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Will it hurt my site ranking if my blog post is less than 300 words?

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by NextGe, Oct 11, 2014.

  1. #1
    Hi,

    Will my site ranking get affected if my blog post is less than 300 words? Let me explain a bit on my case. My blog post is 100% original written by me. The blog post is so short because the instruction is very straightforward and simple.

    Let me give an example, "How to change the number of blog post displayed on WordPress". The instruction is very simple. Just login and go to "Setting > Reading", change the number of post from there. You are done. Just as simple as that.

    With introduction and ending, it is possible to make it to 100++ words. However, it is quite difficult to make it to 300 words.

    So will the thin content like this hurt my site ranking??
     
    Solved! View solution.
    NextGe, Oct 11, 2014 IP
  2. Poupoupidou

    Poupoupidou Member

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    #2
    No, one post alone won't sink your rankings. Moreover, if your post answers a question precisely and completely in few words, then that is fine. If you fill it with fluff to try to please search engines, then users won't find it interesting. Since search engines (and especially Google) follows users, they would sink your post's rankings as a consequence.

    In other words, the real question is: does your post provide original and useful information to users? This is a case where size does not matter...
     
    Poupoupidou, Oct 11, 2014 IP
  3. #3
    The number of words for a post might be considered relevant, but not as relevant as the worth of the post.
    What I mean is, you could have a 2000 word post, but if it doesn't hold the attention of the reader it's not worth having. Similarly, a short 200 word post might be all that is needed to provide the information the reader is looking for.

    I would suggest looking at what really needs to be in the post to satisfy a reader. For instance, if they need an answer to a basic question like this, it's fair to assume they are a Wordpress beginner, so why not add other useful/related information to that post? Link it to previous posts relevant to that subject, include screen shots, explain why someone might want this answer, are there any alternative solutions?

    There is a suggestion that Google can calculate how long a reader should be on a page, if they find it useful (a post of 200 words might result in a visit of a couple of minutes, while a page with 2000 words should result in a much longer visit), and this signal could be used to value the content. You can increase this without trying to be manipulative by linking it to previous relevant content, so if a reader spends 2 minutes following that, you could have them click through a link at the end of it to read another relevant post, this would increase their visit time and show Google that you have provided relevant and worthwhile content on more than just that single page. This should, in theory, increase the worth of all those posts connected to each other.
     
    Conran, Oct 12, 2014 IP
  4. NextGe

    NextGe Active Member

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    #4
    I see. Thank for the advice.
     
    NextGe, Oct 13, 2014 IP
  5. Stop Byte

    Stop Byte Member

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    #5
    Not to sure to be honest, but I always look at it like this-less words, more frequent you post..
     
    Stop Byte, Oct 13, 2014 IP
  6. KylieSweet

    KylieSweet Well-Known Member

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    #6
    When it comes to rankings it is not based on how many words that an article might have as long as the interesting content engage with your targeted audience, it will mean a lot for the search engine. Even it is a short story but holds the complete information that the visitors are looking for, it will be considered as benefit to them. A good signal to Google.
     
    KylieSweet, Oct 13, 2014 IP
  7. CYCchips

    CYCchips Active Member

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    #7
    I dont think so,,but if it is only article :) it can hurt your seo but it still a good 300 word article man keep hops and make it happen good luck
     
    CYCchips, Oct 13, 2014 IP
  8. Conran

    Conran Active Member

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    #8
    It's also important to structure your post correctly, this doesn't only tell Google that you have everything you need for the searcher, it's also naturally good for the reader to have a natural flow.

    For example, you might present an informative post about Tropical fish by explaining things in this order, with anchor links in the top to each section of the post...

    1. What are tropical fish, how are they different to other fish, what families of tropical fish are there, lifespan etc.
    2. Their environment, what someone needs to house them
    3. Which tropical fish live happily together, common fish
    4. Caring for them, cleaning and routine tasks etc.
    5. Additional information, links to other resources.

