1. Advertising
    y u no do it?

    Advertising (learn more)

    Advertise virtually anything here, with CPM banner ads, CPM email ads and CPC contextual links. You can target relevant areas of the site and show ads based on geographical location of the user if you wish.

    Starts at just $1 per CPM or $0.10 per CPC.

How many average words per article

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by susanfrench20, Jun 29, 2013.

  1. #1
    With google everday making this more complicated , I do think that an important factor for ranking better in search engines is to write more but I wonder how many words does somebody has to write daily to get more traffic . Can anybody can help me out with this , please .
     
    susanfrench20, Jun 29, 2013 IP
    Nanang02 likes this.
  2. alinasandor

    alinasandor Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    157
    Likes Received:
    11
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    140
    #2
    I recently read that long form articles work better for Google now. I've read 500-1,000 words. I have found that content is more important than word count, though. It seems as long as you write about popular topics the traffic comes no matter how long or short the article is. Hope that helps!
     
    alinasandor, Jun 29, 2013 IP
  3. lilc800

    lilc800 Active Member

    Messages:
    369
    Likes Received:
    3
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    70
    #3
    500-1,000 is best, but honestly the more the better (so I've heard).

    You should also check your keyword density keep it as a good amount but not too much because Google doesn't like that.
     
    lilc800, Jun 29, 2013 IP
  4. TextServices

    TextServices Active Member

    Messages:
    276
    Likes Received:
    140
    Best Answers:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    70
    #4
    Don't focus on word count. You can produce 300 to 1,000 words of good content or complete garbage. You might rank well in the search engines and get some viewers, but it won't do you a bit of good if your content is poor. Visitors won't click your links, they won't stay on your page, they won't bookmark your site, (or ever consider returning), they won't tweet, like a FB page, recommend your site, leave comments or anything of the sort as far as social media goes, and they certainly will not purchase anything from you. No one will purchase advertising on your site either. You will waste your hard earned traffic if the content on your site sucks.

    Write for people first. People have credit cards or other means to pay for something. People also become social media junkies. People will do what you want them to do if you write for people first and not to meet word count or some keyword density scheme. If you produce a decent site, one worth visiting, Google and other engines will reward you for it. Write as many words as you need to in order to add value for your readers. Why did they visit your site and what do you want them to do? What's in it for your readers? Are you giving them what they are looking for?

    Write naturally. Google will recognize it. It's when people start worrying about word count, keyword density, and the likes that the content begins to get sloppy, unnatural, and it loses it's value to your site or page visitors. Once that happens, you lost that visitor. You wasted your chance to get that visitor to do what you wanted them to do.

    Just simply write. If you have 300 words one time good. Next article might be 250. Next one might be 600. Another bit of content might be 1,000. Next batch of content might be 400 words you make go live on your site. All good. Just as long as what you are writing is good and not garbage. No one has the magical # of words that needs to appear on a page to make Google list your page well. There is no magical number. There are so many factors that come into play that no one can look at your site and say, "Google ranked your site well for this keyword because all your content was 500 - 1,000 words."

    Read Google webmaster tools even if you don't participate in the AdSense program. Google tells you what they want. Give Google what it wants and Google will take notice.
     
    TextServices, Jun 29, 2013 IP
    Senobia likes this.
  5. smellyfinger

    smellyfinger Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    665
    Likes Received:
    17
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    128
    Articles:
    11
    #5
    no bodies knows, all you get on net is manipulation. So best thing to do is to do things that you know best - write naturally !
     
    smellyfinger, Jun 29, 2013 IP
  6. zephyrwriting

    zephyrwriting Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    56
    Likes Received:
    4
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    118
    #6
    I agree with TextServices. In my experience the best way to approach content is to not get muddied trying to figure out long each individual article should be. Instead it's better to focus on the content itself.

    Think of it this way: If you were a reader, how much would you be interested in reading?

    One thing I have learnt however is that when writing long content (i.e. 1,000 words and more), factors such as paragraphing, subheadings, and sometimes even sneaky little 'tl;dr' insertions can really make a lot of difference to readers.

    Good luck!
     
    zephyrwriting, Jun 30, 2013 IP
  7. SCookAAM

    SCookAAM Active Member

    Messages:
    197
    Likes Received:
    83
    Best Answers:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    53
    #7
    Yes, TextServices said quite a bit of quality advice. I'd also add this, if I have any problem, it's not finding enough words, but writing too much. I can get into a topic and crank out 1500 words easily.
    The most important thing is that you are giving the reader what they want. You have somethign important to share and you share it in a way that is both informative and keeps their attention.
    It's not easy writing, it takes a lot of practice and a good degree of love for the craft to be effective. Keep trying, hire some help if need be, and always keep your audience in mind.
     
    SCookAAM, Jun 30, 2013 IP
  8. Kraven2

    Kraven2 Active Member

    Messages:
    1,104
    Likes Received:
    46
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    65
    #8
    As a rule of thumb anything with 200 words or more will have an SEO impact on your site. Good or bad depends on the content.
     
    Kraven2, Jul 2, 2013 IP
  9. SCookAAM

    SCookAAM Active Member

    Messages:
    197
    Likes Received:
    83
    Best Answers:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    53
    #9
    Just keep in mind: if something can be searched, it can be optimized. And optimization is not just keyword density, it's about the readability of an article from the standpoint of the human. And what is more interesting about this, is that the search engines can also determine if an article, or blog, or webpage, etc. was written that way. you'll get more Google, Yahoo, and Bing brownie points by writing a piece of content for human beings first and them second.
     
