Clients often ask me how long should a blog post be for SEO? And while it varies based on the competition you’re up against, the more high-quality content within a post, the better.
The weekly blog post might be losing its effectiveness. Long-form content is king and is the main way that websites are winning at SEO.
For weekly blog content to really work for you, companies need to put in lots of distribution effort. This means sending out weekly emails with the blog content, posting to social media and social media groups, and looking for online forums with questions related to the blog topic.
In short, blog distribution is no easy task. You cannot expect hundreds and thousands of people to organically find your content. You’ll need to put in the work.
But small teams and solopreneurs don’t have that kind of time. That’s when you should be focusing on quality over quantity.
Are Longer Blogs Better for SEO? Monthly Long-form Blogging is Popular
I focus my digital marketing business heavily on SEO blog writing. And yet, if you scroll through my website blog posts, you’ll notice I only publish once per month.
The tough reality is, ranking for SEO is hard, takes several months and lots of online clout. Plus, my business is a one-woman show. So instead, I focus on quality.
My industry is also very cluttered. There is another SEO blogger across the street and two houses down from me in my neighborhood. That’s not to mention the hundreds of others working in this field within a 20-mile radius of me.
I know I’m far from unique. So instead, I work to build my network the old-fashioned way – slow one-on-one outreach and nurturing through regular interactions.
I can show what I know through my monthly long-form blog post distribution.
Here’s a look at the benefits I see from this strategy.
- Limited monthly time commitment so I can focus on my clients and growing my business
- Higher views per blog, which increases each blog’s SEO value and potential to rank
- Good, quality content that actually brings in leads and inquiries to develop my business
- Time to create relevant and interesting blog topics instead of feeling rushed each week
- A competitive edge over those who don’t blog at all
Benefits of Publishing Short-form Weekly Blog Articles
I’ve never met a small business owner who wasn’t crazy passionate about what they do. And because of that, they’re eager. Publishing weekly seems like the best thing for their business. After all, they have so many ideas to write about and explain to their customers.
They start weekly blogging with so much excitement. But within three months or so, that wears off. They run out of good blog topics and the weekly blog is just another thing on their to-do list.
Thus, comes the flaw in the process. Because the blog is no longer their passion, they become lax on completing the distribution tasks related to it. Instead of posting it everywhere weekly, they just publish it and hope for the best as far as SEO reach.
When done well, a weekly blog post still has many benefits. But it takes tons of work. Here’s a look at the benefits you can experience from a weekly blog post.
- Regular social media interactions through posting your helpful articles on your page and within relevant industry groups
- Staying top-of-mind on platforms like LinkedIn because of regular quality content posts
- Greater SEO value if executed with a strong and effective strategy and no keyword duplication from post-to-post
How Long Should a Blog Be for SEO?
Now for the answer to the big question. Just how long does a blog post need to be to rank well for SEO? At a minimum, you should be writing 800 words of quality content. But in many industries, you’ll need to stretch that to 1,200 words or even 2,000 words. Search Engine Journal notes that the ideal blog post length is 2,100 to 2,400 words.
That doesn’t mean just mindlessly typing or being as verbose as possible. You need that content to be incredible relevant and valuable for it to truly pay off. So if you can’t write this type of high-quality content, don’t expect big results. It’s best to hire a writer who can aid you in this process. And if you can only publish that type of in-depth copy once a month, that will likely yield better results than publishing shorter content with greater frequency.
Hiring a Freelance SEO Blog Writer
If you’ve made it this far in the blog and still don’t know whether you should publish weekly, monthly or something in between, it’s time for some expert advice. A freelance SEO blog writer can provide insights and tips to guide you in your blogging strategy next steps.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about our expertise and insights.
Blog Length FAQs
Get insights into blog length and blog frequency from these commonly asked questions.
How Long Should a Blog Post Be for Good SEO
The optimal length for a blog post that is targeted for SEO is 2,100-2,400 words. However, it depends on the subject matter and what competition exists.
Are Longer Posts Better for SEO?
Yes, longer posts are better for SEO, but only if they have high-quality content. You can’t just fill an article with pointless information or rambling and expect that you’ll rank better.
Is 1,000 Words Long Enough for SEO?
1,000 words is a good place to start when drafting content for SEO. However, this is the baseline, which means your competitors are likely drafting content of this length, making it more beneficial to get close to 2,000 words if you can.