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long form content for seo

Long Form Content for SEO: The Key to Higher SERP Ranking

Author: Team WH
Published On: 11-05-23
Last Updated on: 12-12-23
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Keep it short and sweet, right? Wrong! When it comes to SEO, long form content not only ranks well but also attracts and engages readers better. So, if you’re having trouble driving traffic, it might be because your content is too short.

Although there is no rigid definition for long form content SEO, content writers would agree that it can be articles or blogs over 1,000 words. Longer content allows you to showcase your expertise and expand your audience. This blog explains the importance of long form content in SEO by listing its advantages and also goes over some tips for writing quality long form content.

Benefits of Long Form Content SEO

benefits of long form content SEO

There are multiple reasons why long form content has gained popularity and why you should opt for it. Some are listed here:

Long form content provides more opportunities for backlinks, that is, links from third-party websites. This boosts your organic ranking significantly, as links are an integral part of SEO. Creating long form content that offers in-depth information is a great link-building technique. Such content gets referenced by writers, bloggers, and journalists.

2. Easy for Search Engines to Understand

Infographics and other forms of visualisation can be attractive. However, long pieces of content in written form are easier for Google and other search engines to read and understand. This is because Google doesn’t classify images, data files, and JavaScript as generated by humans.

However, you can use visual elements like images after ensuring they are optimised for SEO. You can do this by:

  • Including alt text
  • Using descriptive file names

This will make your content engaging and break up large blocks of text.

3. Target a Range of Keywords

If you write long form content, you have the opportunity and space to target many keywords across an entire topic. One way to do this is to use multiple headings and sections. This will enable your content to rank higher in search results. Moreover, it will also expand your readership. Hence, this is another reason for the importance of long form content SEO.

You would have noticed that Google shows relevant snippets from web pages in response to search queries. Therefore, if you cover a variety of topics in your content, specific parts of it will show up on the results page. This way, you have a better chance of ranking and generating traffic.

Types of Long Form Content

Here are some long form content examples that you can adopt.

White Papers

These are authoritative reports on a particular subject, educating the audience on complex topics in an easy-to-understand way.

Case Studies

Case studies can be used to explore and examine a specific situation or topic. You can utilise these to demonstrate the advantages of a product or service.

Articles, Guides, and Blog Posts

Long form articles, guides, and blog posts can provide detailed information about a given topic, covering the topic from different angles.

How to Master SEO with Long Form Content

mastering seo with long form content

Here are some tips for mastering the creation of longer content:

  • Although long form content is highly beneficial, this doesn’t mean everything you publish should be long form. For instance, if you’re sharing a video demonstrating the working of your product, you don’t have to post 1,500 words explaining the video.
  • Never sacrifice quality for quantity. If you include a lot of fluff in your content to increase the word count, it won’t go over well with the audience. Avoid keyword stuffing; instead, create content that provides value to your readers.
  • Long form content for SEO is better when it is scannable. Hence, make sure that you include good subheadings and bullet points. Avoid huge chunks of text.
  • Choose topics you have expertise in to ensure that you can speak with authority. They should also resonate with your target audience.
  • Writing long form content can be quite challenging sometimes when there is a dearth of information. Conducting thorough research on your chosen topic will help you overcome this. Additionally, it will ensure the accuracy of your content.

In Conclusion

SEO is a constantly evolving area with a lot of details to pay attention to. In this blog, it is abundantly clear that leveraging long form content for SEO should be one of your goals, as it has multiple advantages. Long form pieces also get more shares on social media. This is a good sign that your content is valuable and relevant to your target audience. 

If you have been observing poor conversion rates, try long form content. Remember to keep it enjoyable to read, though!

People Also Ask

Q) What types of topics should I choose for long form content?

 A) When writing long form content for SEO, try to choose topics that are complex or require in-depth analysis. This will give you scope for detailed explanations, benefitting your audience.

Q) What are the drawbacks to creating long form content?

A) Creating long form content can be time-consuming and require a significant investment of resources. However, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

A) Here are some ways to optimise for featured snippets:

  • Use straightforward language
  • Make it scannable using subheadings and bulleted lists
  • Answer common user queries

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