase, so does the time it takes to write them.
The time investment for blog writing can vary widely. While some quick posts might be completed in under an hour, others demanding in-depth exploration could take several hours.
We have observed that marketers typically dedicate just over three hours per post.
Wait. It now takes nearly four hours to write a blog post that readers spend less than a minute reading?
Yes.
Consistent blog content writing and strategy demands time and resources. That’s why more and more firms value professional content writers who can efficiently manage both timeline and quality demands.
Optimize for SEO but Write for Your Readers
Given the investment you need to make to produce excellent blog content, focusing on what works best for your particular audience is very important.
To decide the ideal blog length for your brand and your type of content, you need to experiment, monitor results, and adjust accordingly. If your goal is to increase new leads, aim for a consistent schedule of blogs with an average-length word count and put more emphasis on headings and keywords for SEO.
But if you’re working on increasing engagement with your current audience, higher word count blogs will earn you loyal readers while also taking advantage of the long-form trend.
And keep in mind that some moments warrant longer or more frequent posts than usual. It makes sense to post shorter blogs more often if you have a significant event, announcement, or product launch coming up. On the other hand, if you’re a subject-matter expert, you might produce a pillar page (an extensive long-form blog) that digs into a complex topic that is highly relevant to your audience right now.
What are the Key Factors for Determining Blog Length?
The latest data shows a clear trend toward long-form blogs (over 2,000 words). But word count averages vary depending on the type of blog content you write – “how-to” blogs like ours average around 1,600 words, while “pillar pages” usually go well over 2,000 words
.
Longer blogs have better SEO performance because they can include more keywords, images, backlinks, lists, and headings – elements that are proven to increase search ranking. Your audience and strategic goals determine your blog’s ideal word count, so experiment, monitor your results, and adjust accordingly.
Incorporating Key Elements for Optimal Blog Length
Finding the ideal blog length is similar to navigating a dynamic landscape influenced by evolving trends, reader preferences, and the intricacies of search engine algorithms. To create an optimal blog, it’s essential to consider both statistical benchmarks and the nuanced factors contributing to a successful content strategy.
Staying up-to-date with current blog writing trends is essential to create content that resonates with your readers and finds your business doing well on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Beyond Word Count: Content-Type and Frequency
While word count is a pivotal metric, delving into the specificities of content types and posting frequency adds depth to the discussion. For instance, the kind of content you create—a ‘how-to’ guide or a comprehensive pillar page—impacts the ideal length.
Word Count’s Impact on SEO
Unraveling the intricate relationship between word count and SEO unveils the potential for enhanced search engine performance. Longer blogs offer a canvas to incorporate diverse SEO elements—keywords, images, backlinks—contributing to higher search rankings.
The extended length of comprehensive blog posts allows for a more in-depth exploration of topics, demonstrating authority and expertise to search engines. This depth of coverage can cater to various user intents, aligning with Google’s emphasis on providing diverse and valuable content.
Longer content also increases the likelihood of naturally integrating long-tail keywords and addressing specific queries,enhancing the blog’s relevance in search results. Furthermore, the extended time readers spend on lengthy, informative articles signals to search algorithms that the content is valuable, potentially improving the blog’s position in SERPs.
Engagement and Readability: Crafting an Immersive Experience
The ideal blog length transcends mere statistics; it intertwines with reader engagement and readability. Examining the average time readers spend on a page sheds light on the importance of a well-structured, longer blog that captivates and retains audience attention. Crafting an immersive experience involves more than just the length of the content; it’s about creating a narrative that captivates readers from start to finish.
To achieve this, consider employing narrative techniques that weave a storytelling flow within your longer blogs, transforming them into engaging journeys. Introduce compelling anecdotes or relatable examples that resonate with your audience, providing a human touch to the content and making complex topics more relatable. Implementing a conversational tone and directly addressing readers further establishes a connection, transforming the blog into a personalized conversation rather than a distant monologue.
Additionally, strategically placing intriguing subheadings and utilizing whitespace breaks up the text, facilitating easy skimming for time-pressed readers while maintaining their interest. Finally, incorporating a thought-provoking question or a compelling call to action at the end of the blog encourages reader interaction. It transforms passive engagement into active participation, solidifying your crafted immersive experience.
