The problem with search engine optimization is that there are so many different factors – all of them variables – that can affect a web page’s ranking for any particular keyword. Here are just a few of those variable factors:
- Page load speed
- Searcher’s destination relative to your business’s
- Past search history of the searcher
- Number and quality of inbound links to a web page
- Ability of your competition to employ best search engine optimization practices
- Time between first publication of your page, and the frequency with which it has been updated, and the time it is judged relevant for a search query by the search engine
As you can see, you have control over some search ranking factors but not all. The number of web pages on your website, however, has no effect on your search engine rankings. On the other hand, the number of web pages you have on your website does determine how many opportunities you have to rank for a relevant search query. The more pages you have, the more opportunities you have.
Nevertheless, if you don’t follow the best SEO practices available to you as a webmaster, then you have a million pages on your site and it won’t matter one bit.
The bottom line is, if your web pages aren’t optimized well, quantity is irrelevant. If they are optimized well, then quantity is an advantage. Start with your content and your optimization. Worry about the rest when the time comes.
