Article is one of the most popular formats for blogs. But does volume affect SEO in article writing? Everything depends on the situation. There are two factors to consider when choosing the length of an article:
- Topic
- Search intent or intent.
The ideal length of an article depends on the topic. Let's say you're writing a text about how to take the perfect selfie and the invention of the digital camera. No matter how complicated the question of selfies seems to you, it will take longer to talk about the invention of the digital camera.
Search intent or user intent is the second main factor to consider when determining the length of an article. Does the user want to read a short or long article? If a person is interested in the history of digital photography, most likely, he is ready for voluminous material. And a person studying the issue of selfies needs brief advice on the matter.
A study from the Technical University of Denmark shows that too much information narrows the scope of collective attention in article writing. But long texts still rank well in search results. This does not mean that nothing shines for short material. He, too, can rise high. The ranking uses hundreds of factors. But is there an article size among them? Let's turn to statistics.
Statistics don't lie!
Statistics are a good starting point, but you need to remember that they can also be manipulated. So let's be clear from the start - regardless of length, there is good content and there is bad content. Studies evaluating hundreds or thousands of pages of content likely don't take into account quality. They only analyse the volume of the article and how it can affect the results in the search results.
Many people think that short posts are preferable, because they can be read faster. But will a short answer satisfy the user's search intent? Yes, some questions can be answered in one word, but such content can hardly be called high-quality.
A monosyllabic answer without additional explanations and sources will not satisfy Google. The search engine will not consider the content high quality and educational. Although sometimes one-word answers make their way to the first position in the search results, most often getting into the snippet.
Good content can be presented in a variety of formats. But it is distinguished by the presence of sources, a good visual component and competent formatting / structure. Google loves content to present facts and evidence, no matter what the topic is. Embedding all this into a long article is much easier. This is the reason why long content often ranks better than short content.
What does Google Say?
According to Google, the quantity of words in an article is not a ranking factor. Martin Splitt, a representative for the corporation, confirmed this. This demonstrates that, in Google's opinion, the number of words on a website does not define the quality of the content. As a result, a 1000-word piece will not be assessed to be of higher quality than a 500 word article.
However, this does not indicate that you should go overboard. Succinctness is, of course, the sister of talent, but you should avoid being unduly succinct. Google is unconcerned about the number of words in a search query; rather, the algorithms attempt to meet the search intent. It should be used to determine if a short or long article should be written. There is no need to waste words when a brief message will do to fulfil the search query.
Quality above all!
It is not worth pouring water in vain. Nobody wants a 2,500 word movie review that tells in four languages what a terrible haircut the protagonist had.
There are certain elements and scenes that distinguish a good film from a bad one. It is worth talking about them, and if necessary, explaining your position in more depth. When a person is looking for a movie review, it is important for him to know: was the movie good, why is it good or bad, and is it worth watching. The review must answer all three questions.
In addition, Google may recognize content that is of no value to the user. Therefore, if your long articles do not contain information in essence, you will not break through to the first positions in the search results.
Decide on the audience and keywords!
All good content has a purpose. To set it up, you need to study the target audience. You need to know who will be looking for and reading your content. You also need to consider intent in article writing. For example, is the user looking for basic information or trying to make a purchase? Content should reflect the user's intent at different stages.
Ideally, you first need to decide on the structure and create a plan for a future article. You must connect the goals of your website or business and the content you publish with the goals of your users. If you have decided on the target audience, but still do not understand how large the content should be, look at the examples from the SERPs.
Check the keywords you want to target and see what content is featured on the first page. The length of these submissions is a good example of how to respond to a search query. The content must satisfy it.
Don't focus solely on words in article writing!
High-quality content involves preliminary research and compliance with the search intent. However, it is not required to be in the form of text. Combine different formats. In some cases, the blog post format is not very suitable for presenting information. Detailed instructions can be presented in video format, and an interview with an industry expert in audio format.
If you're using audio and video format, make sure you include text that explains the content on the page and helps users find the content by keywords.
And what about the dry residue?
Content can be presented in different formats. You should not focus on the length of the text in 2.5 thousand words as the gold standard. Your main goal is to provide the most useful and optimized version of the content to your target audience that matches the search query. This will appeal to both the audience and search engines.
