POP #13 How important is POP's Target Word Count?

How to understand POP's Word Count advice

In general, the more competition there is on Google for your main keyword phrase, the higher POP's target word count will be.

POP counts all the text which is visible anywhere on your page, including:

• Ordinary paragraph text, bold and italic text, links and lists
• Titles: including your Site Title, Page Title and Block Titles
• FAQ blocks
• Buttons and Mega Buttons
• Image descriptions

Google takes all the important terms into consideration, wherever they are located on your page.

POP will not count text in some kinds of blocks, including:

• Ecwid and Sellfy E-commerce Store blocks
• YouTube or other videos
• Google Map blocks
• Contact Forms

The Target Word Count seems very high

POP advice should not be followed uncritically. If your page is for a simple product, think twice before writing a 3000 word article.

Some Points to Remember:

1. There is a lot of competition on Google for some keywords.

2. If the subject of your page is a rich topic, and POP suggests 3000 words, you probably need to approach this target to appear near the top of Google.

3. Choose which pages to optimize carefully. You don't need to use POP for every page.

Should I Reduce my Word Count?

Even if your word count is currently over POP's initial target, it is almost never a good idea to reduce your word count. In the Word Count section in POP's score and advice screen you will still see the green circle even if your word count is more than POP's target.