How Long is 500 Words?

For most marketers, business owners and content managers, staying within budget is a very real thing. You’ve been given X amount of budget dollars to bring in X amount of revenue. As content marketing continues to establish itself as a worthy investment of marketing dollars, you’re likely to wonder what word counts get you the best bang for your buck.

How Many Words Do I Have To Write?

As you sort through content creation websites you’ll probably come across the ever common “500 word” blog post. Is this a good use of your marketing dollar? Exactly how long is 500 words?

In this article, we’ll cover different aspects about 500 words, other word sizes, and the content types that you might see at each of these different word count lengths.

How Long is 500 Words?

To start out, we’ll be covering 500 words and how it fits in the content spectrum. Your marketing goals may include the writing of a white paper, Ebook, web pages, blog posts, guest blogs, category pages, essays and more. Will 500 words work for what you need?  How long should a blog post be? The answer isn’t as simple as finding a one-size fits all word count, since different content types usually have different purposes and require differing amounts of words to get that across.

That being said, knowing about how long 500 words is (among other word counts) should help you to make a decision that’s right for your audience and industry. So, when asking the question, “How long is 500 words?”, you need a starting point – and number of pages is as good as any.

How Many Pages is 500 Words?

So how many pages is 500 words? In a document with standard margins, single spacing and size 12 font, you can fit about 500 words in a page. This is because on average, there are about 5 letters in each word, about 15 words in a sentence, and the average paragraph is around 7 sentences. Variation in the length of words, sentences and paragraphs will cause natural deviation from the average.

When you’re trying to figure out how many pages is 500 words, or 1000 words or more, you can glance at the total number of pages and assume that each page holds about 500 words.

How Long is 500 Words Double Spaced?

One question that is often asked is “how long is 500 words double spaced?”. The answer is that depending on how large your font is and the actual font type you select, you may run anywhere from 1-2 pages as far as length. Paragraph amount shouldn’t change, but page length will.

How Many Paragraphs is 500 words?

Using the formula above of 15 words in a sentence and each paragraph being about 7 sentences, you can expect each paragraph to have a little over 100 words. So how many paragraphs are in 500 words? The simple answer to “how many paragraphs is 500 words?”, is about 5 paragraphs.

If you decide to follow the more recent trend of smaller paragraphs for digital consumption you may have up to 6 or 7 paragraphs for 500 words.

Other Word Counts to Consider

Even though 500 words is a very typical size for a lot of essays and blogs, there are many occasions where you may need more or less than that specific word count. The most typical word counts we see in content marketing include 300 words, 500 words, 1000 words, 2000 words and 2500 words.

This is a concise visual reference you can keep in mind when it comes to word count lengths. If you’re interested in looking at these word counts in more depth (excluding 500 words, since we just covered it above), see the breakdowns below:

How Long is 100 Words?

While there are types of content that have word counts smaller than 100, this is the first significant marker in writing to fit a word count. 100 words can be a great length for a small piece of content where you want to make a point right away without much context. Could be a good content length for newsworthy/headline type information that needs to be soaked up quickly.

How Many Paragraphs is 100 Words?

With a standard sentence length of 15 words per sentence and 7 sentences per paragraph, 100 words equals 1 paragraph! This is the most simple paragraph calculation we’ll make in this article, and will be the basis for the other word count calculations we’ll make.

How Many Pages is 100 Words?

Given that 100 words makes up roughly one paragraph when considering it as a part of a 500 word article, you can plan on 100 words taking up around 25% of one page, assuming you break it up into a couple of smaller paragraphs.

How Many Pages is 100 Words Double Spaced?

Adding in the additional margins of double spacing, you’d get closer to 1/3 of a page if 100 words is double spaced.

How Long is 200 Words?

Most 200 word pieces of content have more than a headline and small description to share, but still need to be kept concise and to the point. A lot of sales copy you see online fits in the 200 word bucket since it allows for enough room to persuade without coming on too strong.

How Many Paragraphs is 200 Words?

