How many words does an SEO article have to have? This is one of the most asked questions in the history of web positioning. There are many articles that have tried to answer this question, contradicting each other and confusing the user. For this reason, we have prepared this post, to make it clear to you the amount of words that an SEO article must have.
You may want a direct and simple answer, but the truth is that it is not. The extension that an article must have to be positioned not an exact number. 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 top positions, keep reading carefully.
Quality above all
First of all, the length will depend on the number of words that the post needs to answer the question it asks. That is to say, all words must have value to the user and add relevance to the article. Therefore, a writing 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, currently what matters is that the article answers the question posed by the user. In addition, he wants you to do it quickly and efficiently. In this way, before measuring the words that your article should have for SEO, pay attention to what the theme needs.
Study the sector well and you will know the words your article needs for SEO
Second, it is also important pay attention to the sector we are addressing when positioning an article. That is, 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 that belongs to this topic, you will have to compete with hundreds of pages whose length is approximately the same. As a result, you'll have to stick to this length and stick to that number of words. However, this does not mean that you have to use filler words to get to the extension. What you should do is offer a quality content that demonstrates research work and provides knowledge.
Distribution channel
The distribution channel in which the article will be disseminated is also of the utmost importance when choosing its length. Social networks and email lists they require texts that are faster to read, so shorter articles are ideal. As for social networks, this is because most of the content that the user is looking for is from entertainment, so you will not need a deep and extensive writing. Regarding the articles that are sent by email, 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. So an article of 300 to 750 words would be ideal for this channel.
For Google, the long texts, since users use this channel to learn about various topics and answer more complex questions. However, as explained above, it will depend of the topic to be discussed and how deep it is. In this case, the quality of the article prevails, so if you write an article with many words, which provides a lot of knowledge and analysis, Google will reward it.
Key words 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 does the user want and need right now.
For example, if a user searches Google for the best hotel in Madrid, they 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 in which it is clarified which is the best according to various parameters, such as price, number of stars or location. In this way, you can adjust to all types of users who ask themselves that 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 in the search engine 'What is the user experience?'. In this situation, the ideal is a guide that begins by defining the 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 that clarifies all doubts that the user may have. It's not long because there are filler words, it's 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 you have a question that it can solve. On the other hand, if you overwhelm them with unnecessary information that does nothing at all, they will have a bad experience on your site and may not come back to it.
ideal strategy
By now, you may be wondering how many words does an SEO article need on your website. Well, the ideal is to combine both types of post. On the one hand, post light content frequently, in which you discuss current issues, such as new products or programs that have recently been released. On the other, make quality posts, extensive and deep, as a guide or analyzing an issue in depth.
In this way you will be giving answer both types of user: to those who want a quick solution and to those who seek to know and learn more about a topic. The important thing is to maintain a constant frequency when publishing, be it four times a week or twice a day, and look for the well-being of your readers.
