MARKETING
Is There Such a Thing as the Best Word Count for SEO?
Word count has usually been a contributing metric helping content marketers judge the quality of text-based content. Historically, some assume Google has been doing the same.
Together with keyword density, word count has been assumed to be an SEO factor as part of educated theories: Google is a machine, and how else would a machine understand content quality? Word count seemed to be the only straightforward signal a machine would be able to understand.
Yet, Google representatives clearly state word count was never an SEO factor claiming, “More words are not better.”
So why does the word-count belief persist? Quite a few tests indicate a connection between word count and Google’s rankings. Each of those analyses found content between 1,000 and 2,000 words seemed to rank higher.
But with so many signals in play, you can never tell if word count is a causation factor or an indirect influencer. In other words, longer content may be better researched (so Google has found it useful) and it may attract more backlinks. Both of those (content value and backlink profile) are confirmed direct ranking signals.
In and of itself, word count may not be a ranking signal, but content depth definitely helps, so instead of focusing on numbers, focus on quality.
Instead of focusing on word count, focus on quality for #SEO, says @SEOSmarty via @CMIContent @semrush. Click To Tweet
Here are five ways to improve content quality apart from a word count:
1. Content structure
Content structure helps readability and usability, and it makes your content easier to understand for a search algorithm.
Structuring content is about breaking your content into logical sections so that it’s not just a wall of text. Instead, subheadings drive a reader further into an article.
Creating a logical structure helps make your content more user-friendly, and everything user-friendly is also Google friendly because Google definitely prioritizes its users.
A logical content structure makes your content more user-friendly, which makes it @Google friendly too, says @SEOSmarty via @CMIContent @semrush. #SEO Click To Tweet
Site Checker is a great tool to evaluate your page structure as it appears to a search crawler:
2. Semantic optimization
You need rules and guidelines for writers to follow. Semantic evaluation is one of the easiest ways to encourage them to create in-depth content without blindly using the word-count metric.
Semantic evaluation with a tool like @textoptimizer encourages in-depth content without blindly using a word-count metric, says @SEOSmarty via @CMIContent @semrush. #SEO Click To Tweet
Semantic analysis focuses on making sure the content includes related concepts and entities to ensure Google can definitely understand what it is about. Text Optimizer is a great tool to score your content’s semantic optimization:
Text Optimizer’s score is based on how many related and underlying concepts have been included in the article on a specific topic
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3. Data freshness and sources
The inclusion of external links as a direct ranking factor is another matter of SEO debate. No one knows for sure, but one thing is certain: External links can make your content more useful and trustworthy.
External links can make your #content more useful and trustworthy, says @SEOSmarty via @CMIContent @semrush. #SEO Click To Tweet
Your referenced sources show how well-researched and up-to-date your content is. For example, don’t just cite any web page mentioning a statistic you included in the content. Do your best to track down the original source because that shows to your readers and Google that you took your research seriously.
Try searching for official sources using this advanced Google search: [keyword site:.EDU OR site:.GOV]
This search brings up official educational and governmental sites (those using .edu or .gov domains) mentioning your keyword or data. They usually have high standards for quoting their sources, so you are likely to find the initial source of any statement or number using that data.
TIP: Make sure OR is in all capital letters for this trick to work.
4. Keyword and search intent
More importantly, no quality metric works for every case. Some search queries are straightforward, meaning an essay is not needed to provide the most useful answer.
For example, someone asking, “How far is the moon,” needs an answer in the form of a number. Of course, you can expand on that by converting that number into different units or comparing it to something a human could relate to (e.g., how many Empire State Buildings that is). But that is hardly long-form content. NASA’s page is a perfect example of that search intent served well.
NASA’s copy provides different and captivating ways to represent the same data without being repetitive. It is short but unique, interesting, and engaging, and covers the query from different angles, all of which are relevant.
The bottom line is that the length of the copy is hardly an important SEO or usability factor but search intent optimization (i.e., how good of a job your copy is doing answering the actual question behind a search query) surely is.
Strive for originality and usefulness, not for the word count.
5. Content usefulness
Based on your identified search intent, you can make content more “useful,” including:
- Definitions, frequently asked questions, etc. Instead of linking to other sites explaining a concept, define them within your content. This trick also works great for organic featured snippet optimization.
- Tables of content. For long-form content, make it easy to jump to the most relevant part of the document. A table of content is easy to create.
- Visualizations (graphs, comics, etc.) or videos. Most content should be visual, but sometimes search intent calls for visual explanations, so things like infographics or how-to videos would be helpful.
It is a good idea to add these tips in your brand’s writing guidelines your writers are using to create content.
Stop counting
You can stop calculating and adding extra words for your content to hit the perceived SEO sweet spot. In many cases, you still will create long-form content to include all the necessary angles, definitions, and concepts. But using a cookie-cutter method to ensure all your content has a certain number of words or characters is a poor strategy. By following the five concepts detailed here, you are more likely to find the topics and cases most helpful to your content and your target audience of searchers.