Harnessing the Power of Visual Elements
In the age of information overload, visual elements emerge as allies in capturing audience interest. Integrating images, infographics, and videos into longer blog posts enhances the user experience and augments SEO.
Visual elements transcend mere embellishments; they serve as crucial aids in conveying complex information and enhancing overall content comprehension. Emphasizing the importance of these elements in longer blog posts becomes pivotal to ensuring a more immersive and memorable experience for readers, encouraging them to stay engaged throughout the entire blog.
Additionally, optimizing alt text for images improves accessibility, enhancing inclusivity while positively impacting SEO by providing additional context for search engines. The strategic placement of visual breaks within the content serves a dual purpose – preventing reader fatigue and complementing the narrative flow, making the information more digestible and shareable across different online platforms.
Featured Snippets: A Glimpse into SEO Excellence
The coveted featured snippets in search results testify to the content’s prowess. Longer-form content stands a better chance of being featured, offering a prime opportunity to optimize for snippet inclusion and elevate your blog’s visibility.
Understanding the role of featured snippets in SEO becomes crucial for content creators seeking to enhance their online presence. These concise, information-packed snippets, displayed prominently at the top of search results, often draw more attention and clicks. To increase the likelihood of your content being featured, consider structuring your longer-form posts with clear headings and concise, informative sub-sections.
Additionally, align your content with common user queries by incorporating relevant keywords and answering questions succinctly. Striking the right balance between depth and clarity improves your chances of being featured and ensures that your longer-form content remains user-friendly and accessible.
Real-world Success: Case Studies and Examples
Illustrating theoretical concepts with real-world success stories adds a pragmatic dimension to your understanding of blog-length dynamics. Let’s delve into a couple of examples to provide tangible insights into the effectiveness of different strategies.
Consider Blog A, a concise yet impactful piece focusing on a niche topic. Despite its brevity (around 1,000 words), it attracted high engagement and social shares. The key takeaway is that a shorter length can be just as effective in capturing the audience’s attention for specific, focused content.
On the other hand, Blog B opted for a long-form approach, exceeding 2,500 words. This comprehensive piece aimed to become a go-to resource in its industry, covering a broad spectrum of related topics. The result? A steady influx of organic traffic over an extended period demonstrates the longevity and sustained relevance that longer, pillar-type content can achieve.
By presenting these real-world examples, readers can glean practical insights into the diverse applications of blog-length strategies. Understanding that the effectiveness of a blog’s length is context-dependent allows content creators to tailor their approach based on their content’s specific goals and nature.
Strategic Keyword Placement and LSI
Venturing into strategic keyword placement and Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) unveils the artistry of optimizing longer posts. Aligning with Google’s evolving algorithms, a well-placed keyword strategy enhances content comprehensiveness.
However, the strategic deployment of keywords goes beyond mere inclusion—it’s a nuanced understanding of user intent. By aligning your keyword strategy with the diverse ways users may search for information, you optimize for specific terms and create content that resonates across various search queries.
Imagine someone searching for “best running shoes” versus “top-rated sneakers for jogging”—the nuanced difference matters, and your content should cater to both.
Incorporating LSI, which explores the semantic relationships between words, contributes to a more contextually rich and comprehensive content structure. Picture it as a language ballet; LSI helps your content seamlessly dance between related concepts, ensuring a thorough topic exploration.
This not only aids search engines in understanding the depth of your content but also ensures that your longer posts address a spectrum of related concepts, elevating the overall quality and relevance of your content in the eyes of search algorithms.
By strategically placing keywords and embracing LSI, your longer posts optimize for specific search terms and become authoritative resources that resonate with the intricacies of user queries, ultimately enhancing your content’s visibility and value in the digital landscape.
Balancing Evergreen Content and Timely Updates
Navigating the delicate balance between evergreen content and timely updates is a strategic consideration. Longer, evergreen pieces may serve as perennial traffic magnets, while shorter, frequent updates cater to the ephemerality of trends and news.
Furthermore, this delicate balancing act involves understanding your audience’s preferences and industry dynamics.
With its timeless relevance, Evergreen content establishes a solid foundation for consistent traffic over the long term. However, staying attuned to current trends and providing timely updates ensures that your content remains at the forefront of evolving conversations, catering to audiences seeking the latest insights.
