Long form VS short form blog post copywriting to boost your SEO
Which form of copywriting will benefit your business the most?
Here's a quick tip to consider when it comes to taking in information about digital marketing - it constantly changes.
By the time you read this blog post, discard everything that I’ve said!
How does copywriting help your SEO in general?
If you are actively posting then Google will see you as having more authority in your area of expertise. It will push you higher up the rankings.
Ok so its not quite that simple. Posts need to be optimised for SEO.
Read my blog post here about how writing can help your Search Engine Optimisation results.
What is long and short form copywriting?
I usually categorise short and long form posts into short - anything up to 500 words, and long form - anything over 500 words up to around 2000 words.
If you’re writing more than 2000 words then consider a career change into copywriting or proof reading!
Long form copywriting content - the pros and cons
In general, the more information you include in your posts, the more Google might see you as an authority in this specific area. If your topics are congruent then you’ll slowly start to rise to the top of Google.
Yes, you have to optimise each post accordingly - but that’s far too much to go into here.
For now, lets look at longer posts.
Cons:
They take longer to write
Posts probably need to include some external research, which can be demanding on your time
If it’s not engaging, readers won’t read through
If readers don’t read…Google penalises you….
Quality writing can easily turn into waffle.
Pros:
If it’s quality content, Google will reward you
People can spend longer on your website, boosting your overall SEO efforts
Properly optimised posts can soar to the top of Google
If you love your topic, writing long form can be easy!
You’ll establish yourself as an expert in your area/brand.
Short form content - the pros and cons
Sometimes all you need is 500 words to properly explore a topic. Some people can write a 500 word blog post in an hour and be happy with the standard of writing - especially for those with experience or expertise in the chosen field.
Cons
Google might not see enough keywords or length of content to rank you as highly as your competitors if they create longer posts
500 words might not be enough to properly get your point across
Your audience might not view you as much as an expert in the field.
Pros
500 words is perfect to put one main point across
It’s a lot less daunting to write shorter form content - you might write 5 short form posts over a weekend, compared to potentially just one long form post
You can cover a wide number of topics much quicker with shorter form content - if these topics are all within one niche then you’ll rank high for your overall content
Your audience can easily read it in a few minutes, if it’s well-written.
What does Google think?
Back in 2019 it was all about long form blog content.
The more the better.
Companies were paying me to write ridiculously long posts about boring topics (e.g. write 2500 words about a telephone helpline…. yawn).
The emphasis now is on writing engaging copy, on topics that your audience will actually read.
Blog posts are an extension of your website.
Google sees that your audience is reading your content based on how long you’re on that website (post) for.
Google then rewards you by ranking you higher in their results.
Conclusion
I’m going to sit firmly on the fence here.
If you’re crunched for time, then write a few shorter posts.
If you have more time then write some longer posts.
Make your writing as informative, helpful and engaging as possible.
A long form post with engaging copywriting, that is well thought-out on how to lay decking is worth 10 short posts about how to make your garden look better if you’ve just scrapped the words together without any thought.
What do I do?
I don’t count my words. Some topics lend themselves well to deep dives, others I can crank out a first draft over a cup of coffee.
Finding the time to blog is probably the first hurdle in actually posting in the first place.
I use the cloud to make sure that if I have my phone with me, then I have the ability to write blog posts. Simple.
Don’t get caught up just yet on keywords, links, or optimisation. That comes later.
For now, get writing.
The companies that have embraced SEO copywriting for the last few years are the ones that are winning on Google.
Don’t get left behind. If you're not on the first page of Google, you might as well not be there at all.
Want to know more about SEO, Search Engine Optimisation copywriting, and what this can mean for your business? Just contact me for more information and I’ll be happy to guide you.
Thanks,
Adam White