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All tools noted in this post are identified by the author. If you have a tool to suggest, please add it in the comments.
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
MARKETING
How To Combine PR and Content Marketing Superpowers To Achieve Business Goals
A transformative shift is happening, and it’s not AI.
The aisle between public relations and content marketing is rapidly narrowing. If you’re smart about the convergence, you can forever enhance your brand’s storytelling.
The goals and roles of content marketing and PR overlap more and more. The job descriptions look awfully similar. Shrinking budgets and a shrewd eye for efficiency mean you and your PR pals could face the chopping block if you don’t streamline operations and deliver on the company’s goals (because marketing communications is always first to be axed, right?).
Yikes. Let’s take a big, deep breath. This is not a threat. It’s an opportunity.
Reach across the aisle to PR and streamline content creation, improve distribution strategies, and get back to the heart of what you both are meant to do: Build strong relationships and tell impactful stories.
So, before you panic-post that open-to-work banner on LinkedIn, consider these tips from content marketing, PR, and journalism pros who’ve figured out how to thrive in an increasingly narrowing content ecosystem.
1. See journalists as your audience
Savvy pros know the ability to tell an impactful story — and support it with publish-ready collateral — grounds successful media relationships. And as a content marketer, your skills in storytelling and connecting with audiences, including journalists, naturally support your PR pals’ media outreach.
Strategic storytelling creates content focused on what the audience needs and wants. Sharing content on your blog or social media builds relationships with journalists who source those channels for story ideas, event updates, and subject matter experts.
“Embedding PR strategies in your content marketing pieces informs your audience and can easily be picked up by media,” says Alex Sanchez, chief experience officer at BeWell, New Mexico’s Health Insurance Marketplace. “We have seen reporters do this many times, pulling stories from our blogs and putting them in the nightly news — most of the time without even reaching out to us.”
Acacia James, weekend producer/morning associate producer at WTOP radio in Washington, D.C., says blogs and social media posts are helpful to her work. “If I see a story idea, and I see that they’re willing to share information, it’s easier to contact them — and we can also backlink their content. It’s huge for us to be able to use every avenue.”
Kirby Winn, manager of PR at ImpactLife, says reporters and assignment editors are key consumers of their content. “And I don’t mean a news release that just hit their inbox. They’re going to our blog and consuming our stories, just like any other audience member,” he says. “Our organization has put more focus into content marketing in the past few years — it supports a media pitch so well and highlights the stories we have to tell.”
Storytelling attracts earned media that might not pick up the generic news topic. “It’s one thing to pitch a general story about how we help consumers sign up for low-cost health insurance,” Alex says. “Now, imagine a single mom who just got a plan after years of thinking it was too expensive. She had a terrible car accident, and the $60,000 ER bill that would have ruined her financially was covered. Now that’s a story journalists will want to cover, and that will be relatable to their audience and ours.”
2. Learn the media outlet’s audience
Seventy-three percent of reporters say one-fourth or less of the stories pitched are relevant to their audiences, according to Cision’s 2023 State of the Media Report (registration required).
PR pros are known for building relationships with journalists, while content marketers thrive in building communities around content. Merge these best practices to build desirable content that works for your target audience and the media’s audiences simultaneously.
WTOP’s Acacia James says sources who show they’re ready to share helpful, relevant content often win pitches for coverage. “In radio, we do a lot of research on who is listening to us, and we’re focused on a prototype called ‘Mike and Jen’ — normal, everyday people in Generation X … So when we get press releases and pitches, we ask, ‘How interested will Mike and Jen be in this story?’”
3. Deliver the full content package (and make journalists’ jobs easier)
Cranking out content to their media outlet’s standards has never been tougher for journalists. Newsrooms are significantly understaffed, and anything you can do to make their lives easier will be appreciated and potentially rewarded with coverage. Content marketers are built to think about all the elements to tell the story through multiple mediums and channels.
“Today’s content marketing pretty much provides a package to the media outlet,” says So Young Pak, director of media relations at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “PR is doing a lot of storytelling work in advance of media publication. We (and content marketing) work together to provide the elements to go with each story — photos, subject matter experts, patients, videos, and data points, if needed.”
At WTOP, the successful content package includes audio. “As a radio station, we are focused on high-quality sound,” Acacia James says. “Savvy sources know to record and send us voice memos, and then we pull cuts from the audio … You will naturally want to do someone a favor if they did you one — like providing helpful soundbites, audio, and newsworthy stories.”
While production value matters to some media, you shouldn’t stress about it. “In the past decade, how we work with reporters has changed. Back in the day, if they couldn’t be there in person, they weren’t going to interview your expert,” says Jason Carlton, an accredited PR professional and manager of marketing and communications at Intermountain Health. “During COVID, we had to switch to virtual interviewing. Now, many journalists are OK with running a Teams or Zoom interview they’ve done with an expert on the news.”
