How many words do long-tail SEO keywords usually contain? Don’t confuse word count with Chinese character count

There is no universal rule for how many Chinese characters a long-tail SEO keyword should contain. In terms of word count, Neil Patel’s 2024 article describes typical long-tail queries as containing three, four, or five words. That can serve as a starting point for research, but it is not a fixed standard. Recommendations to target five or more words, or even seven or more, serve different purposes and draw on different data. Keyword selection should still depend on how specific the need is, the level of competition, and business goals—not length alone.

First, distinguish words from Chinese characters

The length figures cited here measure English word counts, not Chinese character counts. Semrush’s example “seo tips for small business” contains five English words and describes a more specific need than “seo tips.” This does not mean that Chinese keywords should be five characters long.

When discussing keyword length in Chinese-language SEO, first clarify whether you mean characters or words. Length can help with filtering, but neither character count nor word count alone can determine whether a query is worth targeting. Semrush describes long-tail queries as highly specific and often longer; reaching a particular length does not make a query long-tail.

Three to six words, five or more, and seven or more: why the figures differ

• Three to six words: In his 2024 article, Neil Patel compared 2022 and 2023 SEO data from his agency, NP Digital, and reported that queries in this length range generated the majority of qualified leads. This was an observation from that agency, not the optimal range for every industry.
• At least five words: Semrush’s 2023 article on featured snippets recommended first filtering for queries with at least five words, then raising the minimum word count if the results were still not specific enough. This was a practical keyword research recommendation at the time, not a Google ranking requirement.
• Seven or more words: The same Neil Patel article reported that these queries generated the most revenue in the agency’s data and recommended placing greater emphasis on them in 2024. However, the author also cautioned that they might not deliver the desired traffic; the findings do not guarantee revenue.

Semrush’s 2023 article also cited research stating that keywords for websites ranking in the top 10% averaged 3.2 to 3.5 words in length. This is an average from a particular sample, not a definition of long-tail keywords. It also does not prove that adjusting a query to this length will improve rankings.

Use word count as an initial filter, then assess specificity and ranking difficulty

Start with seed terms related to a product or service to find candidate queries, then compare their search volume and ranking difficulty. Semrush’s 2020 article noted that more specific long-tail queries are generally easier to rank for and attract more targeted traffic, making them especially useful for small or new websites. Each keyword still needs to be checked individually; not every longer query is easy to rank for.

If the goal is to generate leads or revenue, also assess whether the query signals that the searcher is close to a purchase decision. Neil Patel’s 2026 article noted that more specific phrases that signal readiness to buy tend to face less competition and have higher conversion rates. Prioritize queries with these characteristics rather than adding meaningless modifiers just to reach seven words.

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