There’s a lot of confusion about the ideal blog post length. Some say over 2000 words, while others say anywhere between 500 and 1500 words is the best for SEO. The question that keeps popping up as a result is how long should a blog post be in 2026?
The reality is that there’s no set rule about blog post length. It’s all about the purpose of the blog post and how it best responds to search intent.
However, there are some blog post word count best practices that you can follow. As a beginner blogger, you want to know how to write a blog post that will actually have a chance of ranking in search results.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what length works, in which contexts, and why you need to focus on it. We’ll explore the best blog post length for SEO.
When you’re writing blog posts, you’ll now know what the best blog post length is for your content!
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The Short Answer: Blog Post Length Still Depends on Purpose
The reality is that there is no single ideal blog post word count.
In 2025, a study found that most bloggers publish blog posts with an average of 1,333 words.
You can have a great blog post that answers a reader’s question in 500 words and ranks well in search results.
Or you can have one that’s over 1000 words that’s stuffed full of “fluff” filler. It may be a complete dud with your readers and search engines alike.
Blog post length depends on:
- Search intent. This is the goal of the reader when they’re searching for something
- Topic complexity. Some topics are easy to explain, while others need more information.
- Reader expectations. What they expect to experience once they click on your blog post.
The ideal length of a blog post depends on search intent and topic depth, not a fixed word count.
PRO TIP: Before I start writing a blog post, I always ask myself, what do I need to share information-wise to best answer the question. Is it a step-by-step tutorial that’s short? Or should it be a guide? How to set up permalinks on WordPress is a short “how-to” post versus a “How do I start a blog” long guide.
Recommended Blog Post Lengths by Type (2026 Guidelines)
Let’s look at ideal blog post lengths based on the different types of blog posts:
Short-Form Blog Posts (600–1,000 words)
These are best for:
- Announcements
- Personal updates
- Opinion pieces
- Simple how-to answers
Short-form blog posts work best when they are coming from specific types of audiences that either already love your work or you’ve caught their eye with something interesting in a post.
These posts do well with:
- Email newsletters. Share your short-form blog post links with your readers who want quick insights from you. You don’t have to prove yourself to them. They just want to hear the core information from you.
- Loyal audiences. They keep coming back to your website to read the latest blog content or learn something new from you. They already love your work. Keep it short and to the point for them — no long-winded content.
- Social media posts. Capture the interest of somebody scrolling with an interesting fact that leads them to click to learn more. These can be short to medium-length blog posts that expand on the topic.
Medium-Length Blog Posts (1,200–1,800 words)
These are best for:
- Tutorials
- List posts
- Beginner guides
This length in these blog posts works because they are:
- Easier to scan
- Faster to publish
- Often great for Pinterest traffic
Long-Form Blog Posts (2,000–3,000+ words)
Longer blog posts are best for:
- Evergreen guides
- Cornerstones for SEO purposes
- Topics with high competition
These long-form blog posts are still important in 2026 for several reasons:
- Demonstrate topical authority
- More internal linking opportunities
- Higher likelihood of being cited by AI tools
Sometimes it’s inevitable: you’ll need to write a longer post to answer a question properly. Don’t shy away from longer blog posts. They can take a lot longer to write and format, but they can make you shine as a niche expert.
TIP: The latest 2025 blogger study shows that blog posts with over 2000 words still do better than those which are shorter. However, this may be changing as algorithms change.
How AI Search Is Changing Blog Length
AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and others prefer succinct content, to the point and easy to scan through.
It likes:
- Short sentences
- Short paragraphs
- Skimmable lists (like this one)
- Content that gets to the answer quickly
It likes clarity over fluff.
However, the issue is that if you write like this, you end up sounding like AI. There’s a fine balance between providing the insights and adding in a bit of your personal brand and tone of voice.
Well-structured blog posts are more important than those that are padded with too much extra information.
Does Blog Post Length Affect SEO?
The short answer is not directly.
Word count alone is not a ranking factor. Shorter blog posts can outrank longer ones.
However, blog post length can affect SEO indirectly. Longer content means you can answer the question more in-depth, with related questions, and show your topical authority.
Here’s how blog post length affects SEO:
- Better search intent coverage. Longer posts can answer multiple related questions and cover a topic more comprehensively.
- Stronger topical authority. In-depth content signals expertise and builds trust with both readers and search engines.
- More natural keyword variation. Extended content gives you room to include semantic and long-tail keywords organically.
- Improved internal linking opportunities. More sections create strategic places to link to cornerstone and related posts.
- Higher engagement potential. When structured well, longer posts can increase your site visitors’ time on the page and scroll depth.
- More AI extractable insights. In the AI-search era, structured, in-depth content gives search platforms more context to pull from.
How to Decide the Right Blog Post Length for Content
Every piece of content you publish will have a different blog post length. It all depends on what kind of blog post it is, its purpose and other key factors.
Let’s walk through a simple list of questions you need to ask before choosing your blog post word count:
- What question is the reader asking? What are they expecting length-wise?
- Can I write the answer to the problem succinctly, or does it need more information?
- How competitive is the topic?
- Is this post meant to rank, convert, or support another post?
- What kind of blog post is it going to be? Simple how-to? Evergreen cornerstone post?
These questions help you determine the length.
Related: How To Create A Blog Post Outline
Common Mistakes Bloggers Make About Word Count
While it’s easy to get caught up in your blog post length, it’s important to remember two things: answer the question well, and remember to write for your reader.
Common mistakes bloggers make:
- Writing long posts that go off on tangents or are padded with content that’s not relevant.
- Cutting posts short just to publish faster. Quantity is not always good. Quality is important.
- Ignoring the reader experience over SEO.
PRO TIP: Read your blog post out loud. If it sounds long-winded, chances are it may be too long. Edit out the fluff.
How Long Should a Blog Post Be? Focus On Value, Not Word Count
Ultimately, word count doesn’t really matter as much as the quality of your content. While longer (2,000+ word) blog posts currently seem to be doing better, as the algorithm evolves, shorter ones may become better.
Focus on effectively sharing insights, thoughts or answers to questions your readers have.
- Be confident in your writing, no matter its length
- Explore different types of blog posts
- Write intentionally with a goal in mind: what are you solving with your blog post? How are you helping your reader?
Bookmark this blog post to keep it handy when you need a reminder about blog post length.
Read more about blog post writing tips.
Looking for great blog writing tools and resources?
- For blog post ideas with keywords that rank: RankIQ.
- Affordable, time-saving online photo editor: Pixlr
- A list of the best stock photo sites for great visuals
QUESTION: What is your ideal blog post length?
Great post! It’s really informative. I’ve bookmarked it so I can easily come back to it whenever I need a quick reference.