Does length of articles or blogs matter or not

by igg
25 replies
  • SEO
  • |
I keep hearing about long articles being better for SEO and bringing in more clicks and shares, is that a myth or does it have some merit in your opinion?
#articles #blogs #length #matter
  • Profile picture of the author TeKn1qu3z
    People are saying as you posted, but the searcher only looks for a single word answer, rather than having more words content.
    An example
    I have searching the city of some country.
    The answer would be in a single word not in paragraphs about the city. My short articles still brings traffic for my blog.
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  • Profile picture of the author DivyaRai
    Length of the article does not matter, but it should be more than 500 words in a article and its should be good enough to attract the visitors with standard contents.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dr los3
      Originally Posted by DivyaRai View Post

      Length of the article does not matter, but it should be more than 500 words in a article and its should be good enough to attract the visitors with standard contents.
      LOL!! "Doesn't matter" but it should be more than 500 words
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  • Profile picture of the author Brown2
    The length of an article and blog can be between 500 to 1600 words. But, the blog or article that you write should have high quality and unique content.
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  • Profile picture of the author KylieSweet
    Originally Posted by igg View Post

    I keep hearing about long articles being better for SEO and bringing in more clicks and shares, is that a myth or does it have some merit in your opinion?

    Originally Posted by DivyaRai View Post

    Length of the article does not matter, but it should be more than 500 words in a article and its should be good enough to attract the visitors with standard contents.
    You stated that it doesn't matter then it should be more than 500 words?
    Which is really your answer?

    Anyway, there are no standard length short or long as long as it is unique, interesting, helpful, and engaging that will do for the targeted users.
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  • Profile picture of the author dewalds86
    From Google point of view long meaningful and relevant content does help allot for SEO. The more content you have the more keywords you can ad and the better you will rank.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Ogden
    Originally Posted by igg View Post

    I keep hearing about long articles being better for SEO and bringing in more clicks and shares, is that a myth or does it have some merit in your opinion?
    I personally tend to think of an Article as being a minimum of 600 words with an optimum size being between 1600- 2500 anything smaller I refer to as a blog post with an optimum size being between 300- 500.

    I regard blogs posts as being something that I will produce everyday whereas an article will take more time to put together. Longer article should aim to keep your readers on your site for around seven minutes on one particular subject during which time they can read around 1,600 words.

    A blog may display say 3 smaller post total ling the same 1,600 words however the reader could be reading about a mixture of subjects which be confusing.

    I read a post on another forum just the other day ,from a friend of mine, who actually writes content every day which he builds into articles or around 1,600 words and he has found this very effective for his SEO purposes I think I might even consider this approach myself in the future.
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  • Profile picture of the author Koolsteve
    I have pages ranking on the first page of Google with less than 100 words. The point I make is that it is the content of the article that counts. If the content contains really good information then visitors will reference that content by putting a link on their site pointing back to your page with this WOW content. If it's that good then chances are it will go viral and you end up with 100's of NATURAL backlinks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Slade556
    I'd say it does matter, a 200-300 word article is definitely too short to offer any valuable information, so I agree that a good article should have between 500-600 words, at least!
    However, it also depends on what you're writing about. On some topics, you can write 1,500 words and still not be done. With other topics, writing that much will probably result in your readers getting bored.
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  • Profile picture of the author SEO Power
    Longer articles are more likely to generate more clicks and shares than shorter articles. But you don't have to write a long article when it's not necessary. If you can convey all the information you need to convey in 500 words, don't write a fluffy 1000-word article.
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  • Profile picture of the author ibtech
    One should not think about content length instead keep your article interesting, up to date, and relevant to the topic. Then build links from relevant and high quality sources, this will certainly help you to rank your article on search engines.
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  • Profile picture of the author linathinfotech
    You can write too many paragraphs of contents but no one want to read it. If you really want traffic and rankings write in a proper format with H1 and H2. Also add some points in the contents, it makes your content more readable.
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  • Profile picture of the author kushalshah
    Longer the content, more are the chances of getting it ranked on search engines because bots just love detailed content.

    PS: The content should be analytical and insightful.
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  • Profile picture of the author jeffreysloe
    In search for the "correct" answer, I went to Google and did a search for additional information about the length of articles or posts. Just as in this thread, there are many many answers, and many many differences in opinions. However, the best answer I found is, "it depends." So, what does it depend on?

    If your selling a product or service, or asking someone to signup to receive your newsletter, a shorter article/blog post, may be better. Remember, you're trying to get the reader (potential customer) to take action. In this case, shorter is better, so it's best to "keep it short and sweet." I know there have been studies done about a reader's attention span, and if theirs is like mine, I'm sure it's probably really short.

