How Do Content Length and Backlinks Relate to the Number of Keywords a Page Ranks For?

Research has found that pages with longer content or stronger backlink profiles tend to rank for more keywords. These positive correlations do not, however, establish that adding words or links causes a page to rank for more keywords. A 2017 Ahrefs study reported these correlations, while Google’s guidance states that content length itself is not a ranking priority and that there is no ideal word count, minimum, or maximum. The two do not contradict each other: the study examined the relationship between page characteristics and ranking performance, not a rule by which search engines award points based on word count.

Longer Content Tends to Rank for More Keywords

Ahrefs divided the study sample into five groups by content length and compared the average number of additional keywords for which pages in each group ranked in the top ten search results. The results showed that longer content tended to rank in the top ten for more keywords. Longer content also performed better when the researchers looked at the number of keywords ranking in first place. This is about how many search terms a page ranks for. It does not mean that making an article longer will necessarily improve its position for a particular keyword.

Google’s guidance offers another way to understand this: using a variety of words naturally, rather than repeating the same ones, increases a site’s opportunities to appear in searches for different keywords. Adding relevant content is therefore not the same as simply increasing length. Nor does this mean that every additional paragraph will yield a new keyword ranking.

The Link Between Backlink Strength and Rankings Does Not Prove Causation Either

The same 2017 study also divided pages into five groups by URL Rating. This metric represents the strength of an individual URL’s backlink profile rather than simply counting links. The study found that pages in higher-rated groups ranked in the top ten for more keywords on average. Pages with stronger backlink profiles also ranked in first place for more keywords.

• What we can say: Backlink strength was positively correlated with the number of keywords a page ranked for in the study.
• What we cannot say: Adding backlinks necessarily causes a page to rank for more keywords, or the number of new links lets us predict how many additional keywords it will rank for.

The original Ahrefs article also explicitly cautions that correlation does not imply causation. These grouped results likewise do not establish that combining longer content with stronger backlink profiles will produce a predictable additional benefit.

Let the Answer Determine the Length, Not a Word-Count Threshold

A 2019 Animalz article reflected on how longer, more comprehensive guides had saved readers from having to move between multiple articles and could cover more keywords, attract traffic, and earn backlinks. However, the author also noted that as long-form content became widespread, length alone became less effective at setting content apart. This was an observation about content strategy at the time, not a current ranking rule.

With this in mind, a more useful editorial question is: does an additional paragraph supply information readers need? Adding necessary instructions, for example, serves a different purpose from rewriting the same answer several times. These observations and explanations support answering questions naturally and thoroughly. They do not support a universal ideal word count or a guarantee that piling on words or links will increase the number of keywords a page ranks for.

At Procrustes, our content service turns the questions that matter to clients into articles, with ongoing planning, writing, and updates.