If you’ve ever written a blog post or an online article, you’ve probably asked questions like:
In other words, what is the optimal length of web content for SEO purposes?
Depending on the year and source, you may hear that the ideal word count for SEO is anywhere from 250 to over 2,000 words per piece.
Proponents of fewer words would argue that it’s not the word count that matters most, but the quality of the information and the number of backlinks.
Proponents of higher word counts argue that too few words will be scored as “thin” content by search engines, and thus won’t rank as high as their more verbose counterparts.
So what is the truth? Is word count that important to search engines, and if so, what is the optimal length of content?
According to John Mueller of Google, the source of knowledge for so many search engines, the number of articles is not included in Google’s Quality Score.
So that’s it, right? The case has been resolved. The shortest article in the history of the search engine journal confirms that we don’t have to worry about word count.
it’s not.
Word count isn’t a direct factor in SEO rankings, but it’s still something to keep in mind.
This article explains why it matters, how article length indirectly affects rankings and how it can negatively affect rankings, and how to write the ideal length article for your needs. Here are some tips for: .
“Use 2,000 words and optimized H1”
In a nutshell, it’s SEO advice.
But is it best practice, common sense, or an urban legend?
As mentioned above, there is no consensus on perfect word counts, but there are general rules to follow. Generally speaking, long content tends to be better than short content.
When you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. Google’s algorithms try to measure search intent. Longer parts help you get a better idea of what the page content is about.
So bigger is always better, right? necessarily.
If you’re just fleshing out your article by adding extra phrases, unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, or intentionally detouring to the point, you’re alienating your readers. have a negative impact on
Therefore, all articles should be as long as necessary. Clear as mud, right? do not worry. I will explain further.
It’s not content length that ranks articles, it’s backlinks that correlate with length
In 2022, Yoast conducted a study that included information on the correlation between post length and SEO rankings. I found that the minimum word count varies by page type.
As a general rule of thumb, Yoast recommends that taxonomy pages (pages used to categorize content and data) be 250 words or more, regular posts and pages 300 words or more, and underlying content pages north of 900 words. Place and recommend product pages. Only 200 or more words are required.
As you can see, there are many types.
Because taxonomies and product pages are very specific, they tend to work well with fewer words. Also, users usually come from the top of the website rather than directly from the search results.
For example, if you were looking to buy a new set of knives, you wouldn’t search for: [Wusthof Performer 8” Chef’s Knife]. Instead, search for: [Good Chef’s Knife] Drill down from Wusthof or the retailer’s general page.
After all, longer content is usually focused on providing useful information. This tends to get you more backlinks.
Screenshot from Ahrefs.com, September 2022A 2020 study by Ahrefs analyzed nearly 900 million web pages and found a strong positive correlation between the number of words and the average number of referring domains.
In another 2020 study, Ahrefs found that almost 91% of all pages didn’t get any organic traffic. And I suspect it’s mainly because they don’t have backlinks:
“66.31% of pages have no backlinks, and 26.29% of pages have links from less than 3 websites.”
Therefore, the impact of content length on ranking looks like a two-step process rather than a “longer, better ranking” equation.
The road to ranking success looks like this:
- Longer content leads to more links.
- More links means better rankings (and more organic traffic).
Website ranking seems to be related to the number of links a page receives rather than the content length itself.
Guides, skyscrapers, pillar pages, and content hubs are the most interesting link targets. Therefore, we encourage you to create the most compelling, interesting and detailed content on the web and conduct massive outreach his campaigns for it.
Making it sexy may not need more words. Instead, it might be a matter of more precise targeting, better graphics, or detailed market research results.
Effectively answer search intent by starting articles with the most important information
Ahrefs’ advice on content length:
“Don’t aim for a specific word count, try to cover the topic completely. Whether it’s 500 words or 10,000 words, the key is creating the best resource available for your target keywords.”
In other words, the content should provide enough information for search bots to determine what it is and be long enough to satisfy the user’s query.
What does it take to satisfy search intent?
For years, SEO professionals have tried to create longer content, even at the expense of usability. This fluffed up a very long part rather than the number of words related to the goal.
It’s also possible that Google pushed a featured snippet to encourage an immediate response rather than a scrolling marathon providing a bad user experience.
Google Search screenshot, September 2022It wasn’t long before the query “how to lower your bounce rate” returned page 1 of results explaining the importance of a 700-word bounce rate.
But if you wanted an introduction to bounce rate, you would have looked it up on Google. These parts are clearly against the search intent.
Thankfully, Google has gotten smarter and this kind of return isn’t as common as it used to be, but it should still serve as an invitation to rethink content creation and meet search intent.
We recommend turning your content structure upside down and providing value from the very first moment a user arrives on your page.
Convert SEO articles into newspaper articles or executive summaries.
The most important information first = answer the question.
Start with the main message.
Then dig deeper as the work continues, and the detail-focused user continues reading.
Second, give your users a clear path to conversion and next click.
This is important not only for business, revenue, and marketing goals, but also for users who come to your website with a specific intent. Make it easy to find what you need.
This includes:
- Links to related articles/read more.
- Sign up for a whitepaper or how-to guide.
- buy the product
Fluffing hurts content ontology and thus keyword/topic targeting
The main reason I want you to think about satisfying search intent is the content ontology and the hierarchy between keywords and articles.
Thin pages, duplicate content, and keyword cannibalization can all negatively impact your SEO results, so this is something Google is also considering.
A good understanding of search intent can also help you build a clean website architecture. This makes it easier for Googlebot to crawl and index your site.
If you unconsciously aim to write 2,000 words on a topic like “apples” (according to best case practices), most writers and SEO professionals tend to talk about “bananas” and “oranges” while running. You will quickly notice something. Of what to say about “apples”. They are trying to hit their word count target no matter what.
This weakens the page’s keyword targeting and diminishes its ability to achieve search intent.
Instead of making it clear to Google that this is the best page about “apples”, you’re confusing users and search engines about the purpose and topic of your content.
When we talk about “fruit” in general, we call this content cannibalization, forcing an article about “apples” to expand to reach the target word count.
When you confuse Google so much that it doesn’t know what part to rank for the query “apples”, this is called keyword cannibalization. This will alternate between the two parts and degrade overall ranking performance.
The name of the game is:
- One article per keyword (cluster) (for example, one article for “apple/apples”).
- Respect relationships (ontologies or content hierarchies) between articles. In general, all information about “Fruit” is displayed on its parent page/category page.
- Make it clear to users and search engines what one concept/topic of every article is. In the “apples” part we are only talking about “apples”.
The goal of creating the best content in “apples” determines the length of the content.
How to Rank Articles: Satisfactory Intent, Proper Word Count and Backlinks
Second, keep in mind what page 1 your competitors are currently doing in terms of content length, satisfying search intent, providing the best answers, and driving users to convert. We didn’t just create content that ranks for. We have also created an excellent backlink target that leads to ranking success.
It’s time to get out of the character count obsession
In the early days of SEO, ranking well for a keyword generally meant stuffing that word or phrase into your content everywhere. Those days are gone, and so are the strict and fast requirements for content length.
Yes, this article argues that longer is often better for SEO purposes, but for reasons that are more circuitous than you might think. Also, just having more words doesn’t mean you’re ranking higher.
Instead, you should create quality content that contains the information searchers are looking for.
Remember why users come to your page. Fulfill their intentions and give them what they ask for.
By doing this, you can also make your content attractive backlinks for other content creators. Speaking of which, I recommend doing an outreach initiative to build incoming links and build your site’s credibility in the eyes of Google.
Other resources:
Featured Image: Many People/Shutterstock
Imposted images #3-5: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
