It’s not that longer blog posts perform better in Google because of sheer word count. It’s what these pieces of content contain that makes the algorithm happy. You can’t just fill a 4,000-word post with fluff and expect the traffic to come pouring in.
It all comes down to quality.
Although there are times when a shorter post is all that you need to see it hit the number one spot for a search query, generally speaking, longer pieces tend to work better.
I’m not just talking about Google and other search engines, mind you. Longer posts are also more likely to get shared on social media, especially if you have relevant images in the content.
What is the Best Length for a Blog Post?
The best length for content really comes down to the type of article you’re writing. Some will work exceptionally well with fewer than a thousand words while others will drive a ton of traffic after 3,000 words.
The best length for blog content centers mostly around content type and the depth of the topic. Tutorials will do exceptionally well at 1200 words while product reviews tend to work better with more than 2200 words.
Because every site, niche, and audience is different, it’s next to impossible to guarantee what will work better for any particular blog. All the experts can do is take an average of the traffic in any certain niche.
Just remember how averages work. Half will be lower while the other half will be higher. And yes, shorter blog posts can outperform longer ones depending on how well they are structured and written.
Not to mention the impact of authority. High authoritative sites usually outperform newer ones simply because of reputation alone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t surpass them.
My client has had a few shorter articles blow past the competition in search because of how well the content was written.
There’s a lot that goes into search engine optimization than just stringing some keyphrases together and crossing your fingers. But a well-written blog post can do some amazing things for your site.
Why Do Longer Blog Posts Work Better?
Remember, in general, longer blog posts work better. However, shorter ones have been known to take over the top of search results. Keep that in mind when planning your content.
Longer doesn’t always mean better.
More Search Queries Per Topic
One of the first things you’ll notice is how longer blog posts tend to qualify for more search terms than what you’re targeting. That’s because they are usually full of information that many people want to know.
The deeper you dive into any given topic, the more likely you’ll rank for more keywords.
For example, I have a post where I demonstrate how to get the most out of the Reedsy writing app. I dive quite deep into the topic and all of the tools that are available. It’s a newer post, so it hasn’t gained the same traction as some of the others.
Anyway, in the post, I state how Reedsy doesn’t have a dark mode built-in and that you needed to install a dark mode extension on your browser. The result after seven days was that the post received more clicks on Google because of the search term, “reedsy dark mode.”
This goes to show that you can still drive traffic from even the smallest bits of information if people are looking for it. I would have never thought people were searching for a dark mode in Reedsy.
Yes, the numbers in the image above are quite low. But as I said, it’s a newer article. You usually won’t see a lot of traffic to a post until about four to six months after Google has had time to rank the page.
Google Featured Snippets
Deeper details also help boost visibility in Google snippets. Technically, the Featured Snippets has changed to encompass the AI for the search engine, yet it works similarly to Featured Snippets in the past.
These snippets are what is shown to a searcher regarding specific criteria. Unfortunately, they often don’t lead to a lot of clicks because the answer is presented to the person directly from Google. Yet, they do tend to lend a hand toward building authority and expertise.
In Search Console, these snippets are registered with a # in front of the query text.
The rank position is often higher with few impressions and very, very few clicks, if any. That is one of the things I hate most about Google’s AI answering questions. Why visit the website when the answer is presented from it right in front of you?
In any case, having many of these goes to show that you’re diving into topics and searches that interest people. If you see a lot of them in Search Console, you know you’re doing something right.
More Information for the Reader
Although you want to make the Google algorithm happy when it comes to search content, your target audience is pivotal. In fact, Google rather you write optimum content for your readers rather than try to rank in the search engine.
Depending on the topic, that means you can dive pretty deep to give readers as much information as possible. While it’s often not feasible to literally publish the length of an eBook on a topic, you can still dive pretty deep and outperform the competition.
The value you provide in your content is vastly more important than any amount of keyword research. Keyphrases and words are still important to answer questions, but you don’t want people leaving your blog unfulfilled.
In other words, you don’t want visitors to have to keep looking for the answers they’re seeking about any given topic. Try to be a one-stop shop with your content.
From entertainment to instructional, human engagement is far more valuable than search terms.
More Likely to Be Shared
Because longer posts are filled with information, they’re also more likely to be shared on social media. People are always looking to prove a point, share information with followers, or support creators by taking to sites like Facebook.
If you provide the best answers for a topic, you’ll find your content shared on sites you wouldn’t have thought. For example, I recently saw that I had a visitor come to this website from Reddit. Unfortunately, Jetpack doesn’t tell me from what part of Reddit the link comes from, but it’s kind of cool, nonetheless.
I’ve also seen visitors come from Quora, the Q&A site.
When all is said and done, word-of-mouth marketing for a blog can do some great things for your brand. It’s a level of trust within a community that helps you build authority. The more you’re trusted, the better the blog post appears in social media and Google search.
Now, if you were to write a longer blog post and cite a variety of trusted statistics, it could go a long way for sharing. Of course, it also depends on the niche of your site. But a good rule of thumb is to always cite your sources with links.
More Likely to Get Backlinks
High-quality blog posts with well-written answers also gain more backlinks. This is especially true if you’re citing statistical information or have a wealth of knowledge in the post.
A 3,500-word blog post will have more information available than a 1,200-word article. Well, at least it should, anyway.
Posts with more imagery also tend to gather more backlinks as it improves the overall quality of the content.
