Long-form content is the lifeblood of websites. It is what attracts the most visitors online.
Long content for websites gives information in detail about product/service offerings, informatics, how-to, listicles, etc. This content is relevant to customers as it provides them with all the information that they should be knowing.
Creating long content for blogs is not a simple task. Such comprehensive types of content require a specific skill set and a defined strategy. Long-form content for Websites should be planned out in advance keeping a few essential points in mind.
In this post, we explain to you the ins and outs of long-form content. We will share our best tips for writing long extensive content for blogs, what in essence constitutes long content, how it helps you, and much more.
What is long-form content?
Such a type of content is produced by writers in many shapes and forms. It is content that exceeds the normal word count for short-form content which would be around 600-700 words. There is no set or precise definition for long content for websites, but this is generally what it means.
To qualify as long-form content, an article should provide details about the topic from a holistic viewpoint. All the important aspects of a topic should be covered in detail in long-form content for blogs.
If a blog post, only briefly touches upon an aspect of a topic then it would not be considered long content.
Why is long-form content good for blogs & websites?
There are many reasons why long content is considered to be good for blogs & websites.
As per Digi Updates, Long-form content for websites shows your authority as a professional establishment in a particular domain. The information that you collate and publish in the form of long content is a hallmark of your knowledge.
If you want to impress your visitors with your authority in a field then long content for blogs is your best bet. Below we have detailed some reasons why you should be focusing on long-form content for websites.
Higher search ranking
If you want to appear in the top ten results of search queries when someone looks up the net for a product you want to sell or have written about, then long content might help you achieve that.
The top 10 results of search queries are usually the most popular posts. A study by serpIQ showed that such top-rated pages had an average length of over 2,000 words.
An even more recent study conducted by Brian Dean of Backlinko had the same findings, that longer content performs better than shorter content. So, while creating a blog post, to appear on a higher search ranking, we suggest you opt for long-form content.
Visitors spend more time on your site
A content post that is more thorough and extensive would certainly attract more readers. If your post is well written providing to-the-point information like a helpful guide, naturally you will get more views on the post.
As a content manager or writer, your primary aim will be to get readers to read and stick to your material. If you provide them with comprehensive content, they will be less likely to hop from one article to another.
Additionally, having numerous pages in a guide increases the likelihood that you’ll get more page views. The more a reader spends time on your post, the more they trust your writing – it is as simple as that! What more could you possibly ask for as a content writer?
Increased reputation
Imagine you consistently posting about footballs, their different dimensions, specifics, brands, etc. You build a comprehensive content archive dealing with footballs.
Now when a visitor comes to your site for information relating to brands, they will see that you write a lot about footballs. The long content on your website will attract them with all the valuable inputs it provides.
When your blog’s long content is perfectly researched, you can come up as an authority in a domain. Your information output would outweigh any competition that you may have.
With such content for websites, you can get repeating visitors who would keep sharing your content and help you achieve an authoritative status.
Long-form content in comparison to short-form content
Every type of content has a specification for which value is attached to it. That’s why short-form and long-form content for websites both add some value to your website. The difference is how you use long content for blogs differently from short content.
short-form content works best for users who want to gain information and insight into a domain quickly. short-form content is used in the form of FAQs, product descriptions, captions, short articles, etc.
It provides the reader with a general overview of an area and gives them the required information in a concise manner. It uses simple terminology and short sentences.
Long-form content on the other hand gives users a deep dive into a topic. It helps you with SEO ranking and building industry reputations. If you constantly work on updating your archive of long content, your rankings will improve significantly.
This is because people will keep coming to your site for information and insights on that topic. Your long content blog should deal with a topic from different facets of it. This way you deal with a specific topic in all the senses that it can be approached in.
Understanding how content can help your blog and website can sometimes be a tedious process.
FAQs
- Q-1 Does long-form Content affect your SEO ranking negatively?
No, it does not affect your SEO rankings negatively. On the contrary, it would affect it positively.
- Q-2 How long does long content for blogs have to be?
Long content for websites is usually more than 2000 words. But, anything above 1500 words can be also termed as it.