Do sites with more pages rank better?

[T0BY]

If a site has more pages and also has good internal linking, then logically it would rank better.  Is this the case?  Should I be building big (but high quality) sites?

[PatrickDelehanty]

Hi there

I would focus on your competitive landscape and the size of their sites/content landscape (and if they are missing any opportunities). You know your audience and industry better than anyone, so the amount and quality (MOST important) is completely up to you and the demand for it.

A SearchMetrics Ranking Study for 2014 says longer content and more content ranks higher, but I have to stress that this is NOT universal or telling that your site will rank higher if it has those two things. So take those studies at face value - you need to test assumptions or hypothesis.

I would research your industry and make sure that you are building content for relevant searches and user goals. If you can align that up with your business goals, you should know the exact amount of content to write - there is no right or wrong answer to your question - completely depends on the industry and searches.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

[EGOL]

A SearchMetrics Ranking Study for 2014 says longer content and more content ranks higher

I believe that this is only true if content quality is equal.

If your competitor has one million pages of rubbish content on a site and you have one hundred pages of unique, high-quality, authoritative content, I am confident that your site will pull more traffic in the long term.

Should I be building big (but high quality) sites?

In general, yes.  It is very important to measure quality rigorously and competitively.

A site with high quality content competing with a site with a site that has even better content has a good chance of losing.  If people see both sites, which one will they share with their friends, spend more time on, navigate directly to by name next time?   Lot's of people have "high quality".   Few people have kickass quality.

[T0BY]

Thanks for these answers, very helpful.