Do skyscraper articles really rank better?
- Thread starter soa0611
- Start date
FlipDime
Regular Member
- Jun 7, 2020
- 317
- 207
Yes and no.
It's more about satisfying the user intent versus article length. And it primarily depends on the keyword.
For a simple question that can be answered in a few paragraphs, I'd go for a 1000 to 1500 word article.
For a detailed guide like how to start a business, 3000 to 5000 words will be sufficient as you may need to cover multiple sub-topics, FAQ section, recommend tools/services, etc.
There are certain topics that require crazy long article-length too (5000 to 10000 words) but those are rare and most often, you wouldn't need to add this much content.
A general rule of thumb I follow is to check word count for first page results and add extra 500 words to the highest word count article. And this extra content wouldn't just be fluff but some extra sub-topics or questions.
My reasoning behind this is that if other factors are equal, chances are Google might give a small boost since my page is providing more value.
Hope it helps.
It's more about satisfying the user intent versus article length. And it primarily depends on the keyword.
For a simple question that can be answered in a few paragraphs, I'd go for a 1000 to 1500 word article.
For a detailed guide like how to start a business, 3000 to 5000 words will be sufficient as you may need to cover multiple sub-topics, FAQ section, recommend tools/services, etc.
There are certain topics that require crazy long article-length too (5000 to 10000 words) but those are rare and most often, you wouldn't need to add this much content.
A general rule of thumb I follow is to check word count for first page results and add extra 500 words to the highest word count article. And this extra content wouldn't just be fluff but some extra sub-topics or questions.
My reasoning behind this is that if other factors are equal, chances are Google might give a small boost since my page is providing more value.
Hope it helps.
- Mar 30, 2010
- 1,279
- 415
Yes, long/Deep content rank much better!
liquardo
Regular Member
- Sep 26, 2019
- 256
- 267
Not true.
In some cases it can work, but I for example had a post that was 8K words and top 10 results were around 2-3K words. I wasn't ranking in top 20, so I reduced the article down to about 3K words and got to the top 10 within a week.
This is where platforms like frase.io help show the general consensus of the top results for your search term.
Brian Alexander
Regular Member
- Aug 12, 2016
- 454
- 317
Article length?
You people are stuck in the past.
You people are stuck in the past.
Harold Redman
Registered Member
- Feb 7, 2019
- 63
- 23
Depends on the niche. But if they are filled with unique and valuable information, it will stand strong on SERP.
darkinferno
Regular Member
- Mar 28, 2014
- 470
- 316
Depends on user intent and niche
Example, i have seen a site only have 10 words, and he is ranking for 20-30k keywords
It is about mmorpg gold rate topic, and user doesnt need to read long text to get the answer
Example, i have seen a site only have 10 words, and he is ranking for 20-30k keywords
It is about mmorpg gold rate topic, and user doesnt need to read long text to get the answer
ThomasGibb
Regular Member
- Jun 27, 2014
- 210
- 36
You are making content length like mini-eBook.
Keep it short. 3k is enough even its Affiliate guide article.
If your content has more points to cover you can split and produce more posts rather than long post that makes reader boring in 2020.
Keep it short. 3k is enough even its Affiliate guide article.
If your content has more points to cover you can split and produce more posts rather than long post that makes reader boring in 2020.
- Mar 30, 2018
- 12,091
- 14,356
Maybe it’ll depend on KD, how optimised is it, and lastly how well it can flirt with google otherwise she won’t rank your articles
- Apr 4, 2014
- 6,453
- 4,860
As I've said before.... if you want to write a book, then write a book. Nobody will read your 5k+ word article for a simple question.
Let's see... 5k words is 10 pages and your question is "what is black hat link building"... will you read it? NO. Define "black hat link building" and link to relevant articles for more information.
soa0611
Elite Member
- Apr 20, 2015
- 2,790
- 2,542
i planned this shitload of content not for s simple question but for "treating some desease" keyword
- Apr 4, 2014
- 6,453
- 4,860
I'm not a doctor so definitely cannot help you there. If I need medical help I visit my GP, not reading some junk on the internet.
- Jan 17, 2015
- 5,263
- 4,956
There isn't a rule of thumb when we talk about amount of content. You must always think in terms of intent.
It's true that Skycrapper articles give a lot more internal linking opportunities and are ideal for pillar/featured content pages if you target an extremely hard keywords that you are not necessarily willing to rank but may serve as a point to rank for docens of long tail keywords and subsequently to serve onpage rank for other internal subpages that link from there.
Content is not the king anymore, so stop thing in terms of content quality and quantity (although quality nowadays serves a different purpose, quantity doesn't serve any purpose at all)
2 must reads for you
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/micro-guide-explaining-search-intent.1161201/https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/m...-going-wide-a-little-story-about-seo.1213361/
It's true that Skycrapper articles give a lot more internal linking opportunities and are ideal for pillar/featured content pages if you target an extremely hard keywords that you are not necessarily willing to rank but may serve as a point to rank for docens of long tail keywords and subsequently to serve onpage rank for other internal subpages that link from there.
Content is not the king anymore, so stop thing in terms of content quality and quantity (although quality nowadays serves a different purpose, quantity doesn't serve any purpose at all)
2 must reads for you
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/micro-guide-explaining-search-intent.1161201/https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/m...-going-wide-a-little-story-about-seo.1213361/
Logical Ranker
Regular Member
- Oct 1, 2020
- 261
- 26
It really depends on its quality... How well it is written and its relevancy to them keyword.
HustleTong
Elite Member
- May 30, 2019
- 13,466
- 10,661
Hire a proof reader to cut short boring sentences & paraphrase them. Personally, I wouldn't regard them as useless. Needs some stitches and polish to improve overall ambience.
RayChand
Elite Member
- Aug 3, 2010
- 1,740
- 648
The way skyscraper contents are being built today, the day is not far when the boogle will start booing on them too 
For all the success stories, here is one that failed :
Not to discourage you, but learn from the mistakes
For all the success stories, here is one that failed :
Code:
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/skyscraper-technique-failure/222713/#close