I've just finished replying to an email that asked me to confirm how many blog posts would be 1,000 words and how many would be 2,000 words in my proposal.
I gave them an honest answer...
"I really don't know."
Sure, I preach long-form content as a high-value marketing asset.
But don't get me wrong. Writing to a word count is very 2002.
How can you say that?
Let's look at what Google says matters most in its latest update (the helpful content update).
The helpful content update aims to better reward content where visitors feel they've had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn't meet a visitor's expectations won't perform as well.
No mention of word count.
So does that mean getting to the point quickly will be rewarded?
Or will we still see blog posts 3,000 words long and including What is XYZ? when, in all reality, the reader probably knows what XYZ is otherwise they wouldn't be Googling something else related to it.
My buddy, Araminta, made the same point on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/mintcstudios/status/1583014182836133888?s=20&t=ZnFDSpt3JnpUrLNtT9hXJQ
I lost count (a long time ago) of the number of times I've seen What is Microsoft Teams? at the beginning of blog posts targeting long-tail keyphrases.
I wanted to know how to change a particular setting in the Teams admin centre. I bloody well know what Microsoft Teams is.
What do you think I did?
I clicked back and went to the next article on Google.
Did this make for a "satisfying experience" or is it "content that doesn't meet a visitor's expectations"?
What people really want is the answer to their question.
And Google recognises this.
Have you searched something recently and had the answer displayed directly on Google?
It's clearly from someone's content but you don't need to click it to see the answer.
That's Google understanding what searchers want.
That's why we're seeing more featured snippets than ever before.
That's why marketing teams who loaded up their content with irrelevant information have lost their places in the SERPs.
That's why more videos appear on Google. Sometimes you need a five-minute walk through video instead of second-guessing yourself through pixelated screenshots.
Simply cramming more words into your post doesn't make your content comprehensive.
Wait, I haven't optimised for the helpful content update yet
First up, Google's only advice is to keep adhering to its original advice of writing for humans, not machines, while applying SEO best practices.
And if you haven't been doing that...why the heck not?
Here's what "helpful content" entails...
Can you demonstrate first-hand experience and expertise?
Is there a clear beginning, middle, and end to your post?
Would your existing audience find this content helpful?
Have you solved the problem the searcher had?
But why stop there?
Here's what the great content includes:
Real accounts from people who used to have the same problem
Visuals to aid what your words try to explain
Expert opinion from thought leaders
An enjoyable reading experience
Research from credible sources
A reason to stay on the page
The good news is that SEO is forgiving.
Unless you've made a total hash of your content, retrieving your spot on the first page of Google isn't impossible.
If you have super-long articles that took days to write but aren't ranking where you'd like, follow these steps:
Identify the search intent for your target keyphrase: what does the reader expect to gain when their click your post?
Satisfy the search intent above the fold: don't make the reader go looking for what they searched.
Get quotes from experts in the field: who's been there and done it before?
Cut out the fluff: if you've included content that's irrelevant, remove it.
Cut out the fluff: really, you've got to get rid of it.
Cut out the fluff: assuming you did it in steps 3 and 4, remove the content that's incredibly loosely related. It probably doesn't belong in this post. It'll feel wrong but it makes for better content and Google will reward you.
How long does it take Google to reward helpful content?
Good question.
And one nobody other than Google has the answer to.
And let's be real for a moment. It changes all the time. It's not like every third Tuesday is Google's content review meeting.
When Google rolls out most updates, it confirms that you're already too late.
Your past does impact your future.
For context, Google usually suggests it's taken your last two weeks' (give or take) worth of data and content and will apply what it's learned when rolling out updates.
The rest of your site impacts new or refreshed content too. There's no shortcutting this process.
Any content — not just unhelpful content — on sites determined to have relatively high amounts of unhelpful content overall is less likely to perform well in Search, assuming there is other content elsewhere from the web that's better to display. For this reason, removing unhelpful content could help the rankings of your other content.
Again, no mention of word count.
In fact, Google has repeatedly communicated that word count is not a ranking factor.
https://twitter.com/dannysullivan/status/1564920866915454976?s=20&t=LFAHpwca3QxzDacUI9-8qQ
For context, this tweet stems from the error in Google Search Console stating that some articles are too short (and they should be at least 80 words).
Now, for bloggers, that might seem alien. But they do exist.
However, to confirm Google's stance on word count, the "Article is too short" and "Word Count" errors have now been removed from Search Console entirely.
In summary
I fully believe that content marketers writing for the benefit of the reader - and not the word count - will be the most successful in years to come forever.
Recommended reading:
Featured Snippets: Hero Or Hype? by Brett McGrath
Google: Word Count Is Not A Ranking Factor by Barry Schwartz
Search Intent: Optimise Your Content For Better Clicks by Althea Storm
Above The Fold Content: Just How Important Is It? by Meryl D'Sa-Wilson
Long-Form Content Vs Short-Form Content: Ultimate Showdown by Yours Truly