Tips for the Perfect Blog Post Length Your Readers Want

Since I started blogging, I’ve always preferred long-form content. Out of over 200 posts, only a handful have been under 2000 words.

Why? SEO, for one. When I started blogging, I followed the popular advice to write posts between 2,250 and 2,500 words.

The main reason, though, was that I wanted my readers to feel satisfied when they found my blog—no more googling after that. I made sure to answer any related questions my readers might have as well, and the 2,000-word mark was my personal quality standard to ensure my posts overdelivered.

This strategy worked for me in the past and still works for some. However, I’ve realized that quality isn’t about word count, so I’m shifting my focus to what really matters.

I’ll do both long-form and short-form content now—whatever makes my readers enjoy reading.

If you want to keep your readers satisfied and engaged with your blog post, you need to understand why I stopped focusing on word count, which I explain in this post.

I’ve also included some actionable tips to make it worth your time.

The Perfect Blog Post Length

Part of my blogging strategy now is focusing on my readers’ experience. Instead of cramming thousands of words into one post to cover everything and add extra topics, I’ll keep my posts at a reasonable and meaningful length.

In other words, I’ll write blog posts that are just long enough to achieve their main goal—whether it’s teaching a skill, solving a problem, entertaining, inspiring, telling a story, or delivering on what was promised in the introduction. The length will also be appropriate for the topic being discussed.

Think of it like a meal that’s the perfect size to fill you up, but not so big that you’re left with leftovers.

So, if a topic only needs 500 words, I’ll keep the post that short. For example, sharing an opinion or telling a quick story.

But if the topic is more important and needs more details, I won’t hesitate to write a 5,000+ word post. For instance, when teaching a skill, sharing a case study, or creating a 10-day itinerary.

Having Trouble with the Post Length? Here’s a Tip.

Click to read the tip

I know, I know… we all have those readers who want to learn more, explore related topics, or understand terms mentioned in the post.

In the past, I’d satisfy them by adding answers to their possible questions right after the main topic. Sometimes, I’d even insert paragraphs into the main content to briefly touch on related topics.

But now that I’m focused on keeping posts at a meaningful length, I don’t do that anymore. Instead, I’ll answer related questions in a separate blog post where I can go into more detail and give my readers even more value. Of course, that new post is linked to the main one.

Actually, this approach is a great opportunity for us bloggers. It lets us create more content and gives readers a reason to keep coming back for more.

Why the Perfect Blog Post Length Matters to Readers:

Now, you might be wondering how writing to a meaningful length can improve the reading experience. Let me explain the benefits of keeping blog posts at a meaningful length for readers.

1. It Prevents Readers from Getting Overwhelmed

First, a blog post with a meaningful length won’t overwhelm the reader. What do I mean?

Let me ask you this: Have you ever come across a blog post where the scroll bar gets so small it looks like a tiny line? I have, and it’s often made me think, “Come on, am I going to be reading this forever?” (A tiny scroll bar usually means the post is super long.)

I can understand if the post is a complete guide, but if it’s just supposed to answer one question and it’s that long, I’ll usually bounce.

On the other hand, if I see a post that’s easy to read or has a meaningful length, there’s a good chance I’ll read it all the way through. Why? Because I feel like I can quickly find the answers I’m looking for without having to sift through a bunch of fluff.

2. Readers Won’t Feel Frustrated

Second, a blog post with a reasonable length won’t frustrate the reader. It is because…

These kinds of posts focus only on the important information, keeping readers satisfied the whole time.

For example, imagine you’re reading a blog post about exploring Hanoi’s Old Quarter at night, and it only includes details about attractions open at night or special events happening then.

There’s no “where to stay” section that takes 5 scrolls to skip, and no “why you need travel insurance” section that takes another 3 scrolls to get past. Imagine how satisfying and convenient that would be!

Honestly, this is something I need to improve in my old blog posts.

3. Engagement Boost and More Opportunities for Readers

Third, a blog post with the right length gives readers the chance to discover more topics. How?

When a post is too long and filled with unrelated stuff or fluff, readers tend to disengage. They’ll just scroll past paragraphs with links to other posts and go straight to the parts that interest them. Sometimes, they even use CTRL+F to search for specific terms.

This reduces the chances of them stumbling upon interesting blog posts linked in the paragraphs they skipped.

Yep, I’m describing myself here—I’m one of those readers who scrolls past paragraphs with links when there’s too much fluff.

Tips for Keeping Your Blog Post the Right Length

I usually ask myself one question to help figure out the right length for a blog post: Is this the length readers expect after skimming the content?

If the answer is yes, awesome! Move on to the next step in the pre-publish checklist.
If not, here’s what I’ll do: I’ll ask myself another question.
- Is the article too short? Double-check to see if it meets the goals of the post. If it does, there’s nothing to change, but it might help to link to related topics.
- Is the article too long? Here’s what to do:
  - Move other parts of the article to a new post and link them. If there are sections that can fit into collapsible blocks like WordPress details, accordion, drop-downs, or FAQ blocks, go ahead and do that. These sections should stay in the current post since they’re too short to stand alone in a new one.
  - Also, get rid of any redundant parts, like too many examples. Cut out unnecessary words—those fluffy ones. Shorten the sentences, but be careful not to take away the personality, branding, or authentic vibe.

Final Thoughts

Figuring out the perfect length isn’t easy, especially when we think about our audience or readers.

There’s a lot to consider, like their age (younger people usually have shorter attention spans), the devices they use, and even when they typically read. We’d have to test different lengths to see what works best, which means trial and error.

For me, I’m figuring it out using different metrics from various analytics tools.

I look at things like time on page (from Google Analytics) versus reading time (from my word processor) to see if readers are finishing the content.

I also use Microsoft Clarity to track how my audience interacts with my site, including whether they make it to the end of my posts.

Anyhow, the blog post length is just one thing I check before publishing to make sure my post is high-quality and something my readers will enjoy.

There are a few other things I consider, and you can see them on my 10-step pre-publish checklist. I designed it to help me reach my goal of building a community and turning readers into loyal followers.

Check it out if that’s your goal too!

This post is a resource for Explore to Thrive’s Interactive Pre-Publish Checklist for Blog Posts. Take a look!