Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, was at hand again to answer a recurring question about content length and SEO. Mueller’s answer gave a different approach to the subject that should clear up any confusion.
What content length performs better on Google search?
SEJ staff writer Roger Montti reported on a recurring question that many new writers and website owners grapple with.
Here’s the question on LinkedIn:
- “Hi John, is there an ideal content length that performs better on Google search results? Should we focus on creating longer, in-depth articles, or can short-form content rank just as well if it’s concise and valuable?”
Roger Montii rightly points out that the problem with the question is the question; here’s what he wrote:
- “The underlying problem is the question itself, which asks what should be done to make better content for Google, which is the opposite of what Google’s algorithms are set up to identify.”
Mueller’s response isn`t new
John Mueller’s reply is one he and others at Google have been saying for years: to focus on bringing unique value (ADD LINK WHEN SITE IS BACK) to the web, and that`s what Google’s algorithms identify.
Mueller’s answer:
- “There is no universally ideal content length. Focus on bringing unique value to the web overall, which doesn’t mean just adding more words.”
And here’s a screenshot with a similar reply Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, posted on X in 2023:
What Google algorithms identify
A simple search on Google using the above H3 as a search term will give you the following result from Wikipedia:
- PageRank (PR) is an algorithm used by Google Search to rank web pages in their search engine results. It is named after both the term “web page” and co-founder Larry Page. PageRank is a way of measuring the importance of website pages.
The last sentence answers the LinkedIn question and what Roger Montii is talking about when he says, “The underlying problem is the question itself.”
You’ll notice no mention of word count because Google doesn’t use it as a ranking factor.
Mueller said that on Reddit in 2019:
- “Word count is not a ranking factor. Save yourself the trouble.”
What does matter is providing unique value content that is relative and helpful to the searcher’s intent by answering the questions they’re looking for. And if you do it in 500 words, not 5000, all the better for the reader, right?
Google confirms this on its Keyword blog page:
- “We’re making algorithmic enhancements to our core ranking systems to ensure we surface the most helpful information on the web and reduce unoriginal content in search results.”
What is unique value content?
Some weren`t happy with Muller’s reply, with one user writing that Google should provide more information on what unique value content means.
The person who goes by SEObot asked Muller:
- “Do you have any example of content on the website that follows this and is able to get the Google love. “Focus on bringing unique value to the web overall, which doesn’t mean just adding more words.” This is a very vague and unrealistic ask if the GSC can start pinpointing this content/section as not making any sense or not adding any value.”
- “We really eager to learn and know how the content is actually generating value to the web. If all the value is being generated by top publishers/brands then what exactly the small publishers/niche site owners suppose to write to survive?”
Now, I’m not being pedantic, but one element of unique quality content is that while Google doesn`t consider correct grammar as a ranking factor, Mueller spoke about this recently (ADD LINK TO POST WHEN SITE IS BACK) and advised on ensuring your content is grammatically correct for your reader’s sake, and that is what he alludes to in his answer.
Muller’s reply:
- “SEOBot _ If you’re looking for a mechanical recipe for how to make something useful, that will be futile—that’s just not how it works, neither online nor offline. When you think about the real-world businesses near you that are doing well, do you primarily think about which numbers they focus on, or do you think about the products/services that they provide?”
Muller is saying to focus on your audience’s needs and how to fulfill them (like in a store or when providing a physical service), not on what Google wants or your quarterly spreadsheet.
The old idiom says, “Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.”
Mueller sums it up
The conversation about what Google looks for in content continued for a while until Mueller brought it to a close by saying:
- “If you count the words in best seller books, average the count, and then write the same number of words in your own book, will it become a best seller? If you make a phone that has the same dimensions as a popular smartphone, will you sell as many as they do? I love spreadsheets, but numbers aren’t everything.”
Quality, however, is.
