The Secrets of Blog Post Length

How Long Should My Blog Posts Be?

Most beginner bloggers have a lot of questions about the do's and don'ts of blogging. There are actually very few rules for blogging and that goes for blog post length, too. The secret of blog post length is that word count is entirely up to you. The best thing to do is write passionately and try to provide meaningful, useful information. If it takes you 200 words to get your thoughts out and message across to your audience, then that's fine. It's also perfectly fine if it takes you 1,000 words.
However, there is another secret that you need to know about blog post length. Most people who read blogs don't have a lot of time or patience to read thousands of words of content. They're looking for quick access to information or entertainment. Therefore, you should try to write succinctly and use headings to break up long blocks of text. Make sure your blog posts are scannable and consider breaking posts that reach the 1,000 word mark up into a series of posts (which is also a great way to encourage people to come back to your blog again to read more).
When it comes to putting numbers to blog post length, try to keep your posts over 250 words to get better search engine optimization effects. Also, consider trying to reach a target of approximately 500 words for your blog posts. A range between 400-600 is commonly used as the length that most readers will stick to from start to finish and most writers can communicate a focused message with supporting details. Some bloggers will even target a slightly higher range of 600-800. Again, it's up to you and your readers to decide what's best for your blog.
With that guideline in mind, it's important to remember that your blog is your place in the online space. Your content and your writing should always reflect who you are and meet your audience's needs (or they won't come back for more). Word counts are provided as guidelines only. They are not rules.