Blog post length is not a ranking factor

Executive overview

Marketers have long pushed long-form content as a ranking strategy, but there is no optimal word count. An Ahrefs analysis of 900 million pages finds the relationship between length and performance is weaker — and often inverted — than the advice suggests.

Write as long as the topic requires, not to hit a word count.

What the data actually shows

• Backlinks correlate positively with word count up to 1,000 words — then the correlation reverses.
• Content over 1,000 words shows a strong negative correlation with referring domains.
• Long posts bury key points; readers don't read in full, so fewer people link.
• Organic traffic correlates positively with word count up to 2,000 words, then turns negative.

The right answer on length

• Google's John Mueller: word count is not a ranking factor.
• Optimal length is whatever it takes to cover the topic in depth — no more.
• A structured content-writing process will naturally lead you to the right length.