Discover How Long Your Typical Blog Post Must Be to Have the Intended Effect
When most of us started out as bloggers or copywriters, one of the questions we most frequently asked our editors was “how long should this blog post be”. And frankly, I am not ashamed to admit it took me a long time to find the answer to this myself.
But until then, of the most common answer I used to get, “Make it as long as needs to be” was one of the most frustrating responses a budding writer could get. And while there’s technically nothing wrong with this answer, how is a writer supposed to judge the needed length?
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the typical blog post length, and figure out how it is that professional blog writing services judge the ideal length they need for each piece of content they create.
What is The Ideal Length of a Blog Post to Have a Strong Impact?
With the advent of digital media, consumers nowadays have shorter attention spans. However, that doesn’t mean that your content should be shorter as well.
When it comes to blog posts and articles, longer is the way to go, period.
And that isn’t something we claim on our own. Studies have shown that despite shorter attention spans, the word count of blogs has increased by more than 40% on average between 2014 and 2018. To put it into perspective, it has risen from an average of 800 words per article, to approximately 1200 per blog post.
Similarly, different other sources claim that the ideal blog length lies between 1600-2500 words on average. For example, after an author on Medium claimed that the ideal blog has a read time of about 7 minutes, HubSpot took it upon themselves to test this out. Considering that the average English speaker reads at around 300 words per minute, that meant the ideal blog length would be around 2100 words.
Taking this information, they then tested it on their own articles. And lo and behold, what they discovered was quite close to the figure quoted by the Medium article. HubSpot found that their articles with an average word count between 2250-2500.
Therefore, if we consider three distinct values above, we understand that the ideal length varies according to who you ask. However, one thing that is common in all three claims, is that the longer the content, the better it performs.
And if you look around on the internet, you will see that the majority of bloggers and writers are creating articles that are more than a 1000 words in length. That is because its commonly understood that the longer the content, the better the chances of you covering the topic completely, without missing anything vital.
Short-Form Vs. Long-Form Content. Which Would Benefit Me More?
Short-form content has its uses, such as for marketing copies such as social media captions, forum posts, guest posts, etc. But for the purposes of a content marketing strategy, it is long-form content that reigns supreme.
If you look at some of the top blog post ideas for any niche at the moment, you will find that the majority of them would fare better as long-form articles rather than short content pieces. That will allow you to convey the information you require easily, while still keeping your reading time short enough to allow the reader to absorb it all.
However, making an article or blog post long just for the sake of making it long is something you shouldn’t do. You need to keep your content to the point, and stick to the topic of your choice, rather than going off on tangents that would affect your narrative adversely.
How Long Should Blog Posts Be, At Minimum?
Ideally, if you aim to create an informative article for your readers, you should aim for a word count between 2000-3000. This would allow you to cover the primary topic in detail, while also allowing you to mention some of the related details and topics in passing.
However, when going for a word count as low as this, you should avoid fluff in writing to ensure that only pertinent information reaches the readers.
Ideal Blog Post Length According to The Type of Content
Now that we know how long-form content fares better than short-form content, let’s take a look at how the ideal word count varies between different types of copywriting and content writing services.
However, one thing to note here is that while length is an important factor, it doesn’t guarantee better results if the quality of the content itself is not up to par. That is why writers and content marketers need to take this as a general guideline, rather than a strict benchmark.
How Long Should a Blog Post Be for SEO
For SEO, the ideal average blog length would be around 2200-2500 words. However, while most articles would benefit from a longer length, there are some topics which could do with something shorter too, say around 1500-1600 words.
These topics are generally designed to cover a smaller topic that was mentioned in a longer article, but was not elaborated upon. So, if you are looking to know the ideal length of a blog you want to write, the best way is to research how extensive you need to take it in order to cover everything necessary.
Some of the things that can help you rank your content, long or short, include:
- Targeting for featured snippets
- Adding images to the post
- Targeting the right keywords
- Portraying domain authority
- Linking your article well, both internally and externally
How Long is The Typical Blog Post for Effective Lead Generation?
It’s rare that you will articles that are designed to generate traffic as well as drive leads and conversions. The reason behind this is simple. Articles designed to generate traffic are written for a wider pool of audience, while those written for lead generation are targeted to specific types of consumers.
