How Long Should a Blog Post Be for SEO in 2023?
How Long Should a Blog Post Be for SEO in 2023? Writing about the most essential concepts in your chosen topic is at the heart of your job as a blogger. After all, whether you work in marketing or choose to write about your day on a mommy blog, being at the forefront of the discussion in your industry is crucial. However, as simple as it may appear, simply writing about something you enjoy is frequently complex. You’ll need good SEO if you want to rank well on Google in 2023. Making your content the proper length is an important step toward good SEO.
Because it is so crucial, I am frequently asked how lengthy a post should be. One of my Digital First Group Coaching Membership Community members recently inquired if the 1,500 to 2,000 word blog article length was the most appropriate. The truth is that there is no hard and fast rule. With that said, there are some wonderful data points that we can use as a starting point for each issue. Furthermore, there are other industry-wide discoveries.
The most critical aspect is to create high-quality material.
Let’s be honest: people read blogs to learn, not to waste their time. To that end, it doesn’t matter if your post is 500 or 5,000 words long if you’re writing garbage. You deserve to be low on Google’s search results. Why do I say this? Simply put, providers of high-quality content deserve prime real estate on Google and other search engines.
Let’s look at it another way. Would you rather read 5,000 words of fluff or watch a blogger “get to the point” in 500? You’re probably going to stick to the summary. A few years ago, many airline magazines and in-flight catalogs would include an advertisement for business book summaries. There are various websites that offer them now, and they are frequently prepared for e-readers and mobile apps. Why are there so many of these services? They are well-liked. People want to get to the bottom line as quickly as possible.
It’s not always easy to determine how long a blog post should be.
Although it’s obvious that no one likes fluff, determining how long you need to handle a specific issue correctly is more difficult. After all, some topics have more information available than others, or are more difficult. Another consideration is your keywords: various people have varied expectations in terms of length or content. To gain attention, you must create relevant, entertaining information.
I urge that you consider what the competition is doing and then outperform them.
My personal answer to the question of how long should a blog post be has evolved over time. Part of this is due to changes in the marketing arena, part to SEO trends, and part to an expansion of my knowledge. However, these modifications have been significant.
I used to say that 750 words was the absolute minimum.
Back when I was a new blogger and just starting out as an independent consultant, my minimal word count was around 750 words. This, in my opinion, allowed me to demonstrate my competence without having to go into great detail about everything. Social media marketing was and still is my main focus. But I wasn’t taking such a broad picture, either. Besides, longer blog entries weren’t as popular back then as they are now.
1,500 words became a better answer to the question of how long should a blog article be.
As my blog and business developed, the minimal word count became roughly 1,500. The field of social media marketing had grown tremendously. Influencer marketing had garnered enough notice that people began to inquire about it. Furthermore, competition for top search engine ranks was becoming increasingly tough. And, with more individuals discussing the same topics, I had to start saying more in order to be heard.
Nowadays, 2,000 words suffice.
I no longer publish blog posts that are less than 2,000 words. This length allows me to deliver good information without a lot of fluff and without saying so much that people grow bored. This length also allows me to examine the topic in depth, even if readers only skim the post. Furthermore, I’ve discovered that this particular word count requirement improves my search engine ranks.
According to the adage, content is king. In the world of blogging, these are often lengthy articles. People adore these explanations since they are comprehensive. If a piece is sufficiently entertaining, people will feel at ease staying on your blog or website in general. When visitors remain on your blog, they are more likely to interact with your material, from sharing or commenting to making a purchase. All of this occurs when individuals discover your blog.
Long-form material can accommodate a greater number of keywords.
One reason why I respond to the question, “How lengthy should a blog post be?” with “Make it long form” is because this type of writing accommodates more keywords and topics. My posts typically include a single focused keyword, which is perfect for my business. However, your mileage may vary. Many companies will choose to employ multiple variations of each keyword in their blog posts. This is especially true for online retailers and other B2C companies.
Long-form material encourages higher search engine rankings.
