What’s The Best Blog Post Length for SEO (and Why It’s the Wrong Question)
Marketers love to debate blog post length; 1,000 words, 2,000 words, 5,000 if you really want to impress Google.
But here’s the truth: there is no magic number.
Because the best-performing blog posts aren’t the longest — they’re the most useful.
Google doesn’t rank by word count; it ranks by completeness, or how well your post satisfies the reader’s intent. Sometimes that takes 800 words. Sometimes it takes 3,000.
So instead of chasing a number, focus on coverage, clarity, and authority.
In this post, we’ll break down what really matters for blog SEO. How to choose the right length for your topic, your audience, and your goals, and why the quality of your structure always beats the quantity of your words.
What’s the Best Blog Post Length?
Studies have shown that the top ten ranking posts on searches tend to have more than 2,000 words per post.
But they’re not ranked because they have thousands of words. They’re ranked because they are jam-packed full of value.
The “best” blog post length will vary based on your topic.
For example, if you’re writing an ultimate guide to designing the house of your dreams, it’s going to need 3000+ words. But if you’re answering a quick question like, “what’s the best blog post length”, it’ll be much shorter.
What Does the SEO Research Say About Blog Post Length?
I like comparing what industry experts say on topics like this. So here’s a quick round-up of example blog post lengths from some of the top marketing research sites:
BrightEdge: 1,500 to 2,000 words
HubSpot: 2,100-2,400 words
SEMRush: 1,500 and 2,500 words
Search Engine Journal: 2,100-2,400 words
For years, industry studies tried to define the “perfect” blog length. But those numbers were based on correlation, not causation.
Google has made it very clear: word count alone doesn’t influence rankings.
What matters now is completeness — how thoroughly your post answers the reader’s question, matches their intent, and provides genuinely useful insight.
Recent SEO research trends agree on three things:
Longer posts can perform well, but not because they’re long, they simply cover the topic in more depth.
Shorter posts rank too, when the query calls for a quick answer.
The highest-performing content is not the longest; it’s the most satisfying to the reader.
So instead of aiming for a specific word count, aim for:
Clarity
Depth
Relevance
Structure
Usefulness
Sometimes that takes 800 words. Sometimes it takes 3,000. The length should follow the topic, not the other way around.
Related: Unconventional Blogging Tips That Exploded My Blog
How Google’s AI Snippets Change Blog Post Length
Google’s search results look very different today. Featured Snippets still appear, but they’re no longer the main “position zero.” Instead, Google now uses AI Overviews — generative summaries that combine information from multiple sources.
This shift changes the way blog post length influences visibility. But Google isn’t looking for the shortest paragraph or the catchiest one-liners. It’s looking for:
complete coverage of a topic
clear, well-structured explanations
evidence of expertise (E-E-A-T)
content that satisfies the user’s entire query
AI Overviews often quote or summarise content from pages that:
answer the question thoroughly
break down concepts clearly
demonstrate real experience or authority
So instead of trying to write a “Quick Answer” paragraph, your goal now is to create content that’s:
complete, helpful, and easy for AI to interpret.
Short sections still matter, but only as part of a well-structured, comprehensive post that genuinely helps the reader.
If you do get featured in an AI snippet, a link to your website will appear next to it, which will help boost traffic.
Related: How to Rank High on Google without Using Paid Ads
How to Determine The Best Blog Post Length
As a starting point, aim for over 1000 words of valuable content. If you’re struggling to hit that number, think about how you can expand your blog post length by adding more sections and content for your readers.
But how do you figure out what posts should be skyscrapers and what ones should be shorter explainers? Here’s a quick guide.
Check Out Your Competition
Why reinvent the wheel? Have a peek at your competition to see which of their posts are doing well, and use the word counts as a blog post length guide.
You might discover that your ideal audience responds better to shorter posts, or you might find people love super-long blogs.
Tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs will let you do a competitor analysis – just type in a competitor URL to get some insights.
Test and Tweak
There’s nothing wrong with a little trial and error, so post a range of blog post lengths and track your progress. If one starts getting far more views, write some more of the same length and keep tracking progress.
It’s tough to put a lot of work into a post and watch it get hardly any views, but think of it as one giant experiment. And even if a post doesn’t get a lot of traffic, it’s still boosting your SEO efforts.
Related: How Do You Make Money Blogging? Legit Strategies for Service Providers!
Think About Your Goal
Each blog post on your website should serve a specific goal:
If you want to boost your SEO and organic traffic, aim for long-form blog posts.
If you want to show up as a Google AI snippet, write shorter 1000-1200 blog posts.
Want to get backlinks from high-quality sources? Write a skyscraper with 4000+ words packed with value, stats, and novel ideas.
Remember, the more general the topic, the easier it is to write longer posts. For shorter posts, get as specific as possible.
Skyscraper: The Complete Guide to Starting a Blog for Your Small Business
Mid-Length: 10 Tip Blogging Tips to Boost Website SEO
Short: What is the Ideal Length For a Blog Post?
The Verdict on The Ideal Blog Post Length
Blog post length has never been the real ranking factor, and in the era of AI Overviews, that’s truer than ever. Google doesn’t reward the longest content. It rewards the most helpful content.
Your goal is to answer the question fully, structure your content clearly, and offer insight that only you can provide.
When you write for intent rather than word count, you create content that ranks more consistently, attracts higher-quality readers, and drives stronger client enquiries.
If you want a framework for planning strategic, SEO-friendly blogs without the guesswork, grab the Booked-Out Website Kit. It includes the exact templates and content structures I use to help service-based businesses write high-performing blogs that attract clients long after they’re published.
About the Author
Emily Williams is a Content Strategist and the founder of Web Copy Collective — a boutique content studio helping service-based businesses and growing B2B brands turn their websites into high-performing growth assets. She specialises in SEO, strategic blogging, and conversion-focused copy that drives visibility, authority, and results. Explore her services here →
