How many words should a blog post be for SEO?

For competitive search terms, 1,500–2,500 words tends to perform best in Google's current algorithm. Longer isn't always better — match the content depth to the topic complexity. Listicles and how-to posts can rank well at 800–1,200 words. Comprehensive guides covering a topic fully perform best at 2,000–4,000 words.

How many words per minute is the average reading speed?

The average adult reads approximately 200–250 words per minute for non-fiction. College students average 300 WPM. Speed readers can reach 400–700 WPM with some comprehension loss. For web content, assume 200–250 WPM when estimating read time — a 1,000-word article takes approximately 4–5 minutes.

Word Counter

Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in any text. Includes estimated reading time.

Paste or type your text here

Words 0

Characters 0

No Spaces 0

Sentences0

Paragraphs0

Reading Time0 sec

📐 Formula

Words = count of non-empty strings split by whitespace. Reading Time = Word Count ÷ 200 words per minute

Frequently Asked Questions

Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt (standard academic): ~250 words/page. Single-spaced: ~500 words/page. A novel page: ~250–300 words. A blog post averages 1,000–2,000 words.

The average adult reads about 200–250 words per minute, so 1,000 words takes about 4–5 minutes. This counter uses 200 WPM as a conservative estimate.

Long-form content (1,500–3,000 words) tends to rank better for competitive keywords because it covers topics comprehensively. Shorter posts (500–1,000 words) can rank well for specific, lower-competition queries.