Does Word Count Affect SEO?
Word count is not a direct ranking factor. Google has explicitly stated that it does not use word count to determine quality. However, comprehensive content that thoroughly covers a topic tends to be longer — and that comprehensiveness does correlate with rankings.
Recommended Lengths by Content Type
- Blog posts (informational): 1,500–2,500 words
- Pillar pages / ultimate guides: 3,000–8,000 words
- Product pages: 300–800 words
- Landing pages: 500–1,500 words depending on complexity
- News articles: 300–600 words
- Email newsletters: 200–500 words
The Comprehensiveness Principle
Write as many words as the topic requires to fully answer the searcher's question — no more, no less. Padding content with repeated ideas or tangential information to hit a word count target actively hurts quality scores. Use our Word Counter to track length while writing.
Readability Over Length
A 500-word article with a Flesch reading ease score of 70+ will outperform a 2,000-word article with a score of 30 for most general audiences. Aim for clear, direct writing. Use the Readability Score tool to measure and improve your text.
Try the free tools mentioned in this article: Word Counter — no signup required.
