One question we continually get asked is, "how many words should a page or content have to rank well on Google"? In this article, we offer our take on this age-old, almost impossible-to-answer question!

A page's word count influences search engine optimisation (SEO) and user experience. It's a delicate balance that every business and SEO agency must grapple with. 

The truth is, there's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the ideal length of a landing page or blog post. I know, I know, that’s not what you came here to hear, but let me explain ...

First and foremost, you must focus on what your readers want and need, answering key questions and providing genuine value rather than simply trying to hit a specific number of words. However, as a general rule, longer pages will often rank better on Google, and can help establish your website as an authority in your field. 

Secondly, the 'optimal' length will vary depending on the type of page you're creating. For example, a product page may only need a few hundred words to effectively convey the features and benefits of the product, while a blog post covering a complex topic may require several thousand words to do it justice.

Ultimately, the goal is to create high-quality content that delivers value to your readers and helps improve your search engine rankings. By focusing on the needs of your audience and using keywords and topics relevant to your niche, you can craft web pages that strike the perfect balance of length and content.

You Have Two Audiences 👥

Words matter when it comes to writing for SEO because you're not just writing for one audience but two: your human readers and Google's search algorithm. To create content that appeals to both, you must provide valuable, unique and engaging content that answers your readers' queries. 

If you've been hanging around the SEO scene for a while, you've probably heard of E.A.T. - Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.

E.A.T. is basically Google's way of measuring the quality and relevance of a website's content. Expertise refers to how knowledgeable and skilled the author or website is on the topic at hand. Authority refers to how much of a recognised expert the author or website is in their field. And finally, trustworthiness refers to the reliability and accuracy of the content.

To optimise your website for E.A.T., it's important to create informative and useful content that demonstrates your expertise and authority in your subject. You can do this by showcasing your credentials, providing sources and citations, using a well-developed internal and external linking strategy, and creating in-depth, well-researched content.

By focusing on creating high-quality content that serves the needs of your audience, you'll naturally be creating content that's more likely to rank well on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Different Page Types Need Different Wordcounts

Not all pages are created equal, and that means not all pages require the same word count. When it comes to writing content optimised for both SEO and user experience, it's important to consider the type of page you're creating and what your readers are looking for.

According to a study by Hubspot, the sweet spot for blog post word count is around 2,250-2,500 words. However, it's worth noting that longer isn't always better. While a higher word count can give you more opportunities to use keywords throughout the content and provide detailed information, keeping a page within its natural length is important. Your readers want to be informed, not bogged down by rambling content.

Focus on creating content that serves the user's intent. Whether it's a Home page, service page, or blog post, never add content just to hit a certain word count, as this can lead to filler content that provides no real value to your readers.

Homepages

Believe it or not, some homepages can get by with little to no copy at all. Just take a look at the Google or Facebook homepage, for example.

But for us SMEs, having more copy on your homepage can be a real advantage for most businesses. Your homepage is your chance to explain who you are, what you do, and why potential customers should choose you over the competition.

At CC Digital, we've integrated all our key selling points our homepage and included information that helps potential clients understand what we're all about.

When it comes to word count for your homepage, it's important to strike a balance between providing enough information and overwhelming your readers with too much content. We've found that around 600 words is a good sweet spot for most websites, although the recommended amount will vary substantially from industry to industry.

Product Pages 🛍️

For e-commerce websites, it's common to keep copy to a minimum on product pages, but this does vary from brand to brand.

If you're running Google Shopping ads, paying close attention to your product descriptions is especially important. That's because shopping campaigns rely heavily on your product descriptions to understand what search queries to show your ads for. That means that by crafting clear, descriptive product descriptions, you can improve the relevance of your ads and increase the likelihood that they'll appear for the right search terms.

So you need to consider the balance between customer experience, your SEO and how Google Ads may also be utilising your descriptions.

Service Pages

Service pages will often contain a much higher word count than product pages, and in our experience, we've found service pages often need to be more in-depth to rank well.

You'll want to cover the service offered, its benefits and why the potential customer should choose you over competitors as the basics. Utilising a range of content types can be extremely helpful when creating service pages; try mixing copy with video content for a better user experience.

Blogs & Articles

Blogs and articles are varied, each with its unique purpose and word count.

A simple news update about your business or industry can be short and sweet. Since you're not necessarily trying to rank for anything, these kinds of pages are great for keeping your regular visitors informed and up-to-date on all your latest happenings.

But it pays to go long for those more in-depth articles. Whether it's an in-depth investigation into a topic like this one or a comprehensive guide, longer content pieces tend to do better organically. And when written and formatted correctly, they can even boost the topic authority of important transactional pages, driving even more traffic, leads, and sales to your website.

I would recommend undertaking a big content length audit - measuring all your website pages for content length vs pageviews in Google Analytics and calculating what content lengths work best for you. You don't want loads of pages on your site sat getting no pageviews because they're too short or too old to rank!

Make The Most Of Differing Content Types

When creating your site's content, it's not just about the number of words you use - it's also about how you present them. A page full of plain text can be just as off-putting to a reader as a page with no information at all. That's why it's important to think about the layout and presentation of your page, as well as the copy itself.

It's 2023, and we're lucky there are now many ways to present content. Throughout this article, we've focused on written copy, but you can present your content in video and audio form too, mixing and matching presentation types throughout your article. Also, consider using bullet points or including relevant graphs, charts or photos to illustrate your points. This can help from an SEO perspective but, more importantly, can improve bounce rate and user engagement as your users will be much more engaged with a varied article over a wall of copy!

Check Your Competitors

Feeling overwhelmed without a set-in-stone answer? Don't worry; there's a simple way to determine an approximate word count that Google wants to see on your web page. All you need to do is search for the keywords you want your page to rank for and take a look at what the top-ranking pages look like. Highlight and copy the whole page into a word count tool and check the average word count of the top 10 pages ranking for the keywords you're aiming for.

If you see a lot of text on the page, it might be worth planning a longer article to match. On the other hand, if the top-ranking pages are short-form content, you might want to keep your content concise and to the point.

Remember, you can use the above as a guide, but average word count findings aren't gospel. There are loads of other SEO elements at play, but undertaking the above may provide a rough guide to point you in the right direction.

The most important thing is to make sure your content serves your audience. Whether you're writing a product page, a service page, or a blog post, your goal should be to provide useful information that engages your readers and helps them make informed decisions.

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