“Long-form vs Short-form Content: Which Performs Better in SEO” – a million-dollar question from agency owners to content marketers. Well, there is no perfect answer yet. Few strategists believe long-form content brings better results than short-form. On the other hand, sometimes short-form content goes viral. So, it is a tricky matter to discuss. Let’s take a tour on this matter:
Table of Contents:
- What is Long-form Content?
- When should we need it?
- Pros of Long-form Content
- Cons of Long-form content
- What is short-form content?
- When is short-form content required?
- Pros of short-form content
- Cons of short-form content
- How do you pick Long-from vs short-form content?
- Wrap Up
- FAQs
What is Long-form Content?
Many resources say that if your content is over 1200 words or ranges between 1200 to 2000 words or has even more word count, then it is considered long-form content.
Long-form content helps your readers understand the topic in depth. Some researchers think it adds value to their readers. As a content writing service provider, if you post insightful posts with lots of resources, you fulfill your readers’ search intent or queries, so your content becomes e engaging, and the spending time on the page will increase, so chances of ranking are higher.
How-to blog posts, case studies, white papers, guides & tutorials, podcasts & videos, pillar pages, case studies, etc., are good examples of long-form content.
When should we need it?
You need long-form content when you educate your audience with in-depth knowledge of your niche and build authority on that topic. When your readers gather information and knowledge from your website, they share it on social media, comment, and engage with your content. However, your website has good traffic this way, so it helps you rank on Google or other search engines.
Pros of Long-form Content:
Let’s explore the key benefits of the long-form content:
Build Authority: When buyers want to buy your services or products, they naturally have questions about these. If you fulfill their queries or give an impactful overview of your services or products, you can stand tall over the crowds. In addition to covering an in-depth brief of your products, you need to craft long-form content.
Few landing pages also have long-form content. Suppose you are looking for tools to simplify your tasks, and you search on Google or social media platforms. There, you will find plenty of software ads and landing pages. But the problem is that you are unfamiliar with them and have many questions.
So when you see visually appealing and in-depth landing pages that briefly explain the user manual, benefits, cons, and plenty of FAQs, you will get all your answers and know how to use everything. So you are impressed by the seller and ultimately purchase the product. However, this way, your long-form content wins the hearts of your buyers.
Increase Conversions Ratio: After deep research by Neil Patel, he concludes that long-form content performs better than short-form content. People spend 40% more time on longer content than shorter content.
Long content fulfills readers’ queries and is resourceful, and spending time is higher, which is essential in SEO ranking. Also, it helps you build trust and good relationships with your buyers and gives you authority to your niche. So you will have more engagements.
Moreover, if your buyer decides to purchase the product or services you write, they prioritize you. So, the chances of conversion rate are higher than short-form content.
Sometimes, they perform better in Google’s ranks: SEO Digital Marketing Agency owners know how vital the quality of long-form SEO content writing is. Proverbs state that content is king for SEO and digital marketing. If you want to rank your website or products digitally, you need keywords and backlinks. But in short-form content, you have a limited scope of earning backlinks and playing a game of keywords.
You can’t randomly stuff keywords in your content just for ranking on SERP. It is against Google’s algorithm. But in long-form content, you can use multiple relevant keywords smartly and naturally with the flow.
Also, you require quality backlinks from different authoritative websites to get a first-page ranking on Google or other SERP. These websites allow you to post your content with your short bio, but for that, it must be resourceful, engaging, trendy, and add value to their visitors, so you can’t fulfill all criteria in short-form content. Backlinks from high-value websites increase your trust score and organic rankings.
Chance to have a good rapport with your audience: With the help of long-form content, you can build a good rapport with like-minded people. When they socially share or comment on your content, you reply to it, making a fresh relationship with your audience.
In addition, you must ask for feedback; keeping in touch with them will be the other best way to promote your content. So, longer content is a power pack solution for all digital business needs.
Cons of Long-form content:
Like a coin on both sides, long-form content has both pros and cons. Let’s review some cons or disadvantages of it:
Time-Taking: Producing long-form content is time-consuming. You have to be resourceful and engaging throughout the content. So, to write this type of content, you must research the topic well. And it takes time.
Limitations on Mobile Devices: Long-form content sometimes has technical issues, so readers struggle to read. So, they leave the site in the middle, giving you a higher bounce rate and hurting your SEO ranking.
Reader Retention: In long-form content, grabbing the readers’ attention throughout the content is challenging. If each line of your write-ups doesn’t provide value, your audience will move away from your website and never return, so there will be a higher bounce rate.
Fluff: To write long-form content for only SEO ranking, you drag your content with the same information, which has an adverse SEO effect. Because you can’t fool your readers, they are smart enough to identify between quality and fluffy content. So you lose your audience as well as traffic.
