Word count directly impacts rankings

"Longer content automatically ranks better in search results. Many SEO guides recommend hitting specific word counts like 2,000+ words for every article."

Word count is not a ranking factor. Google has confirmed this multiple times. What matters is whether your content comprehensively answers the user's query, regardless of length. A 300-word page can outrank a 3,000-word page if it better serves user intent. The correlation people observe between word count and rankings is due to confounding factors: longer content often covers topics more thoroughly and attracts more backlinks, but it's the depth and quality, not the word count itself, that matters.