5 Ways to Determine the Perfect Word Count for Your Blog Article

Determining the ideal word count for your blog article can be done by using paid SEO tools such as SurferSEO or Clearscope, by checking the articles currently ranking on the first page, or simply based on how comprehensive you want your article to be.  

There’s no one answer for the perfect word count for a blog article. It depends on your audience, your purpose, and your style. However, there are some general guidelines you can follow to help you determine the best length for your particular blog post.

This post provides insights into determining the perfect word count for your blog article.

Read also: Determining the Fair Cost: How Much to Pay a Writer for an Article

Let’s dive right in!

1. Check the articles currently ranking on the first page

A great way to determine the word count for your next blog post is to check the articles currently ranking on page one of the search engines. Doing this ensures that your blog post is the same length or longer than the competition. This will help you rank higher in the search engines and attract more traffic to your website.

There are some things to remember when checking the word count of articles currently ranking on page one. The first is that the word count will vary depending on the topic. For example, a post about a specific product will likely be shorter than a post discussing a more general topic.

Secondly, the word count will also depend on your target keywords. You’ll need to write longer posts to rank well if you’re targeting highly competitive keywords. Finally, keep in mind that the word count is one of many factors determining how well your article will rank.

Other factors, such as keyword density, title length, and social engagement, will also play a role. 

2. The manual method

This method requires you to type your desired keyword into Google to see which articles rank on page one. Next, take a sample of the articles and put them into an online editor like WordCounter.net to determine the word count. WordCounter.net is a simple yet effective tool for determining the number of words in your blog post.

Enter the text of your post into the WordCounter.net box, and it will provide you with an accurate word count. This can be useful when determining how long your post should be or if you’re aiming for a specific word count goal.

Here’s how it works:

• Go to WordCounter.net
•  Copy and paste your blog post into the box labeled “Text.”
• Click on the button that says “Count Words.”
• The word count will appear underneath the text box.

3. Understand the reader’s search intent

Understanding the reader’s search intent can help determine your blog post’s ideal word count. What are they looking for when they click on your article? A shorter post will suffice if they’re looking for a quick answer to a question. But a longer post will be necessary if they’re looking for in-depth information on a topic.

Once you know the reader’s intent, you can start to determine an ideal word count. For a quick answer, aim for around 500 words. For something more in-depth, try to hit at least 1,000 words. And if you want to go deep on a topic, 2,000 words or more is necessary.

Keep in mind that these are just guidelines. There’s no hard and fast rule for how long your blog post should be. The important thing is that you give the reader what they’re looking for, whether a quick answer or an in-depth exploration of a topic.

4. Using a paid SEO tool

If you want to improve your blog’s search engine optimization (SEO), then you know that keyword research is essential. And one of the best ways to do keyword research is to use a paid SEO tool. It will save you time and help you improve your blog’s traffic.

SurferSEO

When using SurferSEO to determine the word count for your blog post, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, you’ll want to ensure that you include the focus keyword in the title and throughout the post. The focus keyword should be included in the first 100 words of the post and in the last 100 words.

In addition, you’ll want to ensure that you’re using variations of the focus keyword throughout the post. This includes using singular and plural forms of the keyword and synonyms.

Finally, you’ll want to ensure that your post is within the optimal word count range. For most blogs, this is between 600-1200 words. However, you should adjust this based on your blog’s needs.

KeySearch

Keysearch is a keyword research tool that allows you to enter a seed keyword and generate a list of related keywords. It also reveals the monthly search volume for each keyword and the competition level.

To use Keysearch to determine the ideal word count for your blog post, enter your seed keyword and then sort the results by competition. The keywords with the lowest competition are usually the most searched for and have the highest monthly search volume.

Once you’ve determined which keywords to target, you can then use those keywords to determine the ideal word count for your blog post. For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “dog training,” you’ll want to aim for a word count of around 2,500 words.

If you’re targeting a more competitive keyword like “puppy training,” you may need to increase your word count to 3,000 or more to rank higher in Google.

Ultimately, the goal is to include your target keywords as often as possible without compromising the quality of your content. Using KeySearch, you can easily find the ideal word count for your blog post and ensure that your content is optimized for both Google and your readers.

Clearscope

Clearscope is a free keyword research tool that lets you see how easy it would be to rank for a given keyword.

To use Clearscope, enter a keyword into the search bar and select your desired country and language. Then, scroll down to the “Search Difficulty” section and take note of the number next to “Difficulty.”

The higher the number, the more difficult it will be to rank for that keyword. Therefore, you should write a longer blog post to have a chance of ranking for a highly competitive keyword.

Of course, this is just one factor to consider when determining the ideal word count for your blog post. Ultimately, you’ll also need to consider things like your target audience and the overall purpose of the post.

MarketMuse

MarketMuse can help you determine an ideal range for your particular topic if you’re wondering how long your blog post should be.

To get started, enter your topic into the MarketMuse tool and let it analyze your content. In the results, you’ll see a “Recommended Word Count” range. This is the ideal length for your blog post, based on MarketMuse’s similar content analysis.

Of course, you don’t have to adhere to this range strictly. Maybe you have more (or less) to say on your chosen topic. However, using MarketMuse as a guide will help ensure that your blog post is the ideal length for search engines and readers.

5. The perfect word count depends on how comprehensive your post is

The ideal word count for your blog post depends on how deep you want to delve into a specific topic. If you’re giving a quick update, a few hundred words may be all you need. But if you’re providing in-depth analysis or covering a complex topic, you will need more.

To determine the right length for your particular blog post, start by thinking about what you want to achieve with the post. Are you trying to inform readers? Engage them in a discussion? Drive traffic to your website? Once you know your goal, you can better determine how many words are necessary to accomplish the job.

If unsure, try this simple test: read your blog post aloud. If it requires more than a few minutes, it needs to be shorter. Readers have limited attention spans, so it’s essential to make your point quickly and concisely.

Of course, there’s always an exception to the rule. Some topics require more explanation, and longer blog posts can be effective in these cases. But in general, shorter is better when it comes to blogging. So if you’re wondering how many words should be in a blog post, the answer is: as few as possible to get your point across.

Conclusion

The length of a blog post is important because it signals to Google the importance of your content. It also gives you more opportunities to include your target keywords, which helps with SEO.

To determine the perfect length for your blog article, check the articles currently ranking on the first page, determine how comprehensive your article will be, and analyze search intent. You can also use a paid SEO tool such as SurferSEO, KeySearch, Clearscope, and more.

There’s no one size fits all method for determining the ideal length of a post. The perfect word count should give you enough space to write a comprehensive article without overwhelming your readers.

Check out Redakthor Content Marketing for more tips on blog writing.