There are multiple definitions and length assumptions of long-form content. If you ask two marketers about the topic, you will certainly receive two different answers. This leads to a big confusion for us to understand what long-form content is and why it is necessary for 2023. No worries, we’re going to explore everything here. Many people think that long-form content and writing in general are obsolete in today’s world.
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It’s your job as an SEO specialist to build websites that are not only aimed at consumers but also at search engines. Accurate SEO is not just long content. The more visibility you have on search engines, the more consumers you will have. You have to focus on all different types of long-form content.
Putting long-form content on your site is not enough. You also need to keep it accurate, interesting, relevant, and useful to the people who read it. Just writing long articles with no benefit to readers is pointless and absurd. This is what makes people wonder about the value of long-form content.
The aim of this guide is to give you reasons to persist in creating lengthy content in 2023. But first, let’s clarify what is meant by “long-form content.”
Related: Content Marketing Tools to Boost Awareness and Make Money in 2023
What is Long-Form Content?
Core dna defines long-form content as anything over 7,500 words and less than 17,500. Most people, marketers included, identify long form content to be writing over 1,500 words.
Writing long-form content is much more enjoyable than you would think. Writing long-form content helps you tap into your inner poet and express your individuality.
In addition, you can craft your thoughts, ideas, and imagination much more in-depth. This would be a great way to improve your content as well as your writing skills.
To rank in Google, articles need to demonstrate trustworthiness, authority, and relevance. According to the growth bar, these are the factors Google considers when ranking a page:
- Including an appropriate number of keywords
- Easily readable text and formatting
- User interface (UI) and user experience (UX)
- Content quality and amount of backlinks
- Clean titles and URLs
- Technical aspects like site structure and loading speed
- Content range and accuracy
Long-form content is a fresh approach to digital marketing. With digital marketing and the vast other marketing channels that have risen, is it worth it to write long-form content?
Also read: The Ultimate Guide to Become a Creative YouTube Content Creator for 2023
Is Long-Form Content Still Valuable?
Yes, it is still valuable. Long-form content is more than just a snapshot; it tells a complete story. As consumers of content, we want to hear from individuals we trust.
Whether it be the answer to a problem, a personal experience, or simply a different point of view. Long-form content gives you a chance to know the author behind the content, and trust that what you read is complete, accurate, and trustworthy.
There is a lot of value that comes from long-form content writing. You can engage with multiple target markets, and not be forced to write in a cookie-cutter approach.
Examples of Long-Form Content
1. E-Books – normally 2,000 – 3,000 words
2. Blog Posts – 1,500+ words
3. White Papers – 2,500 – 5,000 words
4. Case Studies – 500 – 2,000 words
5. Pillar Posts – 3,000 – 4,000 words
Related: Is Content Marketing a Good Career Option in 2023?
Top 8 Reasons to Continue Publishing Long-Form Content in 2023
Here are the reasons why you should continue publishing long-form content in 2023:
1. Long-Form Content is Good for SEO
Keyword usage, search volumes, and visibility are all increased with long-form content. Long-form outperforms short-term content when focused on SEO. People are looking for detailed information.
A long blog post should be as descriptive as possible. More detailed posts greatly help with your SEO.
This helps you in order to rank higher on SERPs.
2. Subtly Position the Value of Your Product
A valuable benefit of long-form content, your target audience gets introduced to your product, and it benefits them. Beneficial high-quality content is an attention-getter for potential customers.
Compiling an in-depth guide explaining the benefit of your product to people is a great way to reach more people. Long-form content provides information without the too sales-y part.
3. Encourage Customer Loyalty
Having longer, detailed pieces make consumers more inclined to trust your authority on the subject matter. This keeps them coming back to your site because they believe they will easily find the answer with you.
This encourages customer loyalty. Readers continue visiting your site because they feel the research and quality are exactly what they want.
4. Your Product Has a Clear Target Market
If you are selling a physical or digital product, you have a clear target market. Writing longer content that interests readers and tells them the value they’ll receive from the product makes it easier to generate sales.
