407-233-3387Long enough to answer every question a buyer has before they call, and no longer. In practice that lands most local service pages between 800 and 1,500 words, but the number is an outcome, not a goal.
The better question is what the page has to cover.
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We can help. Drop your info below and we’ll take a free look at your Google Business Profile and website, then tell you straight what’s holding your rankings back.
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Why word count targets fail
Writing to hit 1,200 words produces padding, and padding is obvious to both readers and Google. A tight 700-word page that answers everything beats a 1,500-word page with three paragraphs of throat-clearing at the top.
Length correlates with rankings mainly because thorough pages tend to be longer. Chasing the correlation instead of the cause gets you nowhere.
What every service page must cover
- What the service is, in plain language, in the first fifty words
- Who it is for and what problem it solves
- What is included — the actual scope, itemized
- How the process works — what happens from call to completion
- What it costs, or at least a range and what moves it
- How long it takes
- Proof — photos of your work, reviews, certifications
- Where you do it — the cities and areas covered
- Common questions answered honestly
- A clear next step — phone number and a form
Cover those ten and the length takes care of itself.
Let competitors set the floor
Search your target keyword and look at the three pages ranking. If they average 1,100 words, a 300-word page is not going to displace them. If they are all thin, you have an easy opening — a genuinely thorough page will stand out immediately.
Match the depth, then beat it on specificity. That means real prices, real timelines, real photos, and real place names, which is exactly the material a competitor cannot copy.
Structure for people who do not read
Most visitors scan. Long pages only work when they are built to be skimmed.
- A direct answer in the first paragraph — never bury it
- Descriptive H2s so the page can be read by headings alone
- Short paragraphs, two to four lines
- Bulleted lists for anything itemizable
- Photos breaking up the text
- A call to action visible without scrolling on mobile, and again at the end
When shorter is right
Simple, single-outcome services do not need depth. A page about emergency lockout service can be 500 words because there is not much to say — the buyer wants to know you come out fast, what it costs, and your number. Padding that page would make it worse.
The finished test
Read the page as a buyer and ask: is there anything I would still need to call and ask before hiring? If yes, that answer belongs on the page. If no, the page is done — whatever the word count says.
Keep reading
- How pages fit together: how to structure a website for local SEO.
- The elements to include: what on-page SEO is.
- Browse what we do on our SEO and web design services page.
- See recent builds in our project gallery.
- Ready to talk? Get in touch with Mamba Media.
Thinking of doing SEO?
We can help. Drop your info below and we’ll take a free look at your Google Business Profile and website, then tell you straight what’s holding your rankings back.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (407) 233-3387 or send us a message.