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.
