Longer forms of editorial content and blogs are best for boosting SERPs on Google, according to a new poll conducted by news website Search Engine Journal (SEJ).
A third of respondents said that a blog post over 1,000 words but less than 2,000 is “recommended” for those who want their content to rank well in search engine listings. A quarter also claimed that an article with 1,000 words or less is ideal, while 32% said that “it depends” on the topic at the hand and how it fits into wider content marketing aims.
The pivot towards longer written word content output comes in the wake of Google’s recent Panda update, which aims to purge lower-quality pages from SERPs and reward those publishing unique, engaging and compelling blogs and articles.
Not too long ago, a 200-word piece appeared to be the norm for brands, but content saturation and the desire to deliver added value to end users has resulted in them opting for more in-depth, editorial articles and blogs.
While between 1,000 words and 2,000 words appears to be the sweet spot for marketers right now, SEJ noted that each website and publication platform is “unique”. As such, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to deliver the best returns in terms of SEO, though it is certainly a valid strategy to use.
Insightful, thought-provoking content does not have to top out at 2,000 words though, as 11% said that writing blogs with several thousand words is best for improving search rankings.
