How many words count for an effective SEO article? What is an appropriate content-length to rank 1 on any SERP ranking? — Questions that are often asked but do not necessarily get straight answers.
We can understand why the word count would be a cause for concern while creating an SEO-optimized web page. You may have searched for a fit response and got “the longer the content, the better the ranking”, right?
Well, that is not a certainty. There is no hard-and-fast proof that a specific amount of words boosts your SEO and SERP ranking. That doesn’t mean your articles will not have any impact on your ranking and quality. They do.
So, what’s the answer?
SEO Content-Length
To get a definitive idea of what your word count should be, let’s look at the definition of what SEO Content-length is —
The total number of words typed in a blog post/article is the word count. The length varies depending on the number of words where the user can easily achieve their goals on the page.
The reason why the user visited your web page should be properly fulfilled. Whether this can be achieved in a short 500-word post or a lengthy 3000-worded in-depth explanation depends on your content and topic.
Why Long-Articles?
A general misconception that lengthy articles get better SEO scored and improved rankings on most search engines often deludes the truth. There is no direct formula saying that-
long articles = better SEO/ranking.
But, if you see the top three web pages for any Google search, you would find that most of the articles’ word count averages 1500 to 2000 words. This data is misinterpreted and justified because the extra words make the content more ‘reliable or credible’ to the search engine.
While this is not true, the lengthier word count ranking higher on SERP can be explained by the fact that a longer article would probably mean a more comprehensive explanation including more facts, details, examples, audio/visual aid, etc., making the web page a prime example of SEO.
So, What’s the exact Recommended Word Count?
The problem with SEO word count and the mumbled-jumbled confusion that follows it is that there is NO defined word count (not defined by Google or any search engine or by any other credible source). Most researches provide an average value to work on or a range that mostly lies somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 words.
However, the fact remains the same. There is no exact amount of words. The search engine rankings factor in almost a hundred different aspects of SEO, out of which the pages that best meet the user’s query are ranked in order. The ‘volume of words’ is rarely a deciding factor that is considered.
Lengthy Articles ≠ Word Vomit
Now, longer articles may seem more descriptive and present an opportunity for added optimization like additional keyword usage and whatnot. There is also the assumption that more words may translate into more credibility or quality.
However, to reach this presumed capacity of words also has its drawbacks that need to be considered. The more the length of a blog post, the more the chances of diluted SEO, grammatical errors, reduced consistently in quality, and quite frankly boring. No user wants to read 4000 words to arrive at an obvious conclusion after the first thousand.
An optimum length would be one where the topic is fully addressed and discussed in detail. You want your post to remain interesting to keep in grasp the attention of the readers and content that is comprehensive and worth appreciating.
So, stop fretting over what word count is appropriate and what length would rank better. Instead, focus on the quality of content because, ultimately, that is what matters the most.