How Long Should Blog Content Be?

Blogging is ubiquitous across brand websites today, but the best blogs aren’t the ones with words tumbling off the bottom of the page past the terms and conditions. The articles that keep readers hooked are balanced – constructed with an appropriate word count that offers enough insight without droning on.

But what’s the magic number for a blog entry? How many words do you need to write to keep site visitors engaged? Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s all about context. The type of content directly influences the amount of words that need to be on the page. This is where you can learn all about the ideal word count in each scenario.

Snack-sized content

In most cases, blog content writing, at its absolute minimum, ought to be 300 words. There’s a difference between being concise and coasting; it’s rare that readers will feel satisfied from the information they’ve learned in these four paragraphs.

A web page is where shorter is better – showing off your services to reveal what your brand is all about. Blogging is the area where you separate yourself from the crowd, and you need at least 300 words to be able to do this. Ideally, you should be looking to hit the 500-word mark to entertain readers and show off your writing skills.

Short-form blogs offer bite-sized, easily digestible content that people can observe and flick through, learning information without being forced to come too far out of their comfort zone.

Going deeper…

Any content above the 1000-word mark is widely regarded as “long-form” content – equating to around 5 minutes of reading time. Good examples of long-form articles include whitepapers, case studies and scripts: all of which are often lengthened due to the presence of quotes and statistics.

1000 words is ideal for a blog that reflects on stories and experiences, whereas 1500-2000 words are appropriate for informative guides. It’s also worth considering breaking down your more expansive topics into a series of short-form blogs that are capped at 500 words. This will bring a steady flow of traffic to your site each week as readers seek the next instalment.

Longer content is better for SEO purposes, but only when you’re adding value. Putting words on the page for the sake of it will see you penalised. A smart way to bump up your word count whilst simultaneously offering something useful for the reader is by tying up a glossary or FAQ section. You can add keywords to these sections whilst simultaneously improving ease of navigation and including important information.

We can whip up content great and small here at Making You Content, offering guidance on word count along the way. Whether you’re looking to build a blog, bring out a business brochure, start an email series or nail a newsletter, you can rely on our copywriting agency to produce the right number of words in the best combinations. Fancy learning more? Pick up the phone and contact our copywriters on 0161 6609 206, or drop us a line at [email protected].