BeWell’s Alex Sanchez agrees. “I’ve heard old school PR folks cringe at the idea of putting up a Zoom video instead of getting traditional video interviews. It doesn’t really matter to consumers. Focus on the story, on the timeliness, and the relevance. Consumers want authenticity, not super stylized, stiff content.”
4. Unite great minds to maximize efficiency
Everyone needs to set aside the debate about which team — PR or content marketing — gets credit for the resulting media coverage.
At MedStar Washington Hospital Center, So Young and colleagues adopt a collaborative mindset on multichannel stories. “We can get the interview and gather information for all the different pieces — blog, audio, video, press release, internal newsletter, or magazine. That way, we’re not trying to figure things out individually, and the subject matter experts only have to have that conversation once,” she says.
Regular, cross-team meetings are essential to understand the best channels for reaching key audiences, including the media. A story that began life as a press release might reap SEO and earned media gold if it’s strategized as a blog, video, and media pitch.
“At Intermountain Health, we have individual teams for media relations, marketing, social media, and hospital communications. That setup works well because it allows us to bring in the people who are the given experts in those areas,” says Intermountain’s Jason Carlton. “Together, we decide if a story is best for the blog, a media pitch, or a mix of channels — that way, we avoid duplicating work and the risk of diluting the story’s impact.”
5. Measure what matters
Cutting through the noise to earn media mentions requires keen attention to metrics. Since content marketing and PR metrics overlap, synthesizing the data in your team meetings can save time while streamlining your storytelling efforts.
“For content marketers, using analytical tools such as GA4 can help measure the effectiveness of their content campaigns and landing pages to determine meaningful KPIs such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, lead generation, and conversion rates,” says John Martino, director of digital marketing for Visiting Angels. “PR teams can use media coverage and social interactions to assess user engagement and brand awareness. A unified and omnichannel approach can help both teams demonstrate their value in enhancing brand visibility, engagement, and overall business success.”
To track your shared goals, launch a shared dashboard that helps tell the combined “story of your stories” to internal and executive teams. Among the metrics to monitor:
- Page views: Obviously, this queen of metrics continues to be important across PR and content marketing. Take your analysis to the next level by evaluating which niche audiences are contributing to these views to further hone your storytelling targets, including media outlets.
- Earned media mentions: Through a media tracker service or good old Google Alerts, you can tally the echo of your content marketing and PR. Look at your site’s referral traffic report to identify media outlets that send traffic to your blog or other web pages.
- Organic search queries: Dive into your analytics platform to surface organic search queries that lead to visitors. Build from those questions to develop stories that further resonate with your audience and your targeted media.
- On-page actions: When visitors show up on your content, what are they doing? What do they click? Where do they go next? Building next-step pathways is your bread and butter in content marketing — and PR can use them as a natural pipeline for media to pick up more stories, angles, and quotes.
But perhaps the biggest metric to track is team satisfaction. Who on the collaborative team had the most fun writing blogs, producing videos, or calling the news stations? Lean into the natural skills and passions of your team members to distribute work properly, maximize the team output, and improve relationships with the media, your audience, and internal teams.
“It’s really trying to understand the problem to solve — the needle to move — and determining a plan that will help them achieve their goal,” Jason says. “If you don’t have those measurable objectives, you’re not going to know whether you made a difference.”
Don’t fear the merger
Whether you deliberately work together or not, content marketing and public relations are tied together. ImpactLife’s Kirby Winn explains, “As soon as we begin to talk about (ourselves) to a reporter who doesn’t know us, they are certainly going to check out our stories.”
But consciously uniting PR and content marketing will ease the challenges you both face. Working together allows you to save time, eliminate duplicate work, and gain free time to tell more stories and drive them into impactful media placements.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
MARKETING
Trends in Content Localization – Moz
Multinational fast food chains are one of the best-known examples of recognizing that product menus may sometimes have to change significantly to serve distinct audiences. The above video is just a short run-through of the same business selling smokehouse burgers, kofta, paneer, and rice bowls in an effort to appeal to people in a variety of places. I can’t personally judge the validity of these representations, but what I can see is that, in such cases, you don’t merely localize your content but the products on which your content is founded.
Sometimes, even the branding of businesses is different around the world; what we call Burger King in America is Hungry Jack’s in Australia, Lays potato chips here are Sabritas in Mexico, and DiGiorno frozen pizza is familiar in the US, but Canada knows it as Delissio.
Tales of product tailoring failures often become famous, likely because some of them may seem humorous from a distance, but cultural sensitivity should always be taken seriously. If a brand you are marketing is on its way to becoming a large global seller, the best insurance against reputation damage and revenue loss as a result of cultural insensitivity is to employ regional and cultural experts whose first-hand and lived experiences can steward the organization in acting with awareness and respect.
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