How many words does an SEO article have to have? This is one of the most asked questions in the history of SEO. Many articles have tried to answer this question, contradicting each other and confusing the user. For this reason, we have prepared this post to clarify the number of words that an SEO article must have.
You may want a straightforward and simple answer, but the truth is that it is not. The length that an article must have to be positioned is not an exact figure. Within this formula, there are many factors that affect the answer. Therefore, if you want to know the number of words you need to be among the first positions, read on carefully.
Quality above all else
First of all, the length will depend on the number of words that the post needs to answer the question it poses. In other words, all the words must have value for the user and add relevance to the article. Therefore, an article that uses filler words to reach a certain number will be counterproductive for SEO.
It is true that some time ago Google rewarded content above all else. However, the algorithms of this search engine change approximately 500 times a year. The result of this is that what used to make an article rank well, can now be penalized by Google. In fact, nowadays, what is important is that the article answers the question posed by the user. In addition, you want it to do so quickly and efficiently. So, before measuring the words that your article should have for SEO, pay attention to what the topic needs.
Study the sector well, and you will know the words that your article needs for SEO.
Secondly, it is also important to pay attention to the sector we are targeting when positioning an article. There are sectors, such as marketing, in which long articles are common. This is because they usually make guides in which, step by step, they explain everything related to a concept.
When writing an article pertaining to this topic, you will have to compete with hundreds of pages of approximately the same length. As a result, you will have to be guided by this length and stick to that number of words. However, this does not mean that you have to use filler words to reach the length. What you should do is provide quality content that demonstrates research work and contributes knowledge.
Distribution channel
The distribution channel in which the article will be disseminated is also of utmost importance when choosing its length. Social networks and email lists require quicker-to-read texts, so shorter articles are ideal. As for social networks, this is because most of the content the user is looking for is for entertainment, so it will not need a deep and extensive writing. Regarding articles sent by e-mail, the reason why they do not require many words is that one of their main functions is to generate comments and achieve interaction with the web. Therefore, an article of 300 to 750 words would be ideal for this channel.
For Google, long texts predominate, since users use this channel to learn about different topics and answer more complex questions. However, as explained above, it will depend on the topic to be covered and how deep it is. In this case, the quality of the article takes precedence, so if you write a long article that provides a lot of knowledge and analysis, Google will reward it.
Keywords in an article for SEO: the user
In short, both a short and a long article are optimal for SEO, you just have to pay attention to what the user wants and needs at this moment.
For example, if a user searches on Google for the best hotel in Madrid, he will want a post that answers the question without further delay. In this case, the post will naturally be short, since the question is simple and direct. In any case, it would be necessary to establish several sections to clarify which is the best according to various parameters, such as price, number of stars or location. In this way, you will be able to adjust to all types of users who ask this question. However, the Internet user will not want to know the history of each hotel or which was the first to open in the city.
On a different occasion, the same user types ‘What is user experience’ into the search engine. In this situation, the ideal is a guide that begins by defining user experience and continues with the fundamental pillars of this concept, the tools to take into account or examples of websites that have a good user experience. This question, being complex and encompassing many issues, requires a longer post to clarify all the doubts that the user may have. It is not long because there are filler words, it is long because that question requires that length.
In short, if you give the user what they want, they will most likely return to your website and take it as a reference whenever they have a question that it can solve. On the other hand, if you bog them down with unnecessary information that does not provide them with anything at all, they will have a bad experience on your site, so they will probably not access it again.
Ideal strategy
By now, you may be wondering how many words an SEO article needs on your website. Well, the ideal is to combine both types of posts. On one hand, publish light content on a frequent basis, in which you comment on current issues, such as new products or programs that have recently been released. On the other hand, make quality posts, long and deep, as a guide or analyzing an issue in depth.
In this way, you will be responding to both types of users: those who want a quick solution and those who want to know and learn more about a topic. The important thing is to maintain a constant frequency when publishing, either four times a week or twice a day, and seek the welfare of your readers.
