How Many Words Should a Blog Post Be?
Hey guys,
Like many of you I have been head down bum up immersing myself into the Super Affiliate Challenge here at Wealthy Affiliate. I have a new site and am trying to get it established with 4 or so posts per week - along with site tweaking, SEO tool setup and all that fun stuff. I am considering outsourcing some of the writing in a month or so (I still have my original site in another niche) once I have the site branding and writing style bedded down but am also thinking that I would like to do this all myself so I will see how that goes I guess.
Now, what is this post about? Well, as I usually do, I asked my beautiful wife to proof read my latest post - you know - just to make sure it actually makes sense. However, this time as she was reading she suddenly blurted out "OMG How many words should a blog post be?".
Note: Previous line has been 'cleansed' so as to not get me banned from the internet - I guess she was tired.
"Why is that?"
"4000 words! Is that too many? - Will people read that many?"
"Well you tell me" I said, trying to remind her of the whole purpose of getting her to read it in the first place...
"Yeah, I read it all but only just now noticed the words" - I guess that is a good thing...
How many am I writing?
After much further discussion, we worked out that her surprise was not so much about how many words I had in this post, rather how many more I am writing now than I used to. So I went back and had a look at my first site:
Month 1 - average 800 - 1000 words
Month 2 - average 1000 - 1500 words
Month 6 - average 2500 - 3000 words
On my new affiliate site:
Month 1 - average 3000 words
I found that fascinating to be honest - I do love a good stat. But it appears that as I become more and more familiar with this whole blog writing caper, the easier I find it to just keep on writing. I also think that the subjects in this space tend to require more words than my original niche - I don't know - maybe I am just making that up.
So, how many words should I be writing?
The more research I do here to be honest, the muddier it becomes... It is almost like trying to get a straight answer whenever I go to the U.S. and ask how much I should tip...
Anyhow, the mainstream response within WA appears to be 1000 words - which is what I worked to when I first started here. But having trawled through the Questions, Blogs and Training within WA I have found a massive variance on what is considered good amongst our peers here... 1000, 2000, 5000 and every number in between.
Neil Patel is a huge fan of loooong posts - I saw one video of his where he says that you should always be updating posts rather than doing new ones all the time until you hit about 10,000 words...
Why is word count important?
SEO - Search engines like posts that provide value and assistance. And again, try doing some research on this. In four posts on the first page:
- 600 - 700 words
- 1705 words
- 1000 words
- 3000 words
Again, quite interesting but not an exact science - not that I was gullible enough to think that it should be, but at least we have some idea now.
The one universal truth out there though - anything under 500 words and forget about it - that is too 'thin' in Google speak.
What can we do then?
In my opinion, and I would love to hear your thoughts below, it is maybe less about word count and more about quality... I do a LOT of research online these days, as I am sure anybody who writes a lot of blog posts does, and I can tell you that I have read 500 word articles that put me to sleep and 5000 word ones that had me riveted from the start.
My writing background is in instructional design, technical writing and government documentation (zzzzzz). I also have an MBA so am used to writing academic materials as well. I have to admit, I LOVE the freedom that blog writing gives me - I can tell a story, have inaccurate grammar (NOT spelling mistakes though) and just see where it takes me. So, this is what I think you need to take into consideration:
- Start with a good title
- Make your introduction personable - get the reader's attention from the start - tell a story as to why you are writing the post
- Use small paragraphs and bullet points – they make information easier to read
- Write like you speak – this is much easier for people to understand and for readability.
- Write for your audience – you will obviously use different references and wording depending on your subject and the intended audience.
- Use humor – no matter the subject, it lightens the mood
- Keep it simple - We are discussing word counts I know however do not use 50 words when 20 will do.
- HAVE FUN – write from the heart.
- SPELL CHECK
- SPELL CHECK
- SPELL CHECK
Do this and I believe that no matter how many words you have types, you will be able to create a nice following based on posts that your viewers love to read.
Conclusion
Ok, I am now at 950 words... What can I write about to make the grand? Should I sink a few more keyword type lines in here such as: [insert radio announcer voice here] I hope you have enjoyed this post about the best writing techniques for successful blog posts, or simply thank you for reading and ask you to add you comments below:
I think I will go for the latter and simply say thanks.
Have fun
Paul
Recent Comments
30
On a normal blog post I write as many words as I feel are appropriate to the post, aim for 500 but if I am honest do not count them.
In the challenge at the moment am finding 1,000 words to be no problem, as I say that is at the moment.
Regards
Stuart
Gosh, sounds easy but I know it's very difficult for some of us to come up with that so many words. It's a struggle, realy.
I go by the rule that a blog post should be as long as it takes to thoroughly discuss the subject matter, no longer, no shorter. But once I hit 3000 words and have a lot more to say, I usually make it 2 posts.
Yeah, I have considered plitting them at times... Neil Patel says that is a no-no but Kyle (I think it was - i may be wring) says to split.. I think if the split can be two clearly defined subjects then do it.
Hi Paul
I think the answer to your question is, how long is a piece of string. Some subjects there is a lot to say, whilst others much less.
You write for your audience not yourself. If it is too long, turn it into a series, keep them interested.
Great post about the topic on my mind for the last few days. I am a prolific speaker, but when it comes to typing not so much, so I will a lot of speech to text to help me, then edit.
In my background less was better. Customer service management stressed less because of KPI. Customers are waiting, so the distinct quick resolution was important.
I will get better over time, just need to get out of years of habit.
Take care,
Bill
Hi Bill
You need to start presenting at conferences, where a talk has to be given on a paper that you have written. In that way you have to get used to both writing and speaking.
Often in conferences your speaking time is short, and you can only write a few pages.
Hope that helps
Antonio
I was a speech major, radio and tv broadcasting, minor business. I have spoken in public since 19 years old and now 68. I have given many public speaking engagements, along with speaking at MLM conferences and other businesses I have worked. In customer service, the CSR has a small script and a short time to resolve the customer's issues. This is why I mentioned this. Thanks for the comment
Interesting information, I have enjoyed reading your post about the best techniques for successful posts.
What I know about the length for SEO are 1,705 words.
According to numerous studies over the last ten years, Google's algorithm prefers more content posts helping blog posts with over 1,000 words do better on average.
Jacqueline
Yeah, Google definitely likes to see that the posts are providing value...
I sometimes do word counts on sites I am researching and it amazes me how many posts are out there under 500 words that rank on page 1..
Very interesting take on the word count norms here in WA.
I have varying word counts depending on topics. I strive for at least 1000. But normally I cut it off when the topic is covered. I try not to add filler just to get a word count up.
Hi Paul, I think there is a suggested number of words somewhere in the training. Alvin and Laurie I do believe have their numbers spot on. The main thing is to keep on blogging minimum 800 words for me but I try for at least 1400. All the best.
Michael
See more comments
Hi Paul.
I think that it is one thing to write for SEO engines and another to write for humans.
I tend to not read long posts, skimming over the material and trying to quickly pick out points of particular interest. I suspect that I am not alone in this.
I use this tool to find out how many words it thinks I should be writing. Maybe others here will find it useful too: https://www.marketmuse.com
Regards,
Hi, Tayo.
Thank you for the link.
Good tool to have in the toolbox.
Cheers,
Paul.
You're welcome. 👍😊
Thanks Tayo,
Will check it out
Paul