Free Word Count Checker
Analyze any page's word count, reading time, and content statistics. Compare your content length to top-ranking pages.
Does Word Count Matter for SEO?
Word count itself isn't a direct ranking factor, but content length strongly correlates with rankings. Longer content tends to be more comprehensive, earn more backlinks, and cover topics more thoroughly—all things search engines value.
What Research Shows
- The average first-page Google result contains 1,447 words (Backlinko study)
- Long-form content gets 77% more backlinks than short articles
- Content over 3,000 words gets 3x more traffic and 4x more shares
- However, quality and relevance matter more than hitting arbitrary word counts
Quality vs. Quantity
Longer content only helps if it's genuinely useful. Padding content with fluff to hit a word count hurts user experience and can actually hurt rankings. The goal is to cover your topic as thoroughly as needed—no more, no less.
Content Length Guidelines by Type
Blog Posts
1,000-2,000 wordsStandard blog posts covering a single topic. Long enough to be comprehensive, short enough to maintain reader attention.
How-To Guides
1,500-3,000 wordsStep-by-step tutorials need enough detail to be actionable. Include examples, screenshots, and explanations.
Ultimate Guides / Pillar Content
3,000-7,000+ wordsComprehensive resources that cover a topic exhaustively. Great for building topical authority and earning backlinks.
Product/Service Pages
300-1,000 wordsFocus on benefits, features, and conversion. Users want quick answers, not essays.
News Articles
300-800 wordsGet to the point quickly. News readers want facts fast.
Why Reading Time Matters
User Expectations
Displaying reading time helps users decide whether to commit to your content. A "5 min read" label sets expectations and can improve engagement by attracting readers with matching time budgets.
Dwell Time Signal
If someone spends 10 minutes on your page, that's a positive signal to search engines. But if your content is only 200 words, they're probably not spending 10 minutes there. Longer content enables longer dwell times.
How to Determine Ideal Content Length
- Analyze competitors: Check the word count of top 5 ranking pages for your target keyword.
- Match or exceed: Aim to be at least as comprehensive as top-ranking content.
- Consider search intent: Quick answer queries need less content than research topics.
- Add unique value: Don't just match length—add insights competitors miss.
- Cut the fluff: Every sentence should earn its place. Remove anything that doesn't help readers.
Word Count is Just One Metric
The best content covers the right topics at the right depth. Content Raptor analyzes what entities and topics top competitors cover, so you know exactly what to include.
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Don't write to a word count—write until you've fully covered your topic. Then edit ruthlessly. The best content says everything it needs to say in as few words as possible.