What is a long-form content?
There are various definitions of what is long-form content: some consider articles over 700-800 words to be long-form, while others consider articles up to 2000 words. Generally, to be considered long-form, articles should exceed 1000-1200 words and provide readers with exhaustive and complete information on a particular topic.
In any case, long-form articles are richer and more detailed than short-form ones, providing a more comprehensive and accurate way of communicating information. They delve deeply into a specific topic, offering data and reference sources, and are extremely useful for digital storytelling.
What types of content can be considered long-form?
Long-form content is ideal when you need to offer more detailed information about a specific topic. Additionally, they are usually SEO-optimized for multiple keywords, allowing you to attract more traffic and potential customers.
Common types of long-form content include:
- Evergreen articles;
- Posts for corporate blogs or online magazines;
- Pillar pages;
- Guides;
- eBooks;
- Whitepapers.
How Is Long-Form Content Structured?
To be effective, long-form content must be properly structured. First of all, you should start with a compelling title that generates interest in the article and include subtitles. It is then essential to and use boldface type and to divide the text into well-organized paragraphs to make it easier for the reader to find the information.
To better organize the content, it is ideal to use heading tags (HTML elements that divide the article). For instance, heading tags are a powerful SEO tool that also helps search engines better identify the information in the article. These tags follow a hierarchical order: H1 (for main titles, such as the opening of a blog post), H2 (for secondary titles, like paragraph headings), H3 (for subparagraph titles), and so on.
Don’t forget the importance of images, which can highlight key points and stimulate the reader’s curiosity. Multimedia elements like videos and infographics can also make the content more engaging and prevent the reading experience from becoming dull.
Finally, remember to enrich the text with links both to other articles and to authoritative external sources.
When and why to use long-form content
Long-form content can have significant SEO benefits, as it help improve the PageRank, boosting the website’s position in the SERPs. Moreover, these articles are an effective way to distinguish your brand from the competitors and show your expertise and authority on a specific topic. They are useful to increase reader loyalty and make them more likely to return to your site for new content and convert.
However, to be effective, these pieces of content must have real value and not be superfluous: their primary purpose is to provide in-depth information to users seeking answers and solutions to their problems. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to be consistent and focused on the main topic of the article, as well as on the content structure, which should be well-organized and divided into concise and comprehensive paragraphs. Pay close attention to the quality and accuracy of the information provided, which should be verified and updated to remain relevant over time.
How to write effective long-form content
Well-written and organized long-form articles not only capture readers’ interest but are also a valuable tool for gaining visibility on search engines, increasing website traffic and user dwell time, enhancing online brand awareness, earning backlinks, and converting readers into potential customers.
How can you write these contents properly? The first step is to have a clear goal for the content. Then, you should develop an SEO strategy by selecting relevant keywords and deciding on the article’s title before drafting an outline containing the main points to be addressed. For your keyword research you can use tools like Google Trends or SemRush, which are also useful for creating your editorial plan.
When you start writing the article, think about its structure and include all the elements we saw before, like subtitles (to better organize the content and highlight topics), internal links (to increase dwell time and improve user experience), images, infographics, and videos.
Naturally, you should know your audience and study your competitors to write something unique and original that adds value to the topic. Once the article is written, feel free to make any necessary changes or corrections, to ensure the highest quality possible.
Finally, monitor how the article is performing by checking Google Analytics or other tools. This data will give you information to improve your future content marketing strategies and have a better perception of your ROI (Return Of Investment).
As you can immagine, writing long-form content requires time and effort. It’s necessary to combine SEO knowledge with editorial skills to provide valuable information and adds value to your business. If you feel this is too much to handle, you can rely on a content marketing agency like Publicoos which can handles the ideation, production, optimization, and distribution of your web and digital media content.