    If your looking to engage with your readers by having them interact, longer articles/posts are better. According to research, readers usually stay on that type of page longer. My research has also reveled that "longer posts are excellent for SEO." In an in-depth research study conducted by serpIQ, (How Important is Content Length? Why Data-Driven SEO Trumps Guru Opinions - The serpIQ Blog), the study states that of the top 10 results returned they have over 2000 words on the page. You can read the article and it will explain the research behind the results.

    This is not the only article I found saying that longer articles are better for SEO. Most of the posts concur that:

    1. longer articles give you more flexibility with your keywords, because every bit of content is crawled, and
    2. longer posts "increase the chance" of getting backlinks.

    Although these posts are opinions of the author, unless backed by verifiable research, longer articles are better for SEO. But, since longer articles have worked for some, and shorter articles have worked for others, and since we all have our own opinion, why change, and do something else. If it's not broken, don't fix it. RIGHT!

    If we go back and answer the original question, are longer articles being better for SEO, from my research, I'd have to say yes. On the other hand, I'd have to say, "it depends" on the purpose of the post.
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  • Profile picture of the author dervaish
    length of article does not matter in SEO, main deal is that you can deliver your idea in limited words.
    Now a days reading is not interested in long articles.
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  • Profile picture of the author settyplastics
    Length of article should be more than 500 words.
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  • Profile picture of the author Yasin Rishad
    Long tail content have a good value on search engine. Word actually doesn't matter if your article unique, relevant and full of informative. If you can make all of this in a article then it will be great.
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  • Profile picture of the author NikVerma
    The basic logic behind using lengthy article is that you can easily modify your content if you are posting it after reading it somewhere else. As well you can easily stuff your keywords at a much better place as well as you can also make use of multiple keywords at different places. Using this technique you also abide to the rules of SEO and you can also better optimize your site for better results.
    But the main facts while writing article should be:
    1. It should be unique.
    2. It show be divided in a well maintained manner.
    3. No over stuffing of keyword.
    4. If you are using technical keyword than make your post very simple so that every reader can easily understand your thought.

    Hope above tips works for you!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dokemion
    Articles are meant to be structured with information that fits your target audience!

    Different niches will demand different article structures. I'll give you some example of what I am talking here.

    For How To- Articles: - The use of Bullets, Numbering or other forms of <li></li> thing.
    For News Article - This will usually be structured with long sentences, paragraphs with some evident photos and videos.

    You can Google the rest..

    So the Answer to your question is that the length or number of words in an article/posts/pages will Matter to the demand of your NICHE!
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  • Profile picture of the author Paisajeeto101
    Readers generally want a short/ To the point content, related to their query. Why would anyone want to spend so much time reading a lengthy article? Just stick to the point and the readers shall be happy.
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  • Profile picture of the author tuneup
    For about 12 months now I found that Google practically ignores anything less than 400 words. Its more like 600 to 1000 words now which is much more difficult as far as time is concerned to bujild in a timely manner. Even using spinners each spinner article needs to be edited to make it sound like English as "read".
    The use of small images and alt text in each of the spun articles is also of benefit because they look more natural.
    The use of links in posts as well help. Keeping Google at your site is a huge benefit although using different links in the post if posting in web 2.0 sites seems an advantage
    I like to use links that expose different sites you own from the same or spun posts again this looks more natural from an seo perspective
    Regards
    Brian
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    Internet tools made simple I always begin at the beginning but I didn't invent the universe first
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    • Profile picture of the author DonConrad
      For my commentary on this subject, if I'm writing about my servers or products depends on if I feel like writing that day. I might only write a three or four paragraphs article targeting on the keywords I am going after. For the most part I'm just looking for good content and for it to make sense.
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      • Profile picture of the author Chrisrocs
        Originally Posted by DonConrad View Post

        For the most part I'm just looking for good content and for it to make sense.
        This seems like the safest way to approach things. Rather than trying to abide by some kind of mold with your content, or trying to "hamfist" some predetermined word count (resulting in really bloated articles that just run on about the same things over and over, ultimately leaving your readers bored) keep it reader friendly and natural.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jimilof
    I think It depends what you want to your blog to accomplish. Is it an auto blog or meant for human consumption? I tend to like post that are short, sweet and to the point. I feel like most people nowadays have really short attention spans so if you can make all of your points and grab the attention of your reader then go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author kamaldeepchandel
    If you are perfect in "providing the solutions" but describe your answer in just 10-15 words then it is not beneficial for your blog. Google wants long information with meaningful and relevant content and it will help you a allot that's why you need at least 400 words in your blog post or articles.

    These days most of the blogger and internet marketer post 1400 words article on their blog because the more content you have the better you will rank in Google and other search engine as well.
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