How Long Should a Blog Post Be for SEO?
The honest answer to whether longer articles actually rank better — and what word count you should aim for.
2 min read · Updated
Short answer
Write as long as the topic requires — no more, no less. For SEO purposes, aim for 1,000–2,000 words for most topics. Comprehensive guides can be 3,000+ words. Never pad content just to hit a word count.
What the data actually says
Longer content often ranks better, but correlation isn't causation. Longer articles rank better because they tend to:
- Cover a topic more completely
- Answer more related questions
- Earn more backlinks (other sites link to comprehensive resources)
A 2,000-word article that's thorough outranks a 4,000-word article that's padded.
Word count guidelines by article type
| Article type | Recommended length |
|---|---|
| Quick answer / FAQ | 300–600 words |
| How-to guide | 800–1,500 words |
| Comparison article | 1,000–2,000 words |
| Ultimate guide | 2,000–5,000 words |
| Local service page | 500–1,000 words |
The metric that matters more than word count
Time on page. If people read your article for 4 minutes, Google sees that as a signal of quality. If they leave after 20 seconds, word count doesn't help you.
Write content people want to read — that's the formula.
Signs your article is too short
- You're not covering obvious sub-questions
- You're not providing examples or context
- Competing articles cover the topic much more thoroughly
Signs your article is too long
- You're repeating yourself
- You're covering tangentially related topics that deserve their own articles
- Sections feel padded with filler
Related questions
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