Backlinks are important as they act as a kind of “vote” for the quality of your site. The more quality backlinks you get, the more Google thinks people are voting for your content.
This is another aspect that greatly influences authority, which is why so many people put effort into a strong backlink strategy.
It’s also worth pointing out that “ultimate guides” often get more backlinks due to the sheer volume of information presented. All you’ll have to worry about is outwriting the competition and spending a great deal of time putting the information together.
My Top 5 Articles and Their Lengths
The top five articles on this website make up 33% of all traffic. Bear in mind that I currently have 856 published posts, and not all of them are stellar in terms of quality.
The list is made up of two reviews, two listicles, and a how-to post. This is because there are certain content types that simply perform better than others.
Reviews and listicles typically do well if there are at least 2,000 words worth of information. In fact, the top-performing article on the site right now has 2,280 words and is a list of the best beginner writing apps.
The flip side of the coin, however, is that the tutorial (which is the fourth most popular post) only has 1,254 words. That’s because there are only so many ways you can enable dark mode in Wattpad. So, it’s obviously going to be shorter, and that’s key.
Some of the tutorials of my clients that claimed the number one spot in search had fewer than 1200 words. That’s because the answers those articles provided were succinct and precise. This goes to show that not all articles need to have 3000+ words in order to drive traffic.
12 Tips for Writing Longer Blog Posts
To write longer content, it takes more than just slapping words into a sentence. You’re not necessarily aiming for a specific word count, but you need it longer to share the information properly.
So, what can you do to help fill out those word counts that everyone seems to be talking about?
- Combine a lot of information into one source.
- Check out the competition and make your post better.
- Answer as many search questions as possible within the topic.
- Cite statistical and factual information with links to reinforce the point.
- Keep all the writing relevant to the topic.
- Outline the post; it’ll help you come up with ideas.
- Don’t use redundant sentences throughout the post.
- Don’t fill the post with fluff and filler. Every sentence needs a purpose.
- Update older content with new information.
- Don’t try to force the word count. If the topic is thin, then the topic is thin.
- Use plenty of bullet points and headers to help make the content flow better.
- An image is worth a thousand words, but make sure they’re relevant to the topic.
Yes, longer blog posts will take longer to write. However, the tradeoff in traffic is worth the time, especially if you’re using affiliate links or other monetization methods. More people equals more money.
At the end of the day, you want to put your best foot forward and deliver the most authoritative information for both humans and search engine crawlers.
Tracking Your Own Blog
If you want to rank well in Google, there is probably no better tool than Search Console. From here, you can ensure your posts are being indexed while getting an overview of their performance.
Search Console includes elements like:
- Total Clicks
The number of clicks Google has detected for your content. - Total Impressions
How often your posts are seen in the search engine. - Average CTR
The click-through rate is how often your content is viewed vs actual clicks. - Average Position
This is the average position of your content in search. The lower the number, the better. - Queries
The terms people used that caused your content to show. - Pages
The list of pages from your website that are indexed by Google.
By keeping an eye on the performance of your pages, you can see whether the longer content is working for you or not. You can also discover a list of articles you might want to update if they aren’t shown in the top 10.
Of course, there can be a variety of reasons why a longer post doesn’t show on the first page of Google. Competing articles could have a stronger E-E-A-T rating in Google, better backlinks, greater reputation, etc.
Just because you write a 3,800-word masterpiece doesn’t necessarily mean Google will show it in search. Length is but a single cog in the machine that is SEO.
Nonetheless, data from tools like Search Console and Analytics can help you write better and longer content. It all really depends on the topic and how deep you can dive.
Never underestimate the value of actionable data.
FAQs About Longer Blog Posts
If you’re aiming to get on the first page of Google, then generally speaking, no. However, some topics don’t have a lot to discuss and can be covered using fewer words.
The amount of time it takes to write 2,000 words depends on typing skill, research, knowledge of the topic, and imagery usage. Some people can write 2,000 words in less than two hours while others can take six hours.
There is no maximum length when it comes to blog content. However, too long of a post could make some readers intimidated. Keep in mind the best-performing articles in Google range between 1,000 and 2,500 words.
According to studies, a typical blog post can generate a decent amount of traffic for roughly two years. However, updates to that post can keep it relevant for much longer.
Blogging is still alive and well today. However, methods to market and present information have changed over the years. Not to mention how competition is constantly increasing every day in every niche. Blogging successfully is just more difficult than it was in the past.
Although there are some who have generated more than $10,000 per month blogging, the majority of creators won’t even make $100 in a year. It takes a lot of work, understanding your audience, and exceptionally high-quality content.
Outline the article in which you want to write. Add sections that dive into the topic, discuss the W’s (who, what, where, why), and highlight the important elements. An outline will act as a guidepost for the amount of content you want to put into an article.
Writing Longer Blog Posts Help Everyone
Writing a longer blog post puts more information in front of your readers while giving Google something more to crawl. However, length doesn’t always mean success. There are too many variables at play to guarantee any length will be perfect for your site.
This is especially true when you take into consideration Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (EEAT).
Instead, write your content and keep an eye on the stats in Search Console. Compare the numbers to the length of your posts and see if there is any way you can add more high-quality meat to the plate.
Perhaps the most important piece of information I can give you is to focus on your audience first. Give them the answers and information of which they’re seeking. The more you relate to them, the happier you make Google.
By the way, this post is 2,572 words when published. Let’s check it in six months to see how well it performs.
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