One of the most common questions we get asked is: How long should my blog article be for SEO?
The short answer: It depends.
The long answer: It depends on the topic, your audience, and where you want your content to appear (search engines or answer engines).
It’s tempting to chase word counts. You’ve probably seen businesses pushing 2,000+ word articles, believing that longer equals better. That strategy may have worked in the early days of SEO, but we’re now operating in an era where Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is reshaping how content is discovered and consumed.
Let’s break down how word count impacts both engagement and searchability, and what that means for your content marketing strategy.
Content Length vs. Engagement Rate
In our internal analysis of 100 blog articles, we found that pieces between 600 and 900 words consistently achieved the highest average time on site. That sweet spot seems to offer the right balance: it’s long enough to deliver meaningful value but short enough to keep attention. It might also help that shorter articles are easier to skim and determine whether an article is manageable to read.
In the same analysis, we found that articles under 500 words may have been too thin, leaving readers with more questions than answers, while articles over 1,200 words had higher bounce rates even when broken up with images and visuals.
So what does this all mean?
Target 600 – 900 words:
- Great for storytelling and keeping readers engaged.
- Allows room to explain, not ramble.
- It’s ideal for modern audiences who expect clarity, speed, and authority.
Why Higher Engagement Rates is Important – Boosts Conversion
Engagement time on site and conversions must go hand in hand. A user who stays on your site for 30+ seconds is far more likely to convert than one who bounces after 5.
How does this relate to content length? Content that’s long enough to engage, but not overwhelming, gives readers a reason to trust you. The longer they stay, the more chances you have to capture more of their attention and to guide them toward a desired action (e.g., signing up, contacting you, or making a purchase).
A strong content marketing strategy isn’t just about traffic; it’s about what happens after the click.
Why Short Articles Don’t Rank (Usually)
In traditional SEO, short articles (anything under 300 words) typically underperform. Why?
- Lack of depth: Search engines look for comprehensive answers. Thin content often lacks the substance needed to satisfy search intent.
- Spam risk: Short content with poor structure and few keywords can be flagged as low quality, increasing your spam score.
- Poor indexing: Because of the previous two points, these articles may never be crawled or indexed properly, especially if your site has technical issues.
That said, AEO introduces a nuance. Sometimes, short-form content can be surfaced by answer engines (like ChatGPT or Perplexity) if it’s precise, authoritative, and relevant.
If you can deliver a clear, fact-based answer in a few sentences, that content might be referenced, even if it’s not on page one of Google or other search engine results pages. That’s pretty amazing stuff and really challenges us SEO/AEO professionals to rethink content strategy.
The Common Goal of SEO and AEO: Deliver Value
Whether you’re optimizing for search engines or answer engines, your end goal should be the same: deliver meaningful, well-structured information that answers real questions.
Part of delivering value is making sure your content can be found by customers. Here’s what still matters (a lot):
- Page speed – Slow sites are penalized across the board.
- Technical SEO – Clean indexing, no duplicate content, and proper canonicalization.
- Schema markup – Help machines understand your content better.
- Authority and trust – Find quality backlinks and consistently publish reliable, helpful content.
If you’re not focusing on these technical fundamentals, your content length and quality won’t matter because it won’t rank.
Optimize According to Your Customer’s Perspective
Search and answer engines say the same thing: write content designed for your customers and not for search engines. Know what your buyers are looking for:
- A direct answer to their question – AEO will satisfy this need.
- A quick overview of a complex topic – AI Snippet will satisfy this need.
- A reason to trust your expertise – SEO and social proofing will satisfy this need.
Especially in the age of AEO, customers expect speed, clarity, and purpose. This is even more true for younger, digitally-native audiences who expect answers fast and aren’t afraid to bounce if they don’t get them quickly. That’s why users of AEO like Copilot are 34% more likely to be between the ages of 16 and 24.
So, when strategizing and developing your content marketing, ask yourself:
- What is your customer trying to achieve and what questions are they going to ask?
- Can I answer their questions in 600–900 words or fewer?
- If not, should I break it into multiple, focused articles?
The key to creating content that ranks and converts is to think like your customer. Once you do, you’ll be able to publish AEO and SEO-friendly content for improved search ranking.
Bonus: Don’t Forget About Bing (Yes, Really)!
If you’re serious about SEO and AEO, don’t overlook Bing. Answer engines like ChatGPT and others often pull data from Bing’s search indexing.
If your content isn’t indexed on Bing, you’re missing out on a major media channel with over 1 billion users. Here’s how to fix that:
- Set up Bing Webmaster Tools (it’s free).
- Submit your sitemap and fix any crawl errors.
- Ensure your site structure is clean and consistent.
Your Google Search Console data is important, but if AEO is part of your strategy, you’ll want to pay just as much attention to Bing indexing.
The Bottom Line
There is no magic word count that guarantees SEO or AEO success. But if you want a rule of thumb, 600 to 900 words tends to be the most effective range for engagement, clarity, and conversion.
As content marketing evolves, so should your approach. Write with intent. Structure your content to answer, not just explain. And make sure your site is technically optimized to support your strategy.
Need help building content that performs across both SEO and AEO?
As a Columbus marketing agency, we specialize in data-driven content marketing strategies built for the future of search! Contact us today for a free consultation around SEO, AEO, web design, and more!
