Does the number of words matter for SEO?
Not really, well it depends!
Then how come every SEO guru I've talked to says long-form content ranks well on Google?
It's true that long-form content has the potential to rank well on Google, but it is a common misconception that leads content writers, even seasoned SEO pros to believe that the more words they include on a page the higher chance of ranking on Google.
Google's mission is to provide the right information in front of the right audience. Google works on the premise that content that is useful, content that is helpful, content that is valuable, content that is credible, and content that is authoritative, and trustable deserve to be ranked higher because they serve Google's mission and purpose.
For content to tick all the boxes above, they need to be comprehensive. To answer a topic comprehensively will require writing long-form content.
So next time you want to write an article, don't strive to write more words but strive to cover the topic comprehensively, naturally, your article will have more words.