How Many Words Are Too Many?

[TheDonk]

I'm curious to hear some thoughts on word count. If the quality of the content is good, at what point does a page have too many words? 2000, 2500, 3000, never?

I'm talking about from an SEO standpoint of course. If there are enough htags, bulleted points etc keeping the content easy for visitors to read, is there a point where you can have too many words?

[CK]

I dont think so. I mean as long as the page is easy to navigate. I have two pages - one that's 4000 words and the other is just over 5500 and counting - the longtails are great and I just play with the menu links based on what people are searching for. I wouldnt mind hearing what others think though.

[GregW]

If it's just from an SEO point of view then I'd say the more the merrier.

[Matt Geer]

I'm talking about from an SEO standpoint of course. If there are enough htags, bulleted points etc keeping the content easy for visitors to read, is there a point where you can have too many words?

In my opinion, usability and value = SEO. So if you have something of value to tell your visitor, tell them - are you going to stop an article at 1,959 words even if you're not done with your thoughts because it might alter your rankings?

I wouldn't - that'd be dumb.

If it's just from an SEO point of view then I'd say the more the merrier.

+1 - That was my other thought. As long as it's not fluff and it's well laid out with tags and bullet points (again ===> usability), write a million words if you can if it'll benefit your visitors.

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Edit: The other thing I'd like to point out (no totally off topic) is that both of you guys mentioned something along the lines of "SEO standpoint or point of view."

What's the difference between that and your user's point of view or standpoint? I mean, aside from the money (although many can't look past it), the purpose of websites is to provide well written and authoritive information and present it in such a way that it's easy to read/scan. The site should be easy to navigate, doesn't make your face hurt reading tons of bold text or looking at a bunch of flashy banners.

I guess what I'm getting at is that if it's great for your users (tons of content, good info, well laid out, easy to find -title tags, links, nav, etc) than it's just as good for SEO.

User Standpoint = SEO Standpoint

[bonusbeast]

For SEO I don't think you could have too many words, but I would perhaps think about breaking them up into multiple pages to get better keywords in your title and meta tags.

[pokerprop]

If you put 1 million words on same page, it might reduce load time and have negative effect on user experience and search rankings alike. I think I'd stop around 30,000 words on page. Anything over would likely be excessive imo.

[CK]

I would perhaps think about breaking them up into multiple pages to get better keywords in your title and meta tags

or you can have a super long page - watch your referrals and create a new page based on the information you get from your traffic. The long pages can give you some great ideas for secondary pages you wouldn't have thought of yourself.

[TheDonk]

Good ideas here...thanks everyone!

I'm gonna get started on that 29,999 word article right away.

[pokerprop]

Good ideas here...thanks everyone!

I'm gonna get started on that 29,999 word article right away.

wasting your time imo, today a new poker affiliate strategy with lots of potential was uncovered. This involves much less time than writing your own content.

[Hazo]

I disagree a little bit here. Pages can be far longer, and if done well can hold immense value for users and for SEO.

If you make an extensive guide, the best on the Internet than a lot of other affiliates will link to it.

One page that comes to mind is this: Living and Working in Bangkok

That page alone is 100k words, ranks extremely well and attracts plenty of links.