A well-written 200 word piece of content should be broken into 2 paragraphs, consisting of 100 words each.

How Many Pages is 200 Words?

200 words is the equivalent of around 2 paragraphs. If you follow the same format above of breaking up the paragraphs into even more paragraphs (for the sake of visual aesthetics and readability), you might approach about 1/2 of the page with 200 words. So when asking how long is 200 words, the answer would be about 50% of a single page.

How Many Pages is 200 Words Double Spaced?

If you choose double spacing for your writing project, you can expect 200 words double spaced to equal about 75%-85% of a single page.

How Long is 300 Words?

When it comes to what the content marketing industry would consider a “short form” piece of content, 300 words is what comes to mind. It’s probably the first word count amount that allows you to provide some longer-lasting value and a few in-depth thoughts while staying relatively short.

How Many Paragraphs is 300 Words?

Since 300 words is a pretty common word length for short form content like category descriptions, product descriptions and micro blog posts, oftentimes we get asked how many paragraphs is 300 words. Ideally, you’d want 100 words per paragraph, for a total of 3 paragraphs for 300 words.

How Many Pages is 300 Words?

When writing a 300 word piece of content, you’d create around 3 normal paragraphs. Where 1 page usually consists of 5 paragraphs, or 500 words, then you can expect 300 words to take up around 2/3 of a single page.

How Many Pages is 300 Words Double Spaced?

Taking into account font sizes, and paragraph breaks, when asking how many pages is 300 words double spaced you can plan on around 1-1.5 pages.

How Long is 400 Words?

The length of 400 words is really just a preference difference rather than a milestone for changing the usage or purpose of the content. If you’re wanting to accomplish the same things as you would with 300 words or 500 words but want to be a little different, this is the word count you choose.

How Many Paragraphs is 400 Words?

When you break down a 400 word page into paragraphs, it usually runs around 4 paragraphs. That being said, if you’re going for slightly over 100 word paragraphs it could be 3 or with shorter paragraphs it could be 5. So for how many paragraphs 400 words is, it once again comes down to preference and isn’t too much different than the amount of paragraphs at 500 words.

How Many Pages is 400 Words?

There isn’t too much difference visually between 400 and 500 words, but on a single page it would make up 80-90% of a single page depending on how you format the content. If you keep the paragraphs to 100 words each, plan on 80% – if you add a couple more paragraphs it will be closer to 90% of a single page.

How Many Pages is 400 Words Double Spaced?

When looking at how many pages is 400 words double spaced, you can plan on around 1.25-1.75 pages.

How Long is 1000 Words?

1000 words is the first major mark for content that could be considered “long form”. Even then, this would be considered a short, “long form” post. But 1000 words is substantial to readers and to search engines. This allows you to build out 3 or 4 in-depth thoughts, provide a decent sized list or walk through a fairly simple process in depth.

How Many Paragraphs is 1000 Words?

The easiest breakdown of how many paragraphs is 1000 words is to just divide it by 100. Doing that, you would have 10 paragraphs on average for 100 words. Or, if you’re looking at it from the point of view of how many paragraphs is 500 words (5), then you’d just double that number.

How Many Pages is 1000 Words

In the event 500 words just isn’t enough for your project, you may consider the next most common word count for writing projects – 1000 words. So how long is 1000 words double spaced? As was stated above, since 500 words is generally the size of a single page, then a thousand words is roughly 2 pages on most standard word processors. You’ll want to factor in any images or charts you add, amounting to maybe 1 page total (depending on the size of your images).

How Many Pages is 1000 Words Double Spaced?

Once you hit 1000 words, you’re at the point where double spacing is really affected by font size and also the number of paragraphs that you have. If you’ve opted for shorter paragraphs in your content, then you can expect the page length to be longer. That being said, when looking at how many pages 1000 words is double spaced, you can plan on around 3 pages.

How Long is 2000 Words?

 2000 words is the poster child for content that ranks for keywords on search engines. Most long form blogs and articles you find in the first ten spots of google will be around 2000 words. This length of content allows you to talk in depth about specifics, how-to’s, guides and much more. 2000 words is versatile and gives you a lot of room for word crafting.