    As you can see, this would provide a lot of opportunities for becoming an authority. It wouldn't take a lot to get a good ranking for several keywords with such thorough content. There is also a lot of opportunity to place profitable links, if you were an affiliate or had a retail business.

    As natural content becomes more important for gaining good Google attention, making a post as thorough as it can be is the best option to take, while making it easy for the reader to locate what they are seeking.
     
    Conran, Oct 18, 2014 IP
  9. patco

    patco Well-Known Member

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    #9
    It depends if you try to sell something or just an informative post (for content!). If you sell something, you can't expect your buyer to read 2000 words... You should grab his attention even after the title and the short review and directly link to Amazon (for example!). If it's for content and you do it ONLY for SEO, then yes, even 3000 words is a good thing, but I personally will write 4-5 articles of 500-700 words each :)
     
    patco, Oct 20, 2014 IP
    Conran likes this.
  10. Conran

    Conran Active Member

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    #10
    I agree with the principle of immediately grabbing attention, but this is about providing comprehensive information and making your content stand out from everyone else offering the same limited content. I would recommend giving the buyer the short version, with a link to the buying option, but then continue the content for those who do want more information - and for better SEO.

    I see this a lot in affiliate sales and marketing blog posts; people think they need to grab the attention of the visitor and that a wall of text - which would be great for SEO - is going to put them off. This is why structure of the content is vitally important. If you arrive on a post and you're confronted by a wall of text you might be put off and click right back out again, but there is no doubt this higher level of informative content is more appropriate for SEO. So, why not offer the basic information at the top of the post, with images and links, and then provide an anchor to a full review or more considerably content further down the page?

    You are providing everything for everyone by doing this. Google gets the text content it needs for great SEO, your hasty reader gets the most important information and the link they want right at the top (above the fold, as they say) and those actually wanting a full experience with a wealth of information also have the content there to read through, which also makes it more likely to be shared.

    Don't ever feel you have to decide between creating full content or pleasing a scanning searcher, you can do it all with the right layout. This is, ultimately, what Google has been saying for years; provide the best, most informative, most user-friendly content and you will achieve far more than your competitors who don't seem to "get it".
     
    Conran, Oct 21, 2014 IP
  11. Resource9

    Resource9 Member

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    #11
    It is not about 300 words or 2000 words, it is about the value you create through the words. You can post a short article, this will not affect your keyword rankings or the traffic coming to your website; however, if you post an article that lacks in readability, content and value creation, then even a 2000 or 5000 words article wont help.
     
    Resource9, Oct 22, 2014 IP
  12. AndrewSpark

    AndrewSpark Greenhorn

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    #12
    I don't think so. As long as you are posting unique and high-quality content, you're safe.
     
    AndrewSpark, Oct 23, 2014 IP
  13. jewelraz

    jewelraz Active Member

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    #13
    Okay, I don't think its going to hurt your website's ranking as long as visitors of your website engage with your contents (find contents relevant, helpful, useful, and more importantly not boring). You don't have to write unnecessary sentences to increase word counts but always share what will be helpful for your readers. Your readers will like it and Google bot will like it! Google Bot is not a bot anymore... It's becoming human day by day!
     
    jewelraz, Oct 23, 2014 IP
  14. mdhuamitha.mahesh

    mdhuamitha.mahesh Greenhorn

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    #14
    @NextGe Google is not at all considering number of words. Their main focus on panda "to provide unique and relevant content". Google mainly focus on quality (unique content) then quantity (number of words). If your competitor provide unique content and more than 500 words google will show their webpage first.
     
    mdhuamitha.mahesh, Oct 23, 2014 IP
  15. vnairp11

    vnairp11 Well-Known Member

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    #15
    I think your posts should be at least 400-600 words and you should be ok. In your case I would combine multiple word press tips into one blog post. I know it is hard to make such posts longer but you can always start off describing the problem in one paragraph then go on to describing the solutions.
     
    vnairp11, Oct 23, 2014 IP