My discussion with ChatGBT5 - Diamond Collection Notes

 

You’re remembering that era very accurately—and your instinct is right that it’s no longer important in the same way.

Short answer

Google never published an official minimum word count.
However, in the 1998–2005 timeframe, SEO best-practice advice commonly recommended ~200–300 words of crawlable text, preferably near the top of the page.

That number came from the SEO community, not from a hard Google rule.

What Google actually said (back then)

In the early Google Webmaster Guidelines, the advice was vague and principle-based, things like:

·         “Provide text content that search engines can read”

·         “Make sure pages are clearly described”

·         “Avoid pages that are mostly images or Flash”

They never said: “You must have X words.”

Where the “minimum word count” idea came from

SEO practitioners reverse-engineered Google’s behavior and noticed patterns:

·         Pages with very little text often didn’t rank

·         Google relied heavily on on-page text signals

·         The first block of content carried more weight than footer or boilerplate

From this, informal rules emerged:

Common SEO advice (circa 2000–2005)

Typical number

Minimum visible text per page

100–150 words

“Safe” explanatory content

200–300 words

Competitive pages

300–500 words

Above-the-fold keyword text

Often 150–250 words

That’s likely the number you’re remembering.

Why it mattered then

Back then:

·         No RankBrain

·         No semantic understanding

·         Weak entity recognition

·         Heavy reliance on exact-match keywords

·         Limited JavaScript rendering

·         Flash sites were common (and mostly invisible to Google)

So Google needed:

·         Text

·         Keywords

·         Context early in the HTML

Hence the pressure to front-load explanatory text.

Why UPS, Amazon, Google, etc. don’t do this now

Modern Google:

·         Understands brands, entities, intent

·         Uses user behavior signals

·         Parses navigation, schema, internal links

·         Knows what “Amazon” is without explanation

·         Doesn’t need keyword stuffing to understand purpose

Also:

·         Those sites have massive domain authority

·         Millions of inbound links

·         Strong behavioral trust signals

A brand-new site still can’t get away with a totally empty homepage—but it no longer needs a 300-word essay either.

Modern reality (for normal sites)

Today:

·         Clarity beats length

·         50–150 well-written words is often enough

·         Headings, navigation, internal linking matter more

·         Intent alignment > word count

So your instinct is correct:
That old guideline is largely obsolete, especially for established or branded sites.

If you want, I can also explain what replaced word-count as the ranking signal, or how Google treats a new site vs an established brand today.

That is very informatie. So I'm planning a new page (a high-end takeaway from our normal wedding package offerings), I'm wanting it to look very simple on your phone, black background, white very simple logo, a graphic that will explain that it;s "The Diamond Collection", and some text Like "The decerning tast of what the heart wants" perhaps. Now, if I only add a little text, like 25-50 words, and since it will be on our well established website brand (20 years), do you think it will work well, or should it have more SEO signals. And if so, what ones?

Great question—and you’re thinking about this exactly the right way. This is a classic case of brand-led UX vs old-school SEO, and because of your situation (20-year established wedding brand), you have a lot of freedom.

Short answer

Yes — 25–50 words can absolutely work for a high-end, brand-forward page on an established domain, if you add the right non-intrusive SEO signals elsewhere on the page.

You do not need to clutter it with copy.

Why your minimal approach is safe (in your case)

You have several advantages:

·         ✅ 20 years of domain trust

·         ✅ Likely strong internal linking

·         ✅ Clear brand/entity recognition

·         ✅ This is a product/collection page, not an informational blog post

·         ✅ High-end positioning (luxury pages should be restrained)

Google is very good at understanding:

“This is a premium sub-offering of an existing wedding brand.”

Especially if it’s internally linked from relevant wedding pages.

What actually matters more than word count now

Instead of more text, think in terms of signals.

1. Page intent clarity (critical)

Google needs to know:

·         What this page is

·         Who it’s for

·         How it relates to weddings

You can accomplish that without visible copy.

Do this:

·         Clear H1 (even if stylistically subtle)

o        Example:

The Diamond Collection — Luxury Wedding Experience

This alone does a lot of heavy lifting.

2. Title tag & meta description (huge, invisible to users)

You can keep the page visually pure while giving Google context.

Example title tag:

The Diamond Collection | Luxury Wedding Package – [Brand Name]

Meta description:

An exclusive, design-led wedding experience for couples seeking refined elegance, craftsmanship, and intentional storytelling.

No one sees this on the page, but Google does.

3. Internal linking (very powerful for you)

This is one of the strongest signals you can send.

·         Link to this page from:

o        Your main wedding packages page

o        A blog post about luxury weddings

o        Your navigation (even subtly)

Anchor text matters:

·         “Luxury Wedding Package”

·         “The Diamond Collection”

·         “Premium Wedding Experience”

This tells Google how to classify the page.

4. Schema markup (quiet but elite)

This is perfect for a page like this.

Depending on structure:

·         Product

·         or Service

Include:

·         Name: The Diamond Collection

·         Category: Wedding Services

·         Brand: Your business

·         Offer: Premium package

This gives Google machine-level certainty without adding visible content.

5. Image & graphic signals (don’t miss this)

Since visuals will dominate:

·         Image file names:

o        diamond-collection-luxury-wedding.jpg

·         ALT text (short, elegant, not spammy):

o        “The Diamond Collection – luxury wedding package”

This counts as text relevance without visual clutter.

6. A small block of refined copy (optional but ideal)

I’d still recommend 40–70 words, but written like luxury brand copy, not SEO copy.

Example tone (just illustrative):

The Diamond Collection is our most refined wedding experience—crafted for couples who value intention, elegance, and timeless design. Every element is considered, every moment curated, for those who understand that true luxury is felt, not explained.

This:

·         Feels premium

·         Gives Google context

·         Doesn’t cheapen the design

What I would not do

·         ❌ Add FAQ blocks just for SEO

·         ❌ Keyword stuff “luxury wedding package” repeatedly

·         ❌ Add a long paragraph “explaining” what weddings are

·         ❌ Force content above the fold that disrupts the visual experience

Luxury pages lose credibility when they try to “rank.”

Bottom line

For your site and this offering:

·         ✔ Minimal copy is appropriate

·         ✔ Google will understand it

·         ✔ UX should win

·         ✔ SEO should be mostly structural and invisible

If you want, I can:

·         Help you craft perfect luxury micro-copy (25, 40, or 60 words)

·         Suggest exact schema for this page

·         Review your H1 / title tag pairing for maximum clarity with zero clutter

This is a really strong concept—you’re thinking like a brand, not a keyword chaser.

 

 

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