How Many Paragraphs is 2000 Words?

 Using 100 words per paragraph as the base calculation, you would need 20 paragraphs on average to fill up 2000 words.

How Many Pages is 2000 Words

How many pages is 2000 words? When writing 2000 words, assuming that there is 500 words in pages, you can plan on about 4 pages.

How Many Pages is 2000 Words Double Spaced?

Does it matter if it is single or double spaced? It does. But it also depends on your font selection as well as the font size. To give a general answer, 5 pages is usually a pretty good estimate when asking how long is 2000 words double spaced.

How Long is 2500 Words?

In the same vein as the 1000 and 2000 word sections above, perhaps you’re looking for a very authoritative piece of content that has a lot of meat to it and can effectively explain processes or ideas in an in-depth way. 2500 words is a common word count for blogs and articles of this type that want to step it up a notch from the competition.

How Many Paragraphs is 2500 Words?

Using how many paragraphs are in 500 words (5), you would just times it by 5 to find out how many paragraphs is 2500 words. So doing the math, 25 paragraphs sounds about right at this word count.

How Many Pages is 2500 Words?

So how many pages is 2500 words? 2500 words in pages is about 5 pages on a word processor.

How Many Pages is 2500 Words Double Spaced?

If you add images, double spacing and other diagrams to further establish authority to your writing, you may add another 2-3 pages to the number of page listed above.

How Long is 5000 Words?

If you’re writing a long ebook, an incredibly in-depth white paper or just want to create the blog post that rules them all, then 5000 words might be a word count length you’re shooting for. That being said, there aren’t too many use-cases in business for 5000 words. But if you’re writing a novel, then 5000 words is a really great start!

How Many Paragraphs is 5000 Words?

The math for figuring out how many paragraphs is 5000 words is pretty easy considering it’s 10 times the word count of 500 words. Since 500 words is 5 paragraphs, then 5000 words is 50 paragraphs.

How Many Pages is 5000 Words?

Again, you can look at how many pages is 500 words and just times it by 10. Since 500 words equals 1 page, then 5000 words is equivalent to 10 pages of content.

How Many Pages is 5000 Words Double Spaced?

Adding double spacing, images and formatting to liven up 5000 words’ worth of content could mean that 5000 words double spaced gets up to 15 pages, total. That’s a lot of content!

What is the Right Word Count for My Writing Project?

Will 500 words be enough for your project? The answer is a solid… maybe. The truth is there’s more to be considered than just a word count!

In the digital marketing landscape, different campaigns can call for different word counts depending on the nature of the content. The key is to match reader expectations while also staying SEO-friendly.  You’ll need to factor in the fact that Google and other search engines love long-form content, but your reader may not. Someone purchasing a product doesn’t want to go through 1000 words before finding out how they purchase an item – in that case you may lose the sale.

On the other end, someone reading an E-book expects long-term value with lots of in-depth points and action items. As a result, 500 words wouldn’t likely fit a project like that. Here are some other examples of content types and some target word counts to shoot for.

Ecommerce Content

Ecommerce Content rounds out some of the lowest word counts you’ll find while still staying incredibly effective. Product descriptions are usually 100-200 words or less, highlighting key features and benefits without going into incredible depth. Marketers rely on the copy being written in a persuasive way that grabs consumers’ attention and leads them to purchase. This lower word count also helps to keep costs down when writing thousands of skus worth of product descriptions.

The one ecommerce content type that you can get away with longer word counts up to 500 words or more would be category descriptions/pages. If you’re defining a category and talking about the broader scope/uses of the products within a category you can get more creative and use more information. You will still have to decide how long 500 words is once you have it on a category page, but it may be a perfect amount without being overwhelming.