Over the years, we’ve also discovered that Google favors long-form content. Google does not genuinely favor one form of content over another. It is the reality that not only does long-form content allow you to use more keywords more effectively, but also that folks who consume your longer content spend more time doing so. Google factors in the amount of time visitors spend on your website when determining your ranking for relevant keywords. In addition, using more keywords in a post increases your odds of “winning” the placement lottery.
This does not mean that you should overuse keywords or add filler. Google is growing better at identifying keyword stuffing, and when people find your content on search engines but don’t remain to read your piece, it sends unfavorable signals to Google that will lead your ranking to plummet very quickly. In this situation, quality trumps quantity.
Long-form content demonstrates your authority.
What length should a blog entry be? It should be just the right length to highlight your skills. People can only write high-quality long-form material if they are able to conduct thorough research or if they are well-versed in a certain subject. Otherwise, blog postings are brief because the author has little to say.
In contrast, actual subject matter experts can routinely produce high-quality, lengthy blog pieces. Their articles are worth reading because you may always learn something useful from them. This is particularly crucial for bloggers like myself who write about their profession. While there are numerous possibilities for me to demonstrate my skills via webinars and customer consultations, my blog is by far the most effective way for people to get to know me. This creates numerous additional opportunities.
Despite the importance of each of the aforementioned principles, they do not provide any quantifiable evidence other than my own blog. However, there are various data points that can assist you in determining the optimal duration for your blog regardless of its business or specialization. You must combine these statistics with additional factors, such as the topic and your personal experience, to determine the appropriate duration.
Hubspot reports that the median length of a high-performing blog is between 2100 and 2400 words.
Each year, Hubspot conducts a study to determine the optimal length for blog entries. They highlight, as I do, that the most crucial thing you can do is to utilize strong SEO practices. This includes utilizing keywords and establishing backlinks, among other techniques. And despite the fact that the 2,100-2,400 word range appears to do the best overall, it is certainly possible to achieve success outside of that range. Specifically, Google considers domain authority to be a critical factor when determining where to rank your content for any given keyword.
At minimum, if you desire top SEO results for your blog in the majority of genres. This length range is magical since it is neither too long nor too short. You have numerous possibilities to wow your audience without becoming tedious. If a topic requires fewer words, aim for the 1,800-word range. Complex posts can cost closer to 2,400 words.
My buddies at Hook Agency would never suggest keyword stuffing. Even if the information is brief, it should always be well-written and entertaining. In addition, they suggest averaging the lengths of the 10 or so best-performing blog entries and then determining the mean. This is typically the optimal length for a blog post on a given website. Remember that experience is frequently the best teacher.
Other tools for determining the optimal length of blog posts.
Here’s the thing: regardless of how many experts recommend a specific blog length, it’s always advisable to obtain actual figures for your specific content and rivals. Knowing what to blog about is, in many ways, only half the battle. Not only is your own blog a valuable resource, but so is the knowledge of others. Finally, certain marketing and SEO software will provide keyword suggestions.
Frase
The optimal response to the question of how long a blog article should be is to be longer than your competitors. Within reason, naturally. If you can create a high-quality blog post that is longer than the top 10 or 20 competing blog entries, you should publish it. The principle is to make your post superior to all others on the Internet. In my experience, it is generally OK to exceed the opponent’s length by roughly 50 percent.
In many respects, this explains why the length of my blog postings has increased over time. Short-form writing has generally fallen out of favor, particularly in blog areas with a professional bent. With increased length, I can inform and persuade my audience that I am a reliable source of information much more effectively. The result has been a rise in my domain authority.
The majority of you undoubtedly began reading this piece with the expectation that I would provide a hard and fast rule on blog post length. As with many other aspects of marketing, there is no definitive rule. The best SEO results are typically seen in the area of 2,100 to 2,400 words, although this is not the only criteria. Always keep quality in mind when writing, otherwise you risk missing the benefit of a longer blog article. Aside from that, it is essential to consider the competition and implement effective SEO methods in general.
2 Comments