Striking the proper equilibrium involves a nuanced approach—perhaps integrating evergreen elements within timely updates or vice versa—creating a content strategy that combines the enduring and the immediate for a comprehensive and sustained impact. This adaptability caters to diverse audience needs and positions your blog as a reliable source of foundational knowledge and cutting-edge information.
Moreover, consider leveraging evergreen content as a pillar, providing a robust foundation for timely updates. This approach maintains your blog’s authority on evergreen topics and allows you to capitalize on current events, seamlessly blending timeless wisdom with up-to-the-minute relevance. This synchronized strategy ensures your blog remains both a timeless resource and a timely commentator in your niche, catering to a broad spectrum of reader interests.
Fostering Interaction: Interactive Content and User Feedback
Navigating the delicate balance between evergreen content and timely updates is a strategic consideration. Longer, evergreen pieces may serve as perennial traffic magnets, while shorter, frequent updates cater to the ephemerality of trends and news.
Furthermore, this delicate balancing act involves understanding your audience’s preferences and industry dynamics. With its timeless relevance, Evergreen content establishes a solid foundation for consistent traffic over the long term.
However, staying attuned to current trends and providing timely updates ensures that your content remains at the forefront of evolving conversations, catering to audiences seeking the latest insights.
Striking the proper equilibrium involves a nuanced approach—perhaps integrating evergreen elements within timely updates or vice versa—creating a content strategy that combines the enduring and the immediate for a comprehensive and sustained impact. This adaptability caters to diverse audience needs and positions your blog as a reliable source of foundational knowledge and cutting-edge information.
Consider leveraging evergreen content as a pillar, providing a robust foundation for timely updates. This approach maintains your blog’s authority on evergreen topics and allows you to capitalize on current events, seamlessly blending timeless wisdom with up-to-the-minute relevance. This synchronized strategy ensures your blog remains both a timeless resource and a timely commentator in your niche, catering to a broad spectrum of reader interests.
In addition to content strategy, introducing interactive elements such as quizzes, surveys, or polls within your longer blogs can amplify user engagement. Encouraging readers to participate in these interactive features transforms the content experience into a two-way street. The value of user feedback derived from these interactions becomes instrumental in shaping future content endeavors, providing insights into reader preferences and interests. This iterative feedback loop not only fosters a sense of community but also ensures that your content evolves in alignment with the ever-changing needs of your audience, solidifying your blog’s relevance and resonance over time.
Social Media Amplification: Extending Reach through Length
Understanding the symbiotic relationship between blog length and social media amplification is pivotal for a robust content strategy. Longer, in-depth content often garners more shares, and providing insights on promoting longer posts effectively across platforms enhances content reach.
To maximize social media sharing for longer blog posts:
- Consider incorporating visually appealing elements such as eye-catching graphics or engaging snippets that can serve as shareable highlights.
- Craft compelling and concise social media captions that entice your audience and provide a glimpse into the value offered by your longer content.
- Utilize relevant hashtags to increase discoverability and engage with your audience through comments and discussions.
Consider leveraging social media platforms, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, conducive to longer-form content. Tailor your promotional strategy to the specific characteristics of each platform, optimizing your content for their algorithms and user behaviors.
Encourage your audience to share their thoughts or favorite insights from your longer blog by creating interactive discussions or polls on social media. User-generated content in the form of shared experiences or reflections on your blog can further amplify its reach.
Treating your longer blog posts as valuable assets in your social media toolkit allows you to tap into the inherent virality of insightful content and build a community of engaged followers who appreciate and share your in-depth perspectives.
Mobile-Friendly Imperative: Ensuring Accessibility
In a mobile-centric era, considering mobile-friendly formatting for longer blogs is imperative. Embracing responsive design and seamless navigation ensures accessibility, acknowledging the prevalent trend of content consumption on mobile devices.
Optimizing longer blog posts for mobile-friendly experiences involves adopting a responsive design that adapts to various screen sizes and resolutions. This enhances user experience and aligns with search engine algorithms that prioritize mobile-friendly content.
When delving into the nuances of mobile-friendly formatting, prioritize legibility by using readable fonts and maintaining appropriate text sizes. Break down longer paragraphs into shorter, digestible chunks to facilitate easy scrolling on smaller screens. Utilize clear and concise headings to guide readers through the content, enhancing overall navigation.
