A question we often get asked (and rightly so) is: “How long should the text on page XY be in order to rank well?”. There are many answers to this question and none of them are correct. The fact is that content with a length of approx. 1700 to 2400 words ranks best according to data from various agencies. But as we know, correlation does not equal causality. It may well be that these pages rank so well because they are not only informative but also entertaining or helpful. A brand or product text will never get to 2400 words, let alone need it, but it can still rank well.
A good copywriter can easily need two to three hours for so many words. If we also have to deal with keywords and incorporate them in a meaningful way, it can sometimes take even longer, depending on the complexity of the topic. Of course, in times of ChatGPT and Co. there are ways to reduce these times, but if you want to have a handmade and good text, it takes time, because creativity does not grow on trees. (Are you interested in content marketing in times of artificial intelligence? Then take a look at our related blog post here: (https://www.hello-performance.com/de/blog/content-marketing-in-zeiten-von-kuenstlicher-intelligenz/ )
Long or short content: What works best?
Here’s a short and admittedly unsatisfactory answer: it depends on your goal. Every piece of content you publish has a different purpose.
Long content (usually more than 1,000 words) is great for in-depth articles, guides and white papers. This type of content allows you to dive deep into a topic, provide valuable insight and showcase your knowledge and experience.
Also, long content tends to be better picked up by search engines, but that doesn’t mean Google prefers a higher word count. Short content (300 to 600 words) is great for social media posts, certain blog posts and email newsletters. Short content allows you to get a message across quickly and succinctly. They are also easier to share.
Now when you talk about content length and SEO, the answer is a little more complex. It is recommended that you ask yourself what length best meets the needs of searchers.
The ideal length for a long article
According to Search Engine Journal, long articles are at least 1,000 words long. As for the ideal length, Wordstream’s research has shown that the best blogs over the last three years average 2,700 to 3,000 words.
To make things (a little) easier, Wordstream has established the following three rules to determine the best length for long articles:
1) When in doubt, it is long.
2) In any case, it must provide added value.
3) It should contain various important keywords
What should you take away from this? Well, you could always aim for over 2,000 words to avoid thinking too much. But that might not be the best approach – especially if the topic doesn’t warrant that many words or if you can compete against other top search engine results pages (SERPs) with far fewer words.
When is short content particularly suitable?
Many define short content as up to 1,200 words. The Search Engine Journal, however, sets the limit at 1,000 words.
For which contents is this particularly suitable?
- Compact instructions/explanations
- Opinion pieces
- Short reviews
- survey articles
- Latest news/updates
But don’t forget social media posts, newsletter texts and emails. In addition, short videos are trendy right now and can put your content in the spotlight. With short content, you can also serve search intent and build brand awareness.
Ideal length of short content:
For texts, you should ideally stay below 1,200 words. However, it is challenging to determine the perfect length, as opinions differ on the “ideal” length.
If SEO is your priority: Studies show that posts under 1,000 words generate an average of 3.47 shares and links. With 1,000 to 2,000 words, the average is 6.92 shares and links.
For short videos, Google recommends a length of under 10 minutes. According to HubSpot, videos should be considered “short” if they are under 60 seconds – ideally between 31 and 60 seconds.
And now?
Just as with longer posts, you should not focus exclusively on length as an SEO criterion. It is only one aspect of many. In the end, your content should match your goals and the interests of your target audience. Provide quality content that is relevant and make it as long as it needs to be. Also consider the platform you are publishing on, the context of your content and what you want to communicate to your audience.
