Firing up your Google Docs with a brain full of ideas, you have all the enthusiasm to write your latest blog but suddenly a thought strikes you: what’s the perfect blog length?
Is blog length important to rank on Google?
And if so, how do you discover the ideal word count for your business blog?
Before you know it, you’ve slipped down a rabbithole and the time you set aside to actually write the blog is consumed by stressing over how long the thing should be.
If this is how you wound up here, or you’re worried you’ll fall prey to that panic next time you want to write a blog, let’s hit pause on your stress spiral.
In my latest post, I’m busting blog length myths and helping you discover THE IDEAL BLOG LENGTH to eliminate all of that self-doubt and deliberation from your next content writing session.
What blog length should I hit to rank on Google?
First things first – let’s clarify how many words should appear in your blog post for it to rank on your favourite search engine.
To rank on Google, your blog should be at least 300 words in length, according to SEO experts Yoast.
That’s pretty short, and you’ll likely find yourself with more words to work with once you get stuck into sharing your fabulous expertise.
As a general rule, I count 500 words as the minimum word count to aim for when writing a blog.
Generally, I stick this whether I’m writing business blogs for myself, or for my clients.
So, keep 500 words in mind as your benchmark for blog writing, and you’ll know Google will recognise your content and feature it in search engine results pages (also known as SERPs, to our techtastic friends).
Do longer blogs rank better on search engines?
Generally, yes. The longer your blog post is, the more chance it has of appearing high up in the list of results shown to your target customer when they type in a search term relating to your industry.
As a rule of thumb, blogs with more than 1,000 words will gain more exposure on results pages than shorter ones.
Plus, there are additional benefits to writing longer posts that go beyond online visibility.
By writing longer blogs, you increase the amount of time your reader spends on your website, which makes them more likely to get to know your brand and convert from casual browsers into loyal customers.
How long should a blog be to get shares on social media?
Research says blog posts with more than 1,500 words get more social media shares.
This supports the case for writing longer blogs, and throws yet another benefit into the mix.
The thinking behind this is simple.
More wise words offer more value to your customer, which is more likely to prompt them to share your post on their socials.
After all, in our scrolltastic world, we all know the elements of a shareable piece of content.
So, to make your blog post super-shareworthy, make sure it’s:
- Ultra valuable to your target customer
- Relatable to a pain point your customer is going through
- Easy to read
- Formatted for simple skim-reading
- Well-written in your unmistakable brand voice
- Enhancing your reputation as the expert
What’s the ideal blog length for SEO?
According to sales and marketing giant Hubspot, the ideal blog word count for SEO purposes is 2,100 to 2,400 words.
Therefore, this means aiming to write extra-long articles will help you to boost your online visibility by showing your blog post higher in the results pages when people perform an online search.
When you appear higher in those results pages, more people visit your website and read what you have to say.
Hang on a minute. What on earth is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation.
Search engine optimisation is the process of optimising written content to appear higher up in Google’s results pages when customers perform an online search.
You should have a “keyword” in mind when writing every blog for your business. Your keyword will be a word or phrase your target audience is likely to type into Google’s search bar when researching what you offer.
For example, someone looking for a yoga teacher might type in “yoga classes for flexibility”, so this would be your keyword for a blog showcasing your knowledge in this area.
In targeting this keyword, you’d use the phrase – and variations on it – a few times within the blog so Google recognises this is what the post is about.
However, beware of overusing your keyword, as Google is smart enough to notice you’re doing this and penalise you by failing to show your post prominently when users search for that very phrase.
The benefits of long-form blog content
We’ve touched on the benefits of longer blog posts, so let’s round them up right here.
The advantages of writing long-form blogs include:
- Achieving higher Google rankings
- Increasing the amount of time people spend on your website
- Boosting your brand loyalty
- Improving your conversion rate
- Securing more social media shares
- Offer more value to your customers
Despite our dwindling attention spans, blog length is increasing.
Many believe this is down to a combination of the decline of traditional marketing, and the rise in online learning during the pandemic.
We’re all well-versed in educating ourselves online nowadays, so your customer is seeking out longer blog posts about your industry to educate themselves before making a decision about where to spend their money.
So what length should my blog actually be?
Now, I’m not exactly advising you to ignore all of the information you’ve discovered in this blog, because it’s useful to understand the reasoning behind writing longer blogs.
Plus, it’s essential to know blog writing basics to ensure your content achieves its goals of being found, increasing your enquiries, and consolidating your rep as the expert in your industry.
BUT.
The truth is, there is no perfect blog length.
It’s all-too-easy to find yourself bogged down by numbers and losing your way when it comes to writing the perfect blog for your business.
So, my advice is ALWAYS to focus on value and consistency, write naturally, don’t overthink data and the rest will follow.
If you tell yourself your blog needs to hit that 2,000 word mark to rank above your competitors, you may slip into waffle territory and lose touch of all of that amazing value you have to offer your customer.
What’s more, it may veer away from your brand tone of voice and confuse your customers.
When that happens, you defeat the point of writing and sharing your insights via your business blog in the first place, and send your dream customer packing to the next link on the results page.
Remember, your blog is a place to inform, educate, and entertain your customer.
Keep that in mind at all times and the perfect blog length will naturally materialise and enable you to smash all of the goals you’ve set for that business of yours. If you need help getting started, download your free business blog template to set you on your merry way.
Does this help you feel less pressure and more excitement for blog writing for your business?
Share your thoughts on my social media and tag me in your blog posts!