You should also consider the strategic placement of visual elements to complement the mobile viewing experience. Images, infographics, and videos should enhance, not hinder, the flow of the content on mobile devices. Additionally, ensure that interactive elements like quizzes or surveys are optimized for mobile participation.
By catering to the mobile preferences of your audience, your longer blog posts become valuable and accessible across various devices, expanding your reach and ensuring that your content remains engaging and informative regardless of the platform.
Embracing Adaptability: Future Trends in Content Marketing
As the content landscape evolves, staying adaptable is paramount. Concluding the discourse by delving into emerging trends encourages readers to embrace change and experiment with varied lengths aligned with evolving industry standards.
In content marketing and SEO, staying abreast of emerging trends is crucial. This includes shifts in search engine algorithms, changes in user behavior, and innovations in content formats.
Remaining informed and adaptive allows content creators to stay ahead in the industry, ensuring the continued effectiveness of their strategies.
Encouraging readers to experiment with different blog lengths based on evolving standards serves as an invitation to be proactive in shaping their content approach. This experimentation allows for a dynamic response to the evolving preferences of both search engines and audiences.
In essence, while the ideal blog length is a multifaceted consideration, weaving these elements into your content strategy creates a robust framework for navigating the complexities of modern content marketing. By synergizing statistical insights with a nuanced understanding of reader behavior and industry trends, you can craft blogs that resonate, engage, and stand the test of evolving digital landscapes.
The journey towards mastering blog length is ongoing, and the ability to adapt and experiment positions content creators for sustained success in an ever-evolving digital realm.
How Blog Length Has Changed for SEO
What was does it mean when we talk about the ideal blog length?
Blog content writing has become more important in recent years and it will continue to be a major part of content marketing strategy in 2020.
Not only are blog posts holding their ground as far as dominating SEO rankings and conversion rates, they consistently drive traffic and build loyal engagement with your brand. But blog lengths and formatting trends are on the move.
So what is the ideal blog length? And how can you balance quality versus quantity while staying on top of SEO?
To help you determine the blog length that makes the most sense for your content and your marketing strategy, this blog looks at:
- The latest data on blog writing trends
- Word count versus content type and frequency
- How word count impacts SEO
Spoiler alert: there isn’t necessarily one hard and fast rule. But, there are some pretty important stats to have in your back pocket this year.
How long should blog posts be in 2020?
Blog post lengths have shifted a lot in the last five years. According to Hubspot’s latest data, the length of their 50 most-read blogs in 2019 averaged around 2,300 words, with posts ranging from 300 to 5,000 words.
Orbit Media’s 2019 Annual Blogging Survey lists the average blog length in 2019 as 1,236 words, an increase of over 50% in the last six years. The largest increase over 2018 word counts is in the 1,500-2,000 word range.
Don’t jump to the conclusion that all your blog posts have to be over 2,000 words now. But these numbers do reflect an overall trend toward long-form.
A third of Hubspot’s most-read blogs were still under 1,500 words last year. So, the ideal blog post length depends on the type of content you are writing.
For example: according to Hubspot’s study, the median length of a “how-to” style post is about 1,600 words. And that’s exactly where okwrite blogs sit, because our blogs focus on exactly that kind of content.
The average word count of an okwrite blog post delivered to a client is just over 1,800 words. For your reference.
Article length versus section length
The overall length of the article is not the only factor to consider when calculating your preferred length. Consider the distribution of your content across sections as well.
Including lists, images, or charts every 500 words or so increases both readability and SEO, as does breaking the content up into short, skimmable sections using headings.
Articles that include H2 and H3 subheadings perform better because readers prefer content that is broken up into shorter sections. The latest SEMrush study shows that even the word count of headlines has an impact – longer headlines garner twice as much traffic and twice as many social shares.
According to NewsCred, the median time users spend reading a blog article is 37 seconds. That’s not a lot of time. But if you format your content so it’s easier to read, readers will stick around and overall session durations will improve.
Determining ideal blog length for your content?
Longform blogs (posts with over 2,000 words) clock higher conversion rates and SEO rankings. In-depth, well-researched blogs go a long way in establishing your authority on a topic and keep readers coming back for trusted content.
But figuring out how often you should blog goes hand-in-hand with deciding on your ideal blog length. Orbit’s study reveals that, as blog length has increased, blog posting frequency has decreased.
