The Importance of Word Count in SEO

Home » SEO (Search Engine Optimization) » The Importance of Word Count in SEO

Date: October 6, 2023

Many of you might have heard of people debating about the ideal length of content that can engage an audience and plays a vital role in the success of a website. A vast number of people believe that the longer the article, the better the output. 

However, many others argue that it’s the quality of content that matters more than the quantity. But, there is a chunk of people who feel that the combination of quantity and quality both are highly crucial for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).   

The primary reason for writing an article is to impress the readers and search engines. The longer articles usually make it easier for its readers and Google to find out what this content is all about. 

This will also help search engines crawl and interpret the idea you try to convey through your article and rank it in the relevant search engine results pages. Therefore, it is a general conception by most professional writers that Google tends to prefer longer articles. 

However, many writers often add fluff to their content just to increase its length, affecting its quality and making it less appealing to the readers. An article that has unique, relevant, and accurate information will have the ability to impress its readers. Otherwise, your chance of getting the desired appreciation from your targeted audience is low. 

In today’s blog, we will try to dig a bit deeper and find out about the importance of word count in SEO. So, we suggest you read this blog post till the end to learn about the ongoing topic appropriately. 

Is Word Count Crucial to Rank Higher? 

John Muller, a senior search analyst at Google, has recently said in his latest interview that word count is not a ranking factor for Google search algorithms. This will help people know that there is no specific instruction by Google about the word count of any article to rank higher on SERP. 

He also said that adding irrelevant and unnecessary information will not give you any better results. Google’s algorithms like unique, relevant, and quality content instead of looking at the word count of the article. 

Why Does Long Content Mostly Get More Engagement? 

Despite the fact that Google has clearly confirmed that word count doesn’t play any role in getting a higher content rank, there are a number of article and keyword tools that suggest writing lengthy articles. 

There are some primary reasons shared in these articles that show how a higher word count may increase your chances of ranking higher on SERP. For example, the length of content makes it straightforward for Google’s algorithm to find out what your webpage is about. Similarly, writing high-quality and impressive content helps you position yourself as an authority on the topic and enables you to rank for long-tail keyword variants. 

How to Identify the Adequate Word Count for Your Article? 

There is no hard and fast rule about the word count for content. However, a few important factors must be observed regarding the best word count. Here are some of them: 

1. Adopt a Proper Keyword Strategy

Mostly, we craft content while focusing on a single target keyword. But, a recent study has found that longer content generally ranks in the top 10 for multiple keywords. Writing lengthy content gives you an opportunity to cover your primary topic from different angles, which enables you to rank for more keywords. Moreover, longer articles are more likely to rank for long-tail variations of your primary keyword. 

For instance, long-tail variants of “Plagiarism checker” might include “Plagiarism checker for iPhone” and “Plagiarism checker for Android.” So, for anyone who wants to target identified long-tail keywords, it is suggested to consider increasing your word count to cover more particular queries.  

2. Examine Your Competition   

Word count can also be used as a benchmark metric while comparing your written information to your competitors. You can look for some help from various keyword research and content optimization tools that offer the word count of the top-most performing for any specific keyword. 

Also, taking assistance from an advanced word counter will be useful to discover the length of articles of your competitors’ sites.  Analyzing the top-ranked articles will help you find out the best word count for content. This practice will support you in writing content with perfect word count. 

3. Focus Properly on Search Intent

Besides analyzing what your competitors are doing, you also need to focus on the search intent related to your target keyword. Search intent will enable you to determine what makes your article more appealing and relevant to the user. Simply saying, it is essential to keep in mind what your target audience looks for when they enter a keyword in the search bar. For example, if you find that they are more likely to look for comprehensive information, you should aim to meet or exceed your competitors’ word count. Similarly, if your audience is searching for quick answers, then create short content that gets to the point faster for keywords. 

In short, search intent helps you follow the competitor’s lead and differentiate your content through the length. 

4. Review Your Written Work 

Lastly, you can analyze your previous work to find out what word count serves you the most. Analyzing your SEO performance regularly and evaluating if trends arise is suggested to spot if your word count tends to rank higher. If you feel that your short articles aren’t giving your desired results, simply go back to your keyword research and find out how to increase the word count with more relevant and engaging information. 

Why Is Word Count Critical for SEO Strategy?

Optimizing content for SEO isn’t an easy chore. It’s not as simple as analyzing your checklist of keyword mentions. You need to find out the audience of each keyword and post the content that can give you desired results.  

Word count might not be a critical factor in ranking your content at the top, but this enables you to define what’s most relevant for a specific word. There is no specific guideline So, so focus on creating quality content that provides value to your readers and try to find the optimal word count to achieve desired results. 

Final Words: 

Despite professionals continuing to share their views about the correlation between SEO and word count, Google prefers relevant and high-quality content. The content, no matter short or long form, that offers users information that can hit their pain points will surely engage them and increase their chances of ranking higher. Therefore, it is advised to produce compelling, unique, and quality content to enjoy better results.