How many words for a blog post?

The average length of articles found on the first page of Google in 2019 is more than 2000 words. This is the main question for bloggers: ideally, how many words should an article have to be properly ranked? Google has clear quality standards for the content it provides to its users, and it is helpful to be aware of these. This is my main weakness, or strong point, depending on how you see it: I create lengthy articles! So much so that I recently reached out to you on Twitter to check if their length was an issue for you. I often find myself in a range between 1500 and 2500 words.

This is also why I don’t share articles on Squid-Impact more frequently; I take a long time to write an article. Wouldn’t it be better in this situation to choose a shorter format and raise the number of posts? Long articles or posting frequency? The major question is this:.

In blogging, does size matter?

Yes, it is important, especially to the Almighty Google and the SEO. In natural referencethe longer the better. I’m exaggerating a bit but it’s still the reality. The length allows you to distill your own keywords and expressions without appearing too heavy for your readers.

A long article is also more pleasant in layout (Well, it all depends on the theme on this point, I’ll give you that) and is most popular with readers looking for content. Taking the time to address a concrete topic has become relatively rare and I dare hope that it is still appreciated. There are many articles that simply comment on a statistic without going further.

Provocation: positive or negative communication?

The opposite effect is that we are tirelessly told that new Internet users, especially mobile users, surf more and more frequently and do not finish articles. However, you won’t lose your audience because you keep them scrolling ! If your information is helpful, they will continue reading. Studies have shown that Internet users read differently.

They scroll through the first paragraphs, then their gaze stops on what catches their attention halfway through the article and finally they reach the end of the article (but not you, because you are a good reader !) This type of reading requires the placement of regular attachment points for the reader’s gaze (an image, a video, a bulleted list, etc.).

Articles of more than 1500 words bring you :

• natural connections more easily, thus increasing your pagerank,
• with the same quality, Google would position itself higher in the ranking Ser sites with a higher average of words per article,
• AND conversion rate more important.

So, how many words do you need?

2450 words. This is the data that would represent the average of the articles that appeared at the top of the search results in 2019. It would therefore be the best choice in terms of SEO. On the contrary, if your average is around 200 words, you risk not appearing very relevant search engines. Google risks ranking you on sites with “poor” content and your readers may no longer appreciate you. If for a long time 500 words was a relevant average, a lot has changed and it is no longer enough… Courage!

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Write more… at any cost?

But should we write even when we don’t have much to say? Should we make a topic longer, even when we’ve already covered it? We are starting to see this happen, especially in online media. All the facts of the topic are covered in three paragraphs (so readers get what they ask for) and then we add lines of detail about the neighbor’s dog who was there when it all happened to create content and insert keywords.

Be careful, if you write just to reach the word count, it seems very fast. Quantity or not, Google may very well notice you and put you on the “poor” content list. You can very well alternate long articles and shorter articles on a current topic that requires less content, for example. The key is to write a content-rich article.

What does this mean exactly?

• Try to introduce new concepts in every blog post you publish – don’t just regurgitate facts that others have already shared or that you yourself have already used repeatedly.
• Think about the type of media that would enhance the content experience – There is a wide range of things that could help your reader digest the concepts you share: videos, memes, gifs, diagrams, graphs, infographics, quizzes are just a few of them!
• Consider carefully what people came to look for when reading your article and how you can meet their needs.
• Overall, try to increase traffic to your site with topics that you are actually best atand where you can actually help people and not just mindlessly increase traffic for pure traffic reasons.

Quality takes precedence over quantity

We’re not all prolific when it comes to writing, not all subjects are suitable, so don’t force yourself to constantly write and rewrite. You always have to bring things back to square one to get a good perspective. Why do you write? If the primary goal is SEO, leads, awareness, you’re not there. These various points are good, even extremely important, but the main point is this: help your readers. Whether it’s your customers, potential customers, readers of your blog, you write First of all for them.

Also, give them the best. We have certainly seen above all the good reasons for writing long enough articles, how this is advantageous for SEO. However, there is no standard that defines an exact standard, Google’s functioning and algorithms are too complex and unknown. Better quality content than 500 words rather than a long, repetitive thing. There are the rules, which you can read everywhere on blogs, and there is the reality of daily practice.

Neil Patel, a angel investor did a test comparing two pages of his website. First, the home page, containing 1292 words, and a second with only 488 words. The latter generated more leads than the former, despite the lack of content. The reason is quite simple: the content on this page answers common consumer questions. He addressed their concerns, even before they purchased the product. The word count of your articles isn’t the only determining factor!

In-depth articles… without hitting rock bottom!

Ok then, courted for a long time ? If you can write 2000 word articles well, do it! If you write 500 word articles perfectly, then also well done and excel in your writing. Focus only on quality each time and try to write a slightly longer and more in-depth article every now and then, even if it means spending a little more time on it.

A quality item, what exactly is it?

First of all, on the merits, work on your topicdocument again if necessary. Don’t hesitate to add some details to your anecdotes and don’t be afraid to do so cover the topic in depth (and you’ll suddenly see your word count increase). There have been so many times when I’ve finished an article and been left wanting to know more or asking myself even more questions than before I read it! Demonstrate your expertise on the topic.

On the form, work on your style. It’s true that not all essays lend themselves to elaborate writing, but take care of your punctuation, spelling, and grammar (just don’t make too many mistakes…) We all have little gaps in this area, so re-read yourself and have them re-read if you have the opportunity.

There are many ways to increase your word count. Keep in mind that this quantity needs to be increased by adding quality and relevant and useful information. We don’t just add words!

How do you do this without it feeling forced or artificial?

You can delve deeper into your topic by answering adjacent questions or covering topics related to your main topic in a way that helps people move forward in their search for information. For example, this article which basically has to provide information: “How many words are needed to classify an article in SEO?” also gives you information on how to achieve this goal.

Here are 4 ways to find ideas for more information.

1 – See what Google suggests when you search in its search box

Have you covered all the aspects that Google’s search forecast indicates is what people are searching for?

Consider adding new material to your article to answer some of these questions. The example above shows us that if you were writing an article about ways to improve your English, it would be important to cover both spoken and written English, address the professional aspect and how to get results quickly. This way my article could answer several questions from my readers.

2 – Use the “People also ask” box for SEO

For some questions, the «More questions asked» box appears. This can provide you with additional ideas that could become additional points for your article. Since we may miss questions that people ask about our topic, this can be an interesting source.

Based on twelve million keywords selected on Google.fr, SEMRush indicates that People Also Ask appears in 3.78% of cases on smartphones and in 3.32% of cases on desktop.

3 – Always do keyword research before starting your blog

It’s a real shame to waste time writing something that no one will read, and no one wants to write more than 1500 words without being sure that it will be read by at least 100 people and will be useful in the long term to their customers. Google Adwords, Ahrefs.com, and SemRush.com are amazing tools for this.

4 – Average length of the 10 most important posts on your blog

Make sure the majority of your posts contain the recommended word count for good ranking, rather than simply producing blog posts that are too short for the sake of frequency. Why make items that no one will see in 2 years?

Do not hesitate to use old articles and enrich, deepen and update them.

To conclude, use at least 700 words and take care of your contentthe rest will follow. And you, what are your tips for enriching your articles and what length works best for you?