What is the optimal word count for a blog?

Wondering what the word count should be on your next blog? Turns out you aren't the only one with that question. The answer isn't as cut and dried as you might have hoped, but there is some good data out there and I've outlined a few guidelines. 

• The ideal length of a blog post is 7 minutes or 1,600 words. – Medium Data Lab
• Posts between 1,800 and 3,000 words attract 15 times more links back to your page from other domains. - Moz
• Longer content tends to rank higher in Google’s search results. The average Google first-page result contains 1,890 words. - Backlinko
• Posts of at least 1,500 words earn the best SEO, social sharing, and engagement results. – Neil Patel

Want more comments on your blog? Try writing short, discussion-based posts no longer than 275 words long.

Want more shares on social media? Aim for medium length blog posts, between 600 to 1,250 words.

Want more traffic from Google? Write longer, heavily researched posts 2,450 words long.

Here’s a cheat-sheet I put together to keep in mind as you press on in your blogging endeavors.

• 75-300 words. Super-short posts are best for generating discussion. They rarely get many shares on social media, and they’re horrible for SEO, but if you want a lot of comments, write short posts!

• 300-600 words. The standard blogging length, recommended by many “expert” bloggers. Good middle-ground for social shares and comments. Too short to gain much authority or search engine-love.
• 750 words. This is the standard length for professional journalism, especially newspapers. I find that it’s pretty good for getting links from other bloggers and shares on social media.
• 1000-1500 words. You’ll get fewer comments at this length but a lot more shares on social media, especially if you’ve followed the advice above and written a post that actually solves someone’s problem. That being said, I’ve written posts this long and gotten 100+ comments, so it really depends on the topic and your audience.
• 2,450 words. The highest ranking articles on Google are most often 2,450 words. If you want to rank well on search engines (and thus get thousands of new readers per month), this is the best length to write. However, make sure you write about a topic that people are actually searching for. It would be a shame two write a book-length blog post on a topic no one ever searches for!

If your eyes are glazing over from too many numbers, just remember this: 

Longer is usually better for social shares and SEO, whereas shorter is usually better for engagement or getting more comments.

And be sure to check out our blog on why content is more about quality than quantity. Sticking to a word count can be a good strategy, but if your content isn't relevant or exciting to your audience you won't be getting the results you are seeking.