What is short-form content?
As per ahrefs research, the content below 1000 words is considered short-form. Short-form content is also popular because it takes less time for creators and readers.
Short-form content includes shorter blog posts, social media content, infographics, and emails. Videos under 10 minutes long are also referred to as short-form content.
When is short-form content required?
You can craft short and crisp content when you announce essential updates about your products or services. Or if you have an industry-oriented algorithm, you want to make your visitors aware, so you should go for it.
In fact, in their busy schedules, people have less time to read long-form content always. So, if you convey your message shortly and compellingly, you will also have better engagements.
Because it takes less time, you can create more appealing content quickly. So your audience gets consistent content and increases engagement and trust.
Pros of short-form content:
Time-saving: As discussed earlier, short-form content needs fewer resources and is specific so that you can produce content quickly.
Easy Scannable: Short-form content produces to-the-point content so people will find it easier to digest.
Accessible on mobile and desktop: Short-form content performs well on both devices. Long-form content sometimes has loading issues on mobile, but short-form content is accessible on both, so there is less to no bounce ratio.
Attention-Grabbing: Funny Meme is also represented as short-form content. When your message is conveyed precisely and differently to your readers, you stand tall from the crowd and all eyeballs toward your content.
Massive Sharing: When your post adds value, readers share it with their networks and social media. So that other like-minded people get the same value from your content.
If you post high-value infographics or funny memes that convey your thoughts differently, people will love and engage with them. These types of content are now hotcakes for Agecny owners. So try different types of content, mix and match, and measure which performs better.
Cons of short-form content:
Less Resourceful: Short-form content produces to-the-point content, so the matter doesn’t cover it in depth. So many questions remain unanswered.
Forgettable: Short-form content consumes less time than long one. So marketers post massive short content, that’s why it can be lost in crowds.
Less Interaction: Short-form content doesn’t cover the entire topic in detail. Due to a lack of resources and data, you have fewer interactions with your audience than long-form content. So, it doesn’t fulfill your SEO ranking goals.
How do you pick Long-from vs short-form content?
There are a few metrics you should consider before you start writing. Both forms of content are suitable in its own way. Let’s get a quick overview of when we pick each of them:
Audience Persona: Before crafting content, you should understand your audience, whether they are busy professionals or enjoy in-depth overviews to educate themselves.
You can conduct some quick surveys to know your audience persona. Also, use Google Analytics to analyze which performs better and what your readers’ reading habits are.
Determine Your Goal: First, know your intent; if you write some updates to your products or add additional features, then short-form is ideal.
If you want to educate your audience on complex topics, long-form is ideal, and you become a thought leader.
Follow Your Competitors: Look what your competitors are doing. Do they shout out short-form content like social media, emails, and newsletters, or do they provide some value and wisdom to their audience by tailoring long-form content?
If you understand the type of post they follow, you write accordingly. Also, if their strategy has gaps or flaws, you bridge them with your mix-and-match write-ups and get quick wins among your audience.
The Nich also Matters: Some niches naturally need long explanations. However, other topics can be good to go in a shorter piece. For example, some technical product tutorials naturally come up with long pieces.
On the other hand, when you announce something about your company or products or any updates, short-form content is suitable. When you launch your website or add new features to your service or product, long-form is useless. Here, the shorter one performs well.
So, weigh them according to your needs and pick your desired one.
Wrap Up:
Long-form and short-form both shine in their own way. Short-form content goes well as social media content for entertainment or any core updates, email copies, short blog posts, etc. It is also ideal for busy readers.
On the other hand, long-form content stands out because of its detailed and comprehensive guides. It covers in-depth about the subject matter. Long-form content educates your audience, so it helps you to establish your brand as an authority.
You can choose between them by following your audience’s persona and goals. If your aim is backlinking, ranking, and educating your readers, then long-form is yours. But if you only focus on a particular matter of your subject, then short-form is suitable.
If you want to expand your audience, you can balance them by providing both types of content. Then, your both audiences’ attention you might grab. Now the choice is yours. Both are beneficial in some aspects.
Read More:
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FAQs:
Q: What are long-form content word limits?
A: The above 1200 words are called long-form content.
Q: What are the word counts of short-form content?
A: Anything below 1000 words is called short-form content.
Q: Does more content mean better SEO?
A: Yes, the longer content increases your visibility and authority. So, indirectly, it boosts your SEO.
Q: Is short-form content better than long-form?
A: Researchers say long-form content gives a complete overview of your niche, so it educates your readers. However, when they like your content, they share and comment, which boosts your engagement. Conversely, content below 1000 words has a lower impact on engagement and SEO
Q: Does long-form content rank better?
A: You can generate more backlinks from long-form content naturally than short-form content and a higher engagement ratio boosts SERP ranking.
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