Paste your draft above to track word count, reading time, and structure as you write toward your target length.
How Long Should a Blog Post Be?
| Post type | Typical length |
|---|---|
| News / updates | 300–600 words |
| Standard how-to post | 1,000–1,500 words |
| Competitive SEO topics | 1,500–2,500 words |
| Pillar / ultimate guides | 3,000+ words |
| Listicles | 1,000–2,000 words |
Guidelines reviewed as of July 2026.
Length Follows Intent, Not the Other Way Around
Long posts tend to rank for competitive terms because they cover the topic completely — not because Google counts words. A 600-word post that fully answers “how to reset a router” beats a padded 2,500-word version. Check what currently ranks for your keyword: matching the depth of the top results is the real target, and the ranges above are where those results usually land.
Hitting Your Target Without Padding
- Under target? Add missing subtopics (FAQs, examples, data), not adjectives.
- Over target? Cut throat-clearing intros — most posts can lose their first two paragraphs.
- Watch reading time (shown above): 7+ minutes demands a table of contents and scannable headers.
- Aim for one idea per paragraph — average paragraph length matters more to readers than total length.
Does word count affect SEO directly?
No — Google has repeatedly confirmed word count is not a ranking factor. Depth of coverage is what correlates with rankings, and depth usually takes words.
Should I add words just to reach a target count?
No — padding is the fastest way to lose readers and rankings. Word count targets describe how much depth a topic usually needs, not a quota. If you have fully answered the searcher's question at 800 words, publish at 800 words.