What’s the Best Word Count for Google, Blog posts, and SEO? [Updated for 2022]

Have you wondered what the optimal connection number was for a blog station oregon web page?

Over the years, that fig has been a moving target.

Twenty years ago, I recommended that each leafage beryllium astatine slightest 250 words.

Back then, radical considered 250 words “too overmuch content.” “People won’t work it,” folks complained. “I don’t privation that galore words connected my page.”

Now, successful 2022, the pendulum has swung the different way. Some companies absorption astir exclusively connected long-form contented — for instance, 2,000+ word, in-depth skyscraper guides.

The story is that agelong contented is the lone mode to drawback bully Google positions – and Google equates a higher connection number to a higher prime article.

So, what does this mean for contented producers? Is the property of abbreviated transcript dead?

Well, not really.

Let’s interruption down the research:

What’s a minimum connection number line for 2022?

Determining the champion connection number for blog posts and web pages has everything to bash with your taxable and reader. Generally, from a contented penning perspective, immoderate wide connection number guidelines are:

• Sales landing pages: A minimum connection number of 350 words – nevertheless the contented magnitude depends connected the merchandise oregon service, and what the scholar needs to see.
• Blog posts: It depends connected the hunt query. Generally, astatine slightest 250 words for highly-specific queries. Other queries lend themselves to a longer connection count.

It’s important to enactment that these connection number guidelines are not based connected Google guidelines – they’re much astir what works for readers. That’s an important distinction.

But what astir pinpointing the magical connection number that makes Google smile? You’re astir apt wondering…

What’s the champion connection number for Google?

And the reply is – Google doesn’t attraction astir your blog station oregon web leafage connection count.

Google’s John Mueller said successful August 2019 that “word number is not a ranking factor.”

There’s nary magical connection fairy who reviews your connection number and positions your leafage accordingly. The Google Quality Raters aren’t counting every.single.word.

Google said backmost successful 2018 that word number does not bespeak prime content.

This is bully news!

Despite what immoderate “experts” believe, contented producers don’t person to make long-form contented each time. Nor bash writers request to mindlessly adhd other contented to existing pages to “help the leafage rank” and showcase contented quality.

It doesn’t enactment that way.

Google’s John Mueller clarified successful 2021 that adding further contented won’t needfully assistance a leafage position.

According to Mueller:

“From our constituent of view, the fig of words connected a leafage is not a prime factor, not a ranking factor.

So conscionable blindly adding much and much substance to a leafage doesn’t marque it better.”

We tin constitute the close magnitude of contented that satisfies the user’s query and provides the standout reply they want.

This is why, aft analyzing the information, Matt Southern from Search Engine Journal declared that content magnitude is not a ranking factor.

But (because there’s ever a “but” successful SEO…..)

Google whitethorn not person an authoritative connection number stance, but immoderate probe does amusement that longer blog posts presumption better.

Let’s interruption down wherefore that is…

What’s the champion connection number for a blog post?

It depends connected what you mean by “best.”

For instance, a 2020 nonfiction by ahrefs stated determination was a mean correlation betwixt connection number (up to 2,000 words,) and integrated traffic.

What’s absorbing is contented implicit 2,000 words had a mean antagonistic correlation. This means longer contented doesn’t warrant a apical ranking. More words won’t thrust much traffic.

It doesn’t enactment that way.

HubSpot, in their 2020 post, said that their blog connection number saccharine spot was 2,100-2,400 words. However, this is based connected their mean of 50 of HubSpot’s most-read posts – not a larger survey with aggregate respondents and hunt data.

So, the numbers are absorbing – but they’re HubSpot’s numbers. They don’t needfully use to your tract and people reader.

Plus, the nonfiction mentions that one-third of their apical articles were little than 1,500 words. So, longer contented isn’t ever a magic SEO bullet.

Having said that, longer contented tin thrust links. Moz ran a survey successful 2021 asking, “When it comes to the execution of your idea, which of the pursuing bash you find to beryllium the astir effectual successful generating links?”

This effect is reinforced by ahrefs, which recovered a affirmative correlation betwixt connection number and backlinks…but lone up to 1,000 words.

Viola Eva discussed this successful a 2019 Search Engine Journal article. Her take:

The way to ranking occurrence looks like:

• Longer contented leads to much links.
• More links pb to amended rankings (and much integrated traffic).

It seems what mightiness beryllium ranking the website is not truthful overmuch the contented magnitude itself (though it for definite helps to be competitory with the Page 1 results), but firstly the magnitude of links the leafage received. Guides, skyscrapers, pillar pages, and contented hubs marque the astir absorbing nexus targets.

Eva’s instrumentality makes consciousness – particularly erstwhile you see that implicit 91 percent of contented gets nary postulation from Google. None. Nada. 91 percent. Ouch.

Is it immoderate wonderment wherefore companies deliberation that long-form is the lone mode to go?

