Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
So... my questions are:
--Do we break up the buying guides into several different "steps" (pages)? OR do we try to "chunk" up the content to make it more readable but leave it on one page for SEO purposes?
--Are the general rules of thumb to be followed about word count or does this not matter to the engines?
Thanks in advance.
Do we break up the buying guides into several different "steps" (pages)? OR do we try to "chunk" up the content to make it more readable but leave it on one page for SEO purposes?
If you can logically break the page up into a /section/, that gives you that much more ammunition to work with.
I've seen short, and long, and really long pages, perform well. I'm not too certain that length is the issue. I believe it has more to do with relevance. If you have a long page that doesn't drift off into other "not so relevant" areas, then you may be just fine.
But, on the other hand, if you have a mile long page, there is a good chance that it can be logically broken down into it's own /section/. I always make sure to provide clear and concise navigation in this instance as you want the user to know that there are 2, 3 or 5 pages. I also use the link rel element to group those pages (next, prev, start, etc.). Spread the love.
Are the general rules of thumb to be followed about word count or does this not matter to the engines?
I would guess that if you were to sit there and figure everything from a mathematical perspective, there may be some sweet spots but it is all going to be relative. So, I don't go down that path. I just do what is natural and have at it! :)
And, before someone else says it...
What's the ideal content length for the user? :)
[edited by: Patrick_Taylor at 11:38 pm (utc) on Feb. 6, 2008]
And, before someone else says it... What's the ideal content length for the user?
It's been a while, but I once did a pagination study for a magazine site. We found that the ideal length was not dependent on word count but how many scrolls it took to get to the bottom. Between 4 and 5 windows worth of text was the sweet spot in that study, to keep visitors clicking deeper into the article. That result held up no matter how wide or narrow the content window was - in other words, no matter what was the actual amount of reading involved.
...much more ammunition to work with.
I like to give each deeper page a new title and use that intriguing title as anchor text at the bottom of the previous page, rather than using something boring like an overly simple "Next". The new title also helps Google to appreciate the value of the new page. And then, a decent linking scheme to distribute link juice and PR to the deeper pages, rather than creating a nasty link silo that requires clicking down, down, down. The rel="next" links are a nice part of this approach.
--Are the general rules of thumb to be followed about word count or does this not matter to the engines?
Whether the google rules on limitations of 100k and 500 lines holds water?
I'm not sure.
I may provide that I had a page that exceeded the 500 line limit and had escaped my detection upon creation.
Noticed the change and split the page in August of last year.
Google has indexed and listed the supplemental page (former line limits exceeded) appears in SERPS, however direct searches on some proper names within the content do not result in general searches, rather "site:" searches do appear.
Don
I like to give each deeper page a new title and use that intriguing title as anchor text at the bottom of the previous page, rather than using something boring like an overly simple "Next".
In-content links are also effective.
So are we saying that we shouldn't go over 500 lines of text for a page?
Only if you desire those excessive lines indexed.
You learn something every day!
I take it line wrapping doesn't come into the equation either...
How long is 500 lines?
How long is a line?
Haven't a clue and a bit of poking around on google (perhaps I was using incorrect terms) proved futile.
Recall reading a number somewhere, however I couldn't tell you today what that number is our the source.
Persoannly, I have some very large lines that are contained within tags <p></p> before they wrap.
Tend to believe that html tags are relative to line length.
With many new tags beoming a new line.
There must be a W3.org spec somewhere?
My practice is to simply stay as far away from the 500 line limit that my html editor counts as is possible.
I use First Choice 2000 for my html (don't care for the newer versions) and surely these folks with their default settings are more aware of charcter line limits than myself?
Perhaps I'm giving them more credit than. . .?
How long is 500 lines?
are you looking for some specific measurement (i. e., three centimeteres)
are you looking for some specific measurement (i. e., three centimeteres)
Oh, that was way too funny, lol! :)
I think everything is relative is in this instance. First we have to figure out what a "line" is. Is it 72 characters? What? But, I don't think it really matters because there are going to be other "surrounding" circumstances.
The Ideal Content Length for SEO would be that which you could get immediately after the opening <body> element and thereafter. I've seen sites with hundreds of lines of functionality before getting to any real content.
So, you will have different ratios to contend with depending on the coding environment you are working in. The more markup, the more lines there are. Trim all that fat, use CSS, SOC (Source Ordered Content), etc. and really take advantage of any limitations that may be imposed due to size which I'm not too certain are present for most. I've seen a few pages that have to trigger some sort of alarms in regards to size but I don't know for sure what effect that had on indexing. Common sense tells me that it is not in my best interest to throw 500-1000k of page at the visitor which many are doing these days. :(
With all the tools they have added, there seems little space for the pertinent items.
Believe the relative term is "time out" for the spider (whether google or any other).
The longer the document the more readers scroll away from the adverts. By keeping it shorter you keep the adverts more in view of the reader, and more likely to be clicked.
I would chunk it into keyword rich and unique pages where the text is not longer than twice the screen view max.
I don't think its 'lines' per sec thats important. its the relationship between your content length and your adsense placement.
I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly) that your referring to Google's Adsense program?
My sites do not participate in this and yet I have materials indexed that go far beyond the page portion where any advertising would be placed.
