The Relevance of Word Count in SEO Content

The statement "the longer the content, the higher it will rank on Google" may sound familiar, especially among SEO practitioners. Word count is believed to be an important aspect of creating SEO content, leading many to strive for lengthy content in hopes of achieving top rankings on search engine results pages. However, what is the truth behind this belief? Find the answers in this article.

Google's Perspective on Word Count for SEO

During the Google SEO office-hours on February 26, 2021, John Mueller stated that the word count on a page is not a determining factor for quality or ranking. Adding more text to a page (without proper consideration) does not necessarily make it better.

Therefore, the statement "the longer the content, the higher it will rank on Google" needs to be clarified. Besides the Google SEO office-hours, it is also mentioned on the Google for Developers page that Google does not provide any recommendations regarding word count for content. In other words, no one can guarantee whether longer content will receive better rankings or vice versa.

Furthermore, Google emphasizes that content should be written for readers, not for search engines. The primary goal of content writing is to provide value to users rather than solely aiming for search engine rankings.

Word Count and Its Relation with Content Quality

Long-form content is often considered comprehensive and of higher quality, potentially leading to better rankings. On the other hand, content with fewer words is often regarded as thin content. However, word count alone cannot be the sole indicator of content quality.

It's important to note that the types of content considered as thin content by Google are automatically generated content, affiliate pages that have no value for readers, duplicated content from other websites, and doorway pages.

These criteria are not directly related to word count but focus on content types that have little or no added value for readers. Therefore, content with fewer words cannot be automatically categorized as thin content, and longer content does not necessarily indicate better quality.

However, it is possible that the number of words in the content is influenced by the value added by the author.

Word Count in SEO Content: Should It Be Considered or Ignored?

Although a word count is not a ranking factor in search engine result pages (SERPs), it does not mean that content writers or SEO practitioners can simply ignore it. Word count still needs to be considered based on the type of content created and the nature of the website pages. However, once again, there is no specific number for word count.

For example, blog content typically has more words compared to product pages, which may only provide brief information or descriptions of the products.

This difference arises because blog content aims to provide comprehensive information to educate and answer questions or meet the needs of readers who are still in the awareness stage.

On the other hand, product page content primarily targets readers in the decision stage, who already have knowledge about the related product and intend to make a purchase. Therefore, they generally do not require educational information.

In conclusion, word count depends on the type of content, page, and the content's intended purpose. The number of words in content is not a ranking factor. Google prioritizes useful content with high relevance, so content writing should be focused on fulfilling readers' needs.