Let’s crook to our friends astatine ahrefs again. They really recovered a antagonistic correlation betwixt backlinks and articles implicit 1,000 words.

This makes sense. Sure, immoderate wide topics lend themselves to long-form contented – for instance, an nonfiction astir [what is b2b marketing].

But if you’re trying to constitute 1,500 words astir [how to sew a button], you’ll propulsion disconnected your reader. People don’t privation to slog done useless, fluffy contented to get their questions answered. If the hunt query lone requires 500 words to reply it – past conscionable constitute 500 words. Especially since…

Shorter contented tin and does position.

Is determination a minimum connection number for SEO?

Not really.

For instance, the top-positioned leafage for the query [how to brew achromatic tea] is 424 words. That’s inactive a batch of words — but the leafage has a fig 1 effect and presumption zero.

The apical effect for [how to restart a Fitbit] is simply a scant 94 words:

The NASA leafage answering [what is simply a star eclipse] positions fig 1 – and is little than 50 words:

Longer transcript isn’t amended – and shorter transcript positions?

So, what’s the champion connection number for SEO? 

There is nary “best connection number for SEO.”

Let spell of the thought that you person to person a definite connection number “for Google” oregon “for SEO success.”

In fact, the contented magnitude depends on the idiosyncratic query and what your scholar needs to see. 

That means:

Conduct competitory probe earlier you commencement writing.

SEO penning is much than shoving keyphrases into the content. You besides request to cheque retired your top-10 contention earlier you commencement writing. Things to look for include:

• What’s the hunt intent for your desired keyphrases? If you’re seeing mostly informational pages, a income leafage astir apt won’t position.
• How person different sites approached the content? You don’t privation to transcript them, but you bash privation to find however to marque your contented unique. 
• Does the contention nexus retired to different sites? Outbound links to authorization sites won’t assistance your SEO, but they are bully for your readers.
• How could you make a more clickable leafage Title than what you spot presently positioning?
• Are determination different positioning opportunities, specified arsenic writing a FAQ page?

For much tips astir however to probe and constitute SEO content, cheque retired this SEO copywriting checklist.

Throw your assumptions retired the window.

One of the biggest SEO penning challenges is dealing with radical who “just know” what works for their readers — but they don’t backmost up their opinions with data.

For instance, galore writers deliberation income pages should beryllium abbreviated (under 250 words) due to the fact that “readers don’t privation to scroll.”

However, companies make agelong income transcript each the time. And it works.

For instance, this sales leafage from Brooklyn Bedding is astir 1,400 words long, not counting the FAQ page. This HubSpot income page is astir 750 words.

Long transcript tin so clunk and beryllium visually overwhelming. But, that’s existent of immoderate poorly-written page. As Seth Godin says, “Please, springiness maine thing agelong (but marque it worthy my time.)…”

And if you’re inactive not definite if you should constitute abbreviated oregon long-form content, cheque retired this guide from ahrefs and this station from the Content Marketing Institute.

Dive into your analytics and rotation astir successful the data.

SEO writers can’t disregard analytics anymore. The accusation is excessively tasty, valuable, and fascinating to ignore.

Analytics volition archer you:

• Which posts get large Google positions?
• Is determination a “sweet spot” correlation betwixt your astir fashionable posts and connection count?
• Are posts positioning, but you aren’t getting click-throughs to the page?

Plus, you tin ever dive into specialized solutions similar Serpstat, ahrefs, oregon SEMrush for much details.

If you’re freelancing, don’t beryllium acrophobic to inquire your clients for their analytics information. The information volition assistance you amended recognize what’s moving — and however to marque their SEO contented strategy adjacent better.

Write arsenic overmuch arsenic you request to — and not 1 connection more.

“Fluffing up” a leafage conscionable to conscionable a circumstantial word-count request is horrible for your readers… and it won’t assistance boost your Google rankings. In fact, Google’s John Mueller said fluffy content, makes “it hard for hunt engines to fig retired what you’re trying to say.”

Later, Mueller discussed fluffy transcript successful a 2022 video hangout, saying “Just filling other substance connected a leafage – I would not bash that.”

Plus, since we’ve seen that shorter transcript tin inactive position, there’s nary percent to adding much contented “just successful case.” Focus connected answering the query instead.

Content adept Ann Smarty wrote a large post astir however to amended an nonfiction without fluffing retired your connection count.

Finally, deliberation astir this erstwhile you’re penning the copy:

• Did I afloat reply the hunt query?
• Have I flooded each objections?
• Have I showcased the merchandise oregon service?
• Is the keyphrase usage seamless?
• Does the transcript promote the adjacent conversion step?
• Have I connected with my reader?
• Have I written the contented successful a dependable that clicks with my readers?
• Am I unfastened to making changes to the leafage arsenic further information rolls in?

If your reply is “yes,” you’ve done your job.

It’s arsenic elemental arsenic that.

(Note: This station primitively ran 14 years ago! Wow! So overmuch has changed since then.)

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