In this age of free information at our fingertips, blogs are gold. They are a valuable resource for consumers who are seeking inspiration, planning a project, researching products and services, and finding professionals to execute it all. From a professional’s perspective, a blog is a great tool to showcase your work and expertise. It’s a chance to sell yourself and gain a following, whether loyal repeat readers or one-offs.

Here are some best practices to make the most of your blog posts, looking at audience consumption and Search Engine Optimization to increase the chances that your blogs will appear in the wide world of Google.

What is the ideal length for a blog post?

The answer depends on your goals for the blog, which should be a balance between:

• SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Your blog is useless if people can’t find it in their searches.
• GOOD INFORMATION Once you land a reader, the quality of content determines if they bounce from your site, or stick around and keep reading.
• SHARING Gain valuable traffic to your website when people share your blog on social media, and provide backlinks in their own digital content.

According to WordPress plug-in SEO Yoast, a blog post should be at least 300 words. Anything less than that will not rank in search engines. Typically, longer content will rank higher. With that being said, here are some general guidelines from Hubspot, based on their own blog research.

When it comes to social shares, Hubspot found that its content that was at least 2,500 words received more social shares. If your goal is to get backlinks, aim for a similar word count of at least 2,500 words.

Now, factor your industry into the equation. Digital marketing guru Neil Patel examined the success of different blog length in different industries. Eventful PR clients will be interested to know the ideal length for:

• Home and garden industry: 1,100-1,200 words
• Real estate industry: 1,800-1,900 words
• Fashion: 800-900 words
• Food: 1,400-1,900 words
• Travel: 1,500-1,850
• Retail: 1,500-1,700 words

One final thing to consider when determining the best word count for your blog, is the type of blog you’re publishing. Here are some examples and their ideal lengths, courtesy of Hubspot:

• List post: 2,300-2,600 words
• “How-To” post: 1,700-2,100 words
• “What Is” post: 1,300-1,700 words

These days, most consumers will start their search online, so your blog can be that important first impression that converts a one-off reader to a loyal customer. Use your blog to communicate your brand message, and if writing is not your forte, hire a writer to do it for you and engage an experienced PR company to help you tell your story. There’s a whole world-wide-web out there that wants to hear it.