How Many Words Should a Blog Post Be?
7 min read · Updated July 2026
In this article
The short answer
For most SEO-driven blog posts, somewhere between 1,000 and 1,800 words works well. That's a starting point, not a rule — some good answers take 400 words, and some genuinely need 3,000. The number itself was never the goal; it's a rough signal that you've covered the topic with enough depth to be useful.
Why the "right" length varies by topic
Search intent drives length more than any style guide does. Someone searching "what time zone is Tokyo in" wants one sentence, not 1,200 words of padding around it. Someone searching "how to plan a two-week trip to Japan" is expecting an itinerary-level answer, and a 400-word post won't satisfy that.
Before writing, look at what's already ranking for your target keyword. If the top results are short, direct answers, matching that length usually serves the reader better than padding it out. If the top results are long, structured guides, that's a signal the topic needs room to be covered properly.
How to decide length for your post
A practical process: list every sub-question a reader would reasonably have about your topic, write a section that actually answers each one, then check the total. If you hit 900 words after covering everything genuinely useful, stop at 900. If you're at 600 words and clearly haven't answered the obvious follow-up questions, that's the gap to fill — not a cue to add filler sentences.
This is also where a word counter is useful mid-draft: not as a target to hit, but as a check against padding. If your word count is climbing but your outline hasn't grown, that's usually restating the same point in different words.
Typical length by content type
- Quick-answer posts (definitions, conversions, single facts): 300-600 words.
- Standard how-to or listicle posts: 1,000-1,800 words.
- Comprehensive guides or comparisons: 2,000-3,500 words.
- Pillar pages covering an entire topic: 3,500+ words, often broken into linked sub-pages.
The most common mistake
Writers who fixate on a target word count tend to pad the introduction, restate the same point three different ways, or add a generic "in conclusion" section that repeats everything already said. All three hurt the reader's experience and, indirectly, how the page performs — readers who bounce quickly because content feels padded are a worse signal than a shorter, denser post that answers the question and stops.
FAQ
Does Google have a minimum or maximum word count?
No official minimum or maximum exists. Google's own guidance focuses on whether content is helpful and satisfies the searcher's intent, not a specific word count.
Can a short post outrank a long one?
Yes, regularly. A concise, accurate answer to a quick-answer query commonly outranks a padded long-form post targeting the same term.
How do I check my draft's word count as I write?
Paste your draft into the WordCountPro word counter to see a live count, plus a readability score and reading-time estimate as you edit.