Search engines consider a lot when ranking websites, including content length. When companies launch a blog for their website, several questions arise. Among them are “how long should SEO-friendly content be?” and “how can I increase my search engine ranking?”

 With hundreds of thousands of online businesses competing for a spot at the top, strategic content creation is crucial. For some content, short and sweet is ideal. For others, an in-depth explanatory blog is the best route.

How can you determine the best content length to rank higher in search results? The answer is by creating a variety of shorter and longer content depending on what it will feature. The more written content you create, the more opportunity you have to boost rankings, which is why creating a blog on your website is a must. Unsure of how to get started with a blog for your business? Contact the blog writing experts at Marketing by Margaret for a quick turnaround by USA-based writers.

Is Content Length a Ranking Factor?

Whether content length plays a role in ranking is up for debate. While both sides have strong arguments, the takeaway is that content quality is the critical deciding factor. With content, there is not a one-size-fits-all for each article or blurb. Instead, there is an emphasis on providing information that users are looking for in an orderly, readable fashion accessible via desktop and mobile. Marketing by Margaret does not recommend padding an article just to hit an arbitrary word count. All of the content should provide value to the reader.

How Long Should Blog Posts Be?

There is a common misconception about the written word that less is better when online. However, that view is a bit skewed. It’s not about the overall length; it’s about the quality and conciseness of the content featured in the blog.

Ideally, content for your website should be between 300 and 2,000, depending on what you’re explaining. The more keywords and phrases you have on a page, the better. But it’s not just about jamming them into sentences. Keywords need to truly fit and make sense, triggering crawlers to choose your website based on the content it finds. Besides the number of words in a blog, search engines consider several factors when ranking websites.

Other Search Engine Ranking Factors

Search engine crawlers that rank websites have come a long way. They used to look at keywords and the number of inbound links, leading many companies to create gibberish-like content that featured misplaced keywords.

Improvements to algorithms have enhanced how crawlers rank websites on search engines. Most notably are keywords and phrases that users typically type into the search bar. These words should be the foundation of your content, strategically placed throughout to help flag your website and rank it above others.

Additionally, businesses should consider length, aiming for content above 1,000 words. The longer the content, the more opportunity there is to make or break your ranking on search engines, which is why quality counts. For longer content, format and readability become essential factors too. Search engines rank higher content that features:

• Headings
• Short paragraphs
• Readability
• Keywords
• Backlinks
• Inbound links

Be sure to add a good mix of these to each piece you publish to boost rankings and increase your credibility as an online business.

Search Engines Rank Longer Blogs Higher

The web is filled with information coming from all kinds of sources. To stand out in the entanglement of sites on the web, the quality of content is one of the most critical factors. Google’s top 10 results are dominated by longer content with an average word count of 2,000+.

Still, that doesn’t mean that longer content is always better. 85% of online content is less than 1,000 words, leaving an open playing field for longer, better thought-out content. In 2,000 words, you should aim for 20 long-tail keywords spread throughout the article. Additionally, consider providing quality, accurate information about your products and services, using it to boost your reputation. 

How Long Should Product Descriptions Be?

Product descriptions are different than your blog, though they still count as content. When searching for a product, users often skim a short description before swiping to the next. That means you have to catch them quickly and provide key details in an easy-to-read fashion.

For simple items that don’t require much explanation (a pair of jeans, for example), a description of fewer than 100 words is ideal. However, some specialty products need a longer explanation, detailing measurements, uses, advisories, and more. These kinds of product descriptions should not go over 600 words. If required, turn the specs and description into a blog instead of a product description, highlighting only the most essential information. 

Taking Mobile Surfing into Account

Improvements to mobile devices have turned them into our first source of information. Users tend to quickly look up things on their phones, preferring the tactile motions that allow them to switch between sites and browse products. Understanding that most users will access your site on a mobile device requires that you use mobile-first indexing, which will scale your website and content for mobile browsing.

Creating content that’s easily browsable on a mobile device differs from those made for desktop versions, mainly because users want to quickly scroll through content and find what they’re looking for. You may want to analyze your traffic to find out or create a plethora of content for mobile and desktop users.

The Power of Varying Content

Because several factors are considered when ranking websites on search engines, your aim should be to cater to all of them. But you can’t cram all factors into each blog. Instead, vary content by making a strategic plan to post both long and short content. The more variety you have, the more organic traffic you can access, spreading out into different niches throughout the web.

Consider posting educational blogs and videos at least once a month, blog posts a few times a week, and maintaining a constant presence on social media. All of these will factor into getting your name out there, pushing you further up search engine rankings.

Trust the Experts to Publish Your Blogs

Our writing staff at Marketing by Margaret understands how to best format your blogs for a maximum boost in the search rankings. Put your blogs in our capable hands so that you can get back to running your business. Our writers can tackle any article from 250 words up to 50,000 words. Please send us a message with what your specific needs are, and one of our representatives would be happy to get you more information.