Every writer at some point or another has struggled with word count. Whether it is falling short of a required length or writing your own personal novel, word count has been an elusive goal.

In digital marketing circles, the rules remain the same. Posts that are too short or too long can hinder your rankings, while content that is at an adequate length performs better. When writing, it is easy to settle for a mere 250 word post because it’s quick and easy. However, this length doesn’t support the substantial information that your potential readers need.

If your page isn’t useful, then your audience will look to other sites for the answers they are looking for. Word count is an important factor when dealing with SEO, so here are 4 reasons to make sure your post is an appropriate length to best maximize SEO strategies.

1. Give Your Reader A Page Worth Sharing

Your goal as a digital copy writer is to write with the intention of growing your audience.

No one is likely to promote your mere 250 word post as it only scratches the proverbial surface of the topic rather than provide a thorough explanation of the problem. Write a piece that is long enough to include all of the necessary details that your reader may be looking for.

When your audience realizes that your post resolves their problem, they will share it so others can see it and possibly apply the concepts themselves. Social media is a breeding ground for viral activity, so make sure you take advantage of the platform’s ability to boost your exposure.

2. Enhance Your Content’s Authority

Make sure your content is solid and lengthy enough to be effective. Shorter posts will likely not have the respect of a more lengthy and thorough piece. If your post adequately answers a question, then your post may eventually become an authority on the subject. When this happens, your content may be used as a source for additional articles. These articles will provide links to your content, increasing your search ranking due to higher traffic from the site.

3. Keep Your Readers Engaged

A successful writer manages to maintain their audience until the last word. However, with the shift of technology, this becomes a much more difficult feat. Most readers will come to a page and if it doesn’t match what they are looking for, they will leave to find information elsewhere. This is known as “bounce rate” and can significantly hurt your site’s rankings.

Shorter posts will only keep your reader engaged a short time, even if the copy is well-written. Longer posts will pull in your audience for a much longer visit on your page, thus making your content more successful.

Google will note how long your visitors stay on your page to gauge future rankings. Sites with lots of traffic that linger are rewarded with higher rankings, while pages that have a high bounce rate are much lower.

4. Avoid TL;DR

One caution with writing longer content is the TL;DR (Too long, didn’t read) factor. As more content is viewed on-the-go, excessively lengthy posts begin to lose your reader’s attention and can lead to a high bounce rate.

Any post over 1500 words carries the risk of losing the reader early. You can fight this by:

• Writing your content in a way that is easily scannable.
• Cut out any unnecessary fluff, repeated ideas or vague thoughts that solely increase the word count rather than adding substance to your post.
• Use a page method that breaks the post up into smaller chunks that are easier to read.

Impress Your Readers, Not Just Google

When you expand your word count just for the sake of pleasing Google, your results won’t be as good as when you increase it to provide quality content for your audience. Your content should have between 450 and 1500 words. While this is a broad range, it is dependent on the subject you are writing about and how much information makes it a solid article.

It is possible to effectively convey your point in 450 words, while other subjects require much more research and information to sufficiently discuss a topic. In addition, find the word count that works best for your reader’s expectations. Keep them captivated in your content and make it useful.

By: Blair Sanders