    SCookAAM, Jul 2, 2013 IP
    dcristo likes this.
  10. dcristo

    dcristo Illustrious Member

    Messages:
    19,776
    Likes Received:
    1,199
    Best Answers:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    470
    Articles:
    7
    #10
    I disagree with you OP. Making an article more lengthy if it's just full of fluff doesn't improve the article in fact it would make it worse. Write for your audience and the rest will take care of itself.
     
    dcristo, Jul 2, 2013 IP
  11. affilorama

    affilorama Active Member

    Messages:
    1,896
    Likes Received:
    20
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    80
    #11
    I don't think there is a general rule to this. The only thing to keep in mind when writing are your readers. Do you have the kind of readers that have the time to read through a 1500 word article, or would they be happy with an information-filled 700 article? Don't write a 300-word article that leaves readers in want of information, or a 900-word article of nonsense.

    Hope that helps. Have a good day!
     
    affilorama, Jul 4, 2013 IP
  12. coreygeer

    coreygeer Notable Member

    Messages:
    928
    Likes Received:
    310
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    240
    Digital Goods:
    1
    #12
    Alright, there is a major problem with a lot of common beliefs that clients and some writers both share.

    First, why do people focus so highly on the word count or the keyword density? There's no magical number to rank well in Google, but what people fail to focus on, is the quality of the content.

    Sure, I could write you some jumbled piece of garbage with 500 words and a 2% density, but if it's completely incoherent or offers nothing to the reader, it's not going to rank well.

    The article is probably going to have a high bounce rate, no one's going to link to it, no one's going to come back and read it again and the time spent on the page will probably be low.

    However, if the article is say 500 words, the keyword fits in naturally and isn't forced and is informative, then it'll probably rank well due to a number of conditions.

    I know a lot of the clients here in the wanting to hire section think that Google still goes by some magical number of words or a certain keyword density, but that isn't the case and all you're doing is trying to force yourself onto the search engines. People focus too much on ranking highly and they don't focus on the important thing which is what value are you providing your readers?

    There was a time when meta tags and other factors like density were easily tampered with to achieve high rankings for terms you had no business having but good luck to the people who'd like to make a profitable business out of doing that today. I'm glad Google is constantly evolving and changing for the better, I absolutely despise writing "forced" articles or articles that HAVE to have a certain density.
     
    coreygeer, Jul 5, 2013 IP
  13. SCookAAM

    SCookAAM Active Member

    Messages:
    197
    Likes Received:
    83
    Best Answers:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    53
    #13
    Thank you, CoreyGeer. That was a very good answer. And absolutely correct.

    The only thing I'd like to add is that search engines' primary job is to present the searcher with the best answer to their query. Articles do this very well, which is why they are so often and so highly ranked. But remember, these engines know what you are doing. They can detect the difference between an article written to be informative and for the benefit of their searchers and one written for them. They do not like articles written for them. They will be ignored by everyone.

    When you write, write for your human reader first and everything else will follow. People make buying decisions, not search engines.
     
    SCookAAM, Jul 5, 2013 IP
  14. anw001

    anw001 Active Member

    Messages:
    448
    Likes Received:
    2
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    63
    #14
    Its not about word count but the message contained in your article. How much information does your article give out? For example, some people are really good at writing summaries. They will take long pieces of information and write short summaries about the main points. This can be of huge benefit for people who don't want to read long articles or for those people who want to use it as reference later on.
     
    anw001, Jul 8, 2013 IP
    Spoiltdiva likes this.
  15. oo87

    oo87 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    447
    Likes Received:
    36
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    115
    Articles:
    1
    #15
    I agree, there is no magic number. The quality of content is far more important than the amount of words you put on the page.

    If I am writing on a topic, and it only takes 400 words, I would prefer to write it in that 400 words instead of diluting the quality of the content by padding it with more. If I am writing a topic that needs 2,000 words, I would prefer to write it in that 2,000 words instead of slashing it down to a less thorough version.

    Usually, I end up writing between 500 and 800 words for a standard blog post, 400 words for a standard news piece, and anything over 1,000 words for everything else. But that is just what tends to happen, rather than a strict rule I stand by.

    As for the issue of keyword density, again, there is no magic number. Your content should flow and sound good when you read it both in your head and out loud. The keywords you choose should be present, but not overwhelming enough that it breaks that flow. There is no point in ranking high in a search engine if you don't keep the visitors who show up. Which means focusing on quality, not quantity.
     
    oo87, Jul 8, 2013 IP
  16. marcom

    marcom Member

    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    1
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    48
    #16
    Some guys research/write 8 hours on a super-awesome article with 2,000 - 3,000 words.
    If you do it right you can get mass of traffic from this method.
    Source: http://thinktraffic.net/50k-in-first-month
     
    marcom, Jul 10, 2013 IP
  17. Michael Levanduski

    Michael Levanduski Active Member

    Messages:
    154
    Likes Received:
    31
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    73
    #17
    I normally go with 400-1500 depending on the subject. When writing for myself I write the exact number of words required to get my point across well, and not a word more.

    Michael
     
    Michael Levanduski, Aug 16, 2013 IP
  18. averyz

    averyz Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    167
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    115
    #18
    I think it is better to think of the reader. If you have a weak subject and fill the page with 1500 words of fluff you will just have a huge bounce rate, if you had the same subject written in a short witty 200 word article and reader make it all the way though it will look nice to the SEs.

    When readers hit fluff then look down and see blocks more of text they will bounce.
     
    averyz, Aug 17, 2013 IP
  19. Auxi

    Auxi Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    237
    Likes Received:
    12
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    #19
    Actually it is the less the better :p If you are not working on science essay but writitng for impatient people with no time (97% of readers)
     
    Auxi, Aug 18, 2013 IP