White Papers or Specialty Content

One kind of paper that most people have had to carefully measure in terms of word counts is the white paper. In-depth white papers explaining intricate processes that relate to certain technologies or processes may need to be pretty long to give someone a great analysis. Think something in the range of 2000 to 2500 words. Other white papers can get the point across using images as well as text without being as wordy.  500 words in a page or 1000 words in a page may be enough to get your points across, or it may not.

Since the primary purpose of a white paper is to be as clear and concise as possible in explaining a product or process, you should give that first consideration before confining yourself to just 500 words.

Blog Posts

As was mentioned above, blog posts are one that you can usually meet the mandate of being SEO-friendly while also keeping the reader engaged. For really effective blog posts, you should shoot for content within the 1000-2500 word range. This will help your chances of being indexed positively by Google and shows that you have authority in the space. Longer blog posts of 1000 words to 2500 words or more are also known to attract more backlinks – which are a huge ranking factor in search engines.

One sound content marketing strategy is to create “pillar” or “cornerstone” pieces of content that range between 1000-2500 words. You might start with focusing on one or two of these 2000 word pages a month. Then create supplemental written content between the 500-1000 word range to help boost those pillar pieces. This is a strategic way to set up your blog writing strategy to help improve your chances of ranking for certain keywords while also not overwhelming readers with too many 2500 word posts. Use internal links and test different word count lengths to see what works best in your industry.

Web Articles

Unlike the standards in blog writing, press releases and white papers, web articles don’t have the same standard formatting. How long 500 words is on a web page can vary greatly. While web articles can be posted in standard formatting, they are more often whittled down to make them look more approachable. You’ll often find web pages that are around 100 words, 200 words or 300 words in length.

This is especially true in the age of mobile devices which can make a standard paragraph look huge. Margins are often changed to allow room for ads, and frequently images are interspersed to make the article look livelier. These and other tricks of web articles can transform one page of text in a standard document into several screens worth of text for viewers to scroll through. Finding out how long is 500 words in this context is tricky because it really just varies by context.

For instance, see an example of a large image with little text that takes up most of the page on the Evernote site:

When writing web articles, therefore, it’s best to keep the formatting in mind so that there isn’t so much text so as to overwhelm the reader.

Another thing to consider is how your content will appear on Mobile. This article, for example, is a little over a 2000 words, which looks very neat on about 4-5 pages of a standard document, but on a mobile device, it appears to go on for nearly twenty pages! Because the nature of this content is to be read as a blog post and not a home page site, it’s something the reader will expect, even on mobile.

On average, a mobile device will display around 100 words on a screen before the text becomes too small to read easily. While most people are willing to read a 1000-word, two-page standard document, reading over 10-20 pages of text on a phone may appear daunting, especially for a web page.

SEO Articles

One kind of web article that requires close attention to word count is the SEO article. In these kinds of documents, keywords are interspersed throughout the content to help search engines find the kind of content that users are searching for. Search engines are programmed to ignore content that has too many or too few instances of specific phrases, so for SEO writers, placing keywords within a specific number of words and knowing how long is 500 words becomes a careful science.

According to SEO pros, there was once a time that SEO articles could be merely short articles taking up less than half a page with a bunch of keywords. Because search engines were too primitive to know any better, users would end up being directed to links that might not have much to do with what they were looking for. Since then, due to upgrades in search engine technology and algorithms, it has become important for SEO articles to contribute useful content as well as include keywords. Creating useful content has become as important as knowing how long is 500 words and where keywords fit best within those words.

Word Count Article Recap: How Long is 500 Words

So how long is 500 words? To recap, it fills about one full page in a Microsoft Word document at a font size of 11 or 12. 500 words is also a standard minimum word count length for writing a blog post on a common subject. That being said, other types of content may require 1000 words, 2000 words or even 2500 words to be really effective. Either way, it’s good to know how many pages 500 words is so you can quickly gauge the length of content as you set up your content strategy.

Ultimately, you’re better off deciding the purpose of the content first, then deciding the word count second. If you make your decisions in that order, then you can logically work through a content word count that helps you rank for search engines as well as meet reader expectations. And if 500 words in pages is enough to get that done, then so be it!