This makes sense because, the more words you have to work with, the more SEO elements you can fit into a single piece. More words = more keyword phrases, section headers, backlinks, images, etc. You don’t need to post as often because a single piece can have more SEO impact. 1-2 blog posts per week are most common.
The hidden time versus length gap
There’s a more practical problem hidden in the negative correlation between post length and frequency. As blog lengths increase, so does the time it takes to write them. The average time spent writing a blog post has increased by over 50% in the last five years – from 2.5 hours in 2014 to over 3.5 hours in 2019.
Hold up: it now takes almost 4 hours to write a blog post that readers spend less than one minute looking at? Yes, consistent blog content writing and strategy is demanding on time and resources. That’s why more and more firms value professional content writers who can manage both timeline and quality demands efficiently.
Optimize for SEO but write for your readers
Given the investment you need to make to produce great blog content, focusing on what works best for your particular audience is very important. The stats I listed above are really useful benchmarks, but they are only part of the equation.
To decide what the ideal blog length is for your brand and your type of content, you need to experiment, monitor results, and adjust accordingly. If your goal is to increase new leads, aim for a consistent schedule of blogs with an average-length word count and put more emphasis on headings and keywords for SEO. But if you’re working on increasing engagement with your current audience, higher word count blogs will earn you loyal readers while also taking advantage of the current trend toward long-form.
And keep in mind that some moments warrant longer or more frequent posts than usual. It makes sense to post shorter blogs more often if you have a major event, announcement, or product launch coming up. On the other hand, if you’re a subject-matter expert, you might produce a pillar page (an extensive long-form blog) that digs into a complex topic that is highly relevant to your audience right now.
For example, okwrite just published a series of in-depth, research-centered blogs on Google’s latest update, BERT, because we think it’s pretty darn important and will definitely have an impact on your SEO practices. A BERT-sized story doesn’t come along every day.
Recent Google updates are impacting SEO trends in blog length and quality. Because of Google’s increased focus on contextual language over individual keywords, it makes sense that long-form blogs, which can explore topics in a deeper and more relational way, are seeing an uptick in search engine performance.
What are the key factors for determining blog length?
- The latest data shows a clear trend toward long-form blogs (over 2,000 words).
- But word count averages vary depending on the type of blog content you write – “how-to” blogs like ours average around 1,600 words while “pillar pages” usually go well over 2,000 words.
- Longer blogs have better SEO performance because they can include more keywords, images, backlinks, lists, and headings – elements that are proven to increase search ranking.
- The ideal word count for your blog is determined by your audience and your strategic goals, so experiment, monitor your results, and adjust accordingly.
Crafting the Ideal Blog Length
In the ever-evolving content marketing landscape, determining the ideal blog length is akin to navigating a dynamic terrain. Throughout this exploration, we’ve unravelled the complexities and nuances surrounding this critical aspect of content creation.
From the statistical insights provided by industry surveys to the intricacies of reader engagement and SEO impact, we’ve delved into the multifaceted considerations that shape the length of a successful blog. As mentioned above, the trends indicate a clear shift towards long-form content, with a sweet spot often found in posts exceeding 2,000 words.
However, we’ve discovered that the perfect blog length is more than just a one-size-fits-all equation. The type of content, your audience’s needs, and your strategy’s goals all play pivotal roles in determining what works best for you. Engagement and readability emerge as central pillars in this journey. Crafting an immersive experience involves more than just numbers—capturing and retaining audience attention.
Visual elements, interactive content, strategic keyword placement, and the delicate balance between evergreen and timely topics all contribute to the tapestry of a well-crafted blog. As we reflect on the correlation between blog length and social media sharing, mobile-friendly formatting, and emerging industry trends, one thing becomes abundantly clear: adaptability is critical.
The ability to experiment with different lengths based on evolving standards positions content creators for sustained success in the ever-shifting digital landscape. Our journey doesn’t end here; it’s an ongoing exploration where every blog is a new chapter, and each piece of content is an opportunity to engage, educate, and elevate your brand. Our fantastic team is passionate about helping you craft compelling, impactful content that resonates with your audience and achieves your content marketing goals.
Let’s build something extraordinary together—reach out to us today. Contact okwrite and let our team transform your content into a powerful asset for your brand.