Moreover, traffic generating topics are often quite generic too, which makes it difficult to generate leads from them. And according to HubSpot’s research in 2019 where they evaluated fifty of their top articles, they found that the ideal length for an article designed to generate leads, would run around 2500 words.
So, just like SEO content, you can benefit from long-form writing when trying to create a cornerstone content to generate leads.
How Long Should Blog Posts Be for Pillar Content
Pillar pages are often designed to cover a larger topic, or often a parent topic which spawn multiple child topics. Therefore, if you want to know how long should a blog post be as a pillar, then you will find that the ideal length for a pillar article would be around 4500 words.
Guides and pillars are often central to a set of other blog posts and articles which link back to it. it is a great technique if you want to cover a larger topic in great depth. And longer content often helps with that.
Listicles and The Typical Blog Post Length
The typical blog post length for a listicle depends on how long of a list you are planning to create. For smaller lists, like those that rank the best entries for a category, often run about 2400-2600 words. But for longer listicles, such as those that list all possible option for a category, have a tendency to run longer. For example, take this article which lists the more than 50 best procreate brushes for designers who use iPads.
How Long Should a How-To Posts Be?
How-to posts, unlike comprehensive guides, are generally on the short side. Designed to target a specific topic and market demographic, these articles run between 1700-2000 words. However, the length for your how-to article may exceed this limit, or even fall short of it, depending on the complexity of the matter you are explaining.
The Wonders of Using Long-Form Content Within Your Marketing Strategy
For those still wondering how long should blog posts be, the examples above show us that content that exceeds the 2000 words mark is usually the way to go. That is because it gives you a greater variety of content you can produce, while at the same time allows you to establish yourself as an authority on that subject.
For example, sites like 99Designs and DesignHill has established themselves as the leaders in the design industry. That is because they constantly publish a variety of different types of content, both short-form and long-form, in order to keep their brand fresh and established in the minds of their target consumers.
Moreover, long-form content allows you to optimize your content better for SEO. It allows for greater internal linking, as well as optimizing for long-tail keywords and LSIs.
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How Long-Form Content Helps You Boost Your Revenue Generation Capability?
For those who are still unsure how long should blog posts be for better revenue generation, long-form content has proven to be the way to go. There are a number of ways long form content can help you boost your revenue.
- It increases the time readers spend on your pages, by giving them something of value in return.
- Long-form content is usually saved or shared by readers more than short-form content, due to its greater value as a resource.
- With better SEO optimization and search intent coverage, they tend to rank better than short-form content.
The three benefits above are just some of the most common ones that long-form content offers its users. These and many more can help your business establish a visual presence, and build a brand identity based off of the goodwill and trust of their readers.
Creating Long-Form Content – What Do You Need to Be Careful About?
Now that you’ve decided that your typical blog post should be long-form rather than a short one, there are a few things you need to take care of in order to create quality content consistently. Let’s look at these all-important metrics.
Readability of Your Article
Logically, a piece of content that does not make sense when read is useless. One of the most important factors when creating any content, whether long-form or short-form, is to make sure that your content is easily readable. If it fails to engage its readers due to a disjointed or confusing narrative, then no matter how well you’ve covered the article, it will fail to perform.
Accuracy of Your Content That Establishes Domain Authority
Obviously, the content you add to your article should be true and accurate. As we discussed earlier, the typical blog post is designed to help you establish domain and topic authority. Now, if you content contains facts and information that is outdated, inaccurate, or unrelated to your topics, you will end up hurting your credibility.
Unique Yet Addressing Consumer Needs
Finally, writing for your readers mean you need to address the pain points or issues your readers face, as it is exactly that issue that made them look up your blog post. Moreover, by addressing their issues, you end up generating brand loyalty, as well as helps them associate your brand as one that thinks of them and helps them.
Read More:
- Attention-Grabbing Food Blog Post Ideas
- Writing a Blog in 6 Simple Steps
- Best Lifestyle Blog Post Ideas
In Short
Finding out how long should a blog post be for maximum impact is just half the battle. You need to be able to deliver the impact through your words for it be truly effective. That is why, when creating content, you need to hire a content writer that understands your brand, as well as the needs of the market.
That is why, it is always a great idea to hire professional content writers who have experience within your industry and market niche. These service providers have an idea about your readers’ pain points, and can help you create better, hard hitting content every time.
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