Readers like knowing about anything that will simplify and benefit their lives. Writing unique, high-quality content creates consumer interest in your business niche.
5. Build the Credibility of Your Content
According to scientific research, there are 3 dimensions of consumer trust. These are competence, integrity, and benevolence. If brands are prepared to dedicate themselves to their values & mission, consumers are more inspired to trust them and increase conversions.
The trust and credibility with long-form content stem from brands being able to go into detail about their offerings. Consumers like written details accompanied by social proof.
6. Increased Amount of Time Spent on Your Site
Longer content means people spend more time on your website. SEMrush refers to this concept as dwell time. Dwell time is the time between a user clicking on a search result and returning to the SERP.
Your content should be as engaging as possible. Longer dwell time with high-quality content can lead to more engagement and an increase in CTA clicks.
7. More Places for Ads and CTAs
Having longer written pieces means the content is more spread out to place ads and calls to action (CTAs). This makes the content more valuable for advertisers and marketers looking for content that seems more credible and is easier for the reader.
Longer content is also easier content to read and digest. This is because it’s spread out over more time than shorter pieces. More ads and CTAs mean a higher chance of making more money.
8. Broader Content Marketing Strategy
Long-form content provides a host of opportunities to create short-form writing from that one piece. You can extract, repack, and reuse different parts of the longer piece of content.
You can share images and videos on social media as well as through email marketing. This can help generate web traffic because each piece of content links back to your website.
Related: What are Copywriting Jobs? Understand the Difference Between Copywriting and Content Writing
How to Create a Long-Form Content?
Follow the below steps to create a long-form content:
1. Choose a topic relevant to your target audience and brand
Select a topic that aligns with your brand and resonates with your target audience. Consider their interests, pain points, and questions to guide the topic selection.
2. Research and gather information
Ensure the accuracy and depth of your content by conducting thorough research. Use credible sources as well as update the information regularly to maintain relevancy.
3. Plan your content structure
Create an outline that includes headings, subheadings, and sections to organize the content and make it easily readable.
4. Write engaging and informative content
Write content that is both engaging and informative, using a conversational tone to connect with the reader. Use active voice, short sentences, and paragraphs to make the content easy to read.
5. Incorporate visuals
Use visuals such as images, infographics, and videos to break up the text, make the content more visually appealing, and enhance the user experience.
6. Optimize for search engines
Optimize the content for search engines by including relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags for images.
7. Edit and proofread
Review the content for grammar, spelling, and clarity, making any necessary edits before publishing.
8. Publish and promote
Publish the content on your website or blog, and promote it through social media, email marketing, and other channels to reach your target audience.
Why Do You Need Long-Form Content in 2023?
The benefits of long-form content are obvious. It is a new way of digital marketing. It can save a business’ reputation from damage. The content can be customized as well as user-friendly.
In addition, one of the key benefits is the SEO opportunities. Optimizing your content helps it rank highly in search engines and generate organic traffic. The key factors that Google looks at when ranking a webpage are listed above under “What Is Long-Form Content?”.
Hence, longer articles provide readers with detailed information about a certain topic they may be searching for.
Long articles also cater to people who enjoy consuming content through reading and not necessarily through videos and images. Long-form writing makes these people feel that they aren’t excluded from enjoying the content.
Additional benefits of long-form content include:
- Builds audience trust and industry authority
- More chances to add links to other webpages
- Generate leads by getting email addresses in exchange for content
Also read: What is SMO & How to Optimize Social Media Content?
Conclusion
In closing, you should know that long-form content is making a long-lasting impression. Many publications have tried their best to craft appropriately long-form stories.
They have created techniques to attract readers, retain them, and remain valuable for a reader’s lifetime. These techniques and tools have been essential in creating highly-valued content and making it long-lasting.
Many readers thoroughly enjoy long-form content. Without such readers, many publications would not be able to survive these days.
Writers need to remember that are many readers who enjoy longer content. In the digital marketing age, this is more prevalent for blog posts and online articles.
There is still a lot of value to be gained from publishing longer content. Therefore, think of this, longer content means more spaces for ads and a possible increase in revenue.
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