That’s Too Short!
Why a Longer Page is (Almost) Always Better for SEO
Some of the most common problems I see with fledgling websites are pages that are too darn short! But some clients push back when I recommend 800-1200 words per page. After all, won’t people get bored reading super long content? Is there really any need for a page to stretch on and on when it could just as easily be a thirty word product description? WHAT AM I THINKING?!
Well, there are a lot of reasons why a longer webpage is almost always better for SEO. Let’s go through them one by one.
A longer page will naturally have more keywords
We’ve all heard of keywords. We know every website needs them. But what are keywords, actually? Where do they come from, and how do you use them?
The answer is SO SIMPLE. Keywords are just the words that appear on your site. Putting keywords in certain places will make them stronger (menus, URLs, and headings, for starters) but in reality every word and phrase on a webpage is a keyword.
Even if you don’t think you’re using a keyword in a given sentence, it’s entirely possible that some madman is searching for the exact obscure phrase that appears in your content. We call phrases like those “longtail keywords,” and they can appear accidentally. But if you actually plan them, well, all the better!
But main content isn’t the only place that a longer page can hide keywords. A longer page can also use multiple heading tags (read my post “What is an H Tag?“), and each one of those heading tags is a valuable keyword opportunity.
If your page has one main subject, like “Couples Massage,” then you might have a heading that says “Massage for Two,” another that says “Romantic Massage in Evansville,” and another getting really specific with “Affordable Couples Massage Deals.” Those heading tags might not make sense on a different page on your site, but they sure go great on your “Couples Massage” page. If your page was too short, you’d miss your opportunity to use all of those fantastic keywords.
Google values authoritative content
Here’s something we know: Google wants the best page on a given subject to rank the highest.
But how does Google know which page is the best? Well, we know some of the elements that go into Google’s algorithm, but no one knows the exact formula (which, incidentally, changes on a semi-daily basis). But let me ask you to think like an algorithm. Which page seems better: the one with barely any information that was probably written in ten minutes, or the one that covers every aspect of a topic and looks like it took two hours to write?
AI is getting pretty smart these days, but we don’t think Google can tell or even cares how well written a webpage is. But it sure as tootin’ can tell which one of two pages is longer.
We don’t know EXACTLY what authoritative means to Google. But one way you can try to be more authoritative is to write longer pages than your competitors. You might have to get creative to make this work for your subject matter. But almost every SEO will agree that you’re better off with content that’s too long than content that’s too short.
Time on page is a ranking factor
The time that each user spends on your webpage is absolutely a ranking factor. The longer the average user spends on your page the better.
You know a good way to ensure that no one spends time on your page? Make it short. That way even if they read every word they’re gone in a heartbeat.
If you make your page longer, it takes longer to read, and the average user spends more time on your page. That’s a positive signal as far as Google is concerned.
Make sense, right?
So is there any reason why a webpage shouldn’t be 20,000 words long?
Good question. First, I ask you to consider Wikipedia. Wikipedia is basically an SEO agency’s dream of the perfect website. Some of those Wikipedia articles are pretty long, huh? And I bet you’ve spent a decent chunk of time reading every word of some of them. So how do they rank? Pretty near the top for practically every keyword.
BUT to play devil’s advocate, sure, there are good reasons why your content should be designed to be read. If Google sees that users are only scrolling through twenty percent of your webpage before clicking away, that could theoretically be a negative ranking signal.
Furthermore, you want your website to be highly functional, not just fluff. If you’re writing words just to be writing words, you’re doing it wrong. Your website should be like a good book. Your users should read it because they’re glued to the page. Sometimes that means you need to know when to write The End.
Speaking of that…
Contact Accuracy SEO for help making those LONG webpages
Not everybody has the time or inclination to make their webpages 800-1200 words long. Accuracy SEO does. Get started with Content Creation, or just read another super long article below!
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That's Too Short! Why a Longer Page is (Almost) Always Better for SEO
Some of the most common problems I see with fledgling websites are pages that are too darn short! But WHY do I say this? What am I thinking?!