How long should a blog post be?
There is no universal ideal blog-post length — the right length follows the post's JOB. Ranking studies report first-page averages around 1,400–2,500 words, but that's an observed correlation, not a rule Google applies; news updates do their work in 300–600 words.
Length by job — and what those ranking studies actually show
«Ideal blog length» depends on what the post is for — four jobs behave differently. INFORMATIONAL/EVERGREEN posts answering a searched question: the pages that rank tend to run 1,400–2,500 words. That figure is a CORRELATION from vendor studies that average first-page results — not a causal rule: word count is not a ranking factor (Google has said so directly), and the likelier explanation is selection — thorough coverage naturally runs long AND earns links, so length rides along with the things that do matter. Writing 2,000 padded words will not outrank 900 useful ones.
The other three jobs: HOW-TO posts run as long as the task has steps — completeness, not word count, is the bar. NEWS/UPDATE posts do their job in 300–600 words; stretching them buries the news. LANDING/PRODUCT pages are judged on conversion — hundreds of words of focused copy usually beat thousands.
Structure beats length
Long posts only work when they're scannable: descriptive subheadings every 300 words or so, short paragraphs (40–80 words), a table or list where the content allows one, and an opening that answers the query before elaborating. A well-structured 1,500-word post outperforms an unstructured 3,000-word one on both rankings and reader completion.
For the intro and conclusion shares, our own guides carry the working conventions: an introduction around 8–12% of the piece and a conclusion around 5–10% — the outline planner below uses those shares.
Blog post length by job — conventions, not rules
| News / update post | 300–600 words |
| Standard blog post | 800–1,200 words |
| SEO / evergreen article | 1,500–2,500 words |
| Pillar / ultimate guide | 3,000–5,000+ words |
| Personal / newsletter post | 500–1,000 words |
| Product announcement | 400–800 words |
Outline planner — sections × words, in your browser
Plan the body as sections × words-per-section; the intro (≈10%) and conclusion (≈7.5%) shares come from our introduction and conclusion guides. Counts only — this plans LENGTH, it doesn't score content or SEO.
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Ranking-study figures are observed first-page averages (vendor studies), presented as correlation — word count is not a ranking factor (Google's public guidance). Type ranges are editorial conventions. Intro/conclusion shares reference our sourced introduction and conclusion guides. Verified 2026-07-23.
Is 500 words enough for a blog post?
For a news update, an announcement, or a sharply-scoped answer — yes. For a topic readers will compare across sites, 500 words rarely covers enough to compete. Match length to the query, not to a quota.
How long does it take to read a 2,000-word post?
About 8 minutes at an average silent pace of 240 wpm. If your analytics show average time-on-page far below that, readers are scanning — tighten the structure rather than the length.
Does a longer blog post rank better?
No — not as a causal rule. Studies that average first-page results do find longer pages there, but that's selection: pages that cover a topic thoroughly tend to be long, and thoroughness (plus the links it earns) is what correlates with ranking. Google has said word count itself is not a ranking factor. Write to cover the job completely, then stop — padding to hit a number helps nothing.