// Content Marketing
Word Counter for Blog Posts
Check your blog post word count and see how it compares to SEO best practices. Find out if your content is long enough to rank.
Blog post length directly affects SEO performance. Comprehensive long-form posts (1,500-2,500 words) consistently outrank thin content for competitive keywords. This word counter shows your blog post length in real-time and compares it against recommended lengths for different post types - how-to guides, listicles, news posts, and pillar pages.
Detailed Stats
Time Estimates
Blog Post Length Guidelines
Target Goal
Blog Post Length and SEO: What the Data Shows
Multiple studies consistently show that longer content earns more backlinks and ranks higher for competitive keywords. HubSpot found posts over 2,000 words receive 3x more backlinks than posts under 500 words. However, this correlation exists because comprehensive content naturally covers topics in depth - not because Google rewards word count directly. Write for complete coverage, not a target number.
Different Blog Post Types Need Different Lengths
A breaking news post should be 300-500 words - written fast, published fast. A how-to guide should be as long as the process requires, typically 1,500-3,000 words. A product comparison needs to cover all options thoroughly, usually 2,000-4,000 words. A glossary or resource page can run 5,000+ words and ranks exceptionally well. Match length to purpose, not a fixed target.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a blog post be for SEO in 2026?▾
For competitive keywords, aim for 1,500-2,500 words. Backlinko's research shows that the average first-page Google result is 1,447 words. However, length alone doesn't rank - comprehensive coverage of the topic matters more than hitting a word count.
Can short blog posts rank on Google?▾
Yes. For low-competition, informational queries, 500-800 word posts rank well if they answer the question directly and completely. Short posts also rank for news-style queries. Match length to what the top-ranking pages show for your specific keyword.
What is the ideal reading time for a blog post?▾
Most blog posts perform best at 7-minute reading time (about 1,400-1,600 words at 200 wpm). This is long enough to provide value but short enough that most readers finish. Our word counter shows your reading time automatically.
Does word count affect Core Web Vitals?▾
Indirectly. Very long pages with many images can increase page weight and affect LCP (Largest Contentful Paint). However, plain text content has minimal performance impact - 10,000 words of text adds less than 60KB to your page.
How many words per page for a blog post?▾
At standard web font sizes (16px, single-spaced paragraphs), a webpage displays approximately 250-300 words per screen. A 1,500-word post is roughly 5-6 screens of content.