In the world of SEO writing, there are two main forms: long form and short form. While the terms might seem like an oxymoron, they actually describe different types of content. We’ve all heard that long-form content is better for SEO than short-form content. But why?
In the past, search engines have used text length as a way to determine whether a piece of content is relevant or not. So if you wrote a piece of content with only 300 words, it would generally be considered less relevant by Google than if you wrote a piece of content with 1,500 words.
But there’s more to it than just word count: search engines also look at how many times keywords appear in your writing and whether those words are used in the right context. For example, if you were writing about dog food, but used the word “dog” five times in your article instead of “canine” or “carnivorous,” then Google might not consider your article very valuable for users who are searching for information about dogs (and therefore rank it lower).
So if you want to improve your site’s rankings, should you write short form or long form? It depends on what kind of content works best for your blog!
What is long-form content?
You’ve probably heard of long form content. But what exactly is it?
Long form content is a term that describes any piece of written material that’s longer than the average blog post. It can be anything from a 1000-word article to a full-length book.
For example:
If you were writing about how to grow tomatoes in your garden, you would write a long-form piece that answered questions like: Why should you grow tomatoes? Where should you plant them? How do you care for them? What varieties should you choose? And so on.
Long-form content is typically longer than 1,000 words, has a lot of depth to it, and is focused on answering a single question or problem. Long form content is about taking the time to tell a story, show your expertise, and make connections with your audience by giving them something they’re not going to find anywhere else. It’s also called “evergreen” content, because it’s designed to last longer than a single season.
What is short form content?
Short form content is usually defined as content that doesn’t go into as much detail as long form content. You can find short form content everywhere—in blog posts, on social media and even in press releases. It’s also called “snackable” content because it’s easy to read and share quickly through various platforms.
Short form content is shorter than 1,000 words and is often used as an introduction to get people interested in reading the longer piece.
For example:
If we were writing about tomatoes again, we might write a short form piece that answers questions like: What are some of the best varieties out there? How do I know if it’s time to harvest? What can I do with these tomatoes once they’re ripe?
These are all questions that could be answered with our long-form piece but would also be useful for readers who don’t want to invest too much time into reading.
Short form content is great for getting your main points across quickly, but it doesn’t provide your audience with the same level of detail that long-form does. In a social media post or blog post, you’re limited by character count or word count respectively. However, this doesn’t mean you should write less engaging pieces just because they’re shorter!
When To Use Long Form Content vs Short Form Content
In a world that has been marred by clickbait and information overload, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. You can’t drive traffic if no one shows up.
When it comes to SEO, the two types of content are long form and short form. Longer articles are often longer blog posts or in-depth articles that provide more detailed information on a particular subject. Shorter articles are usually shorter summaries or overviews of a topic, meant to give readers an idea of what the main points are without providing too much detail.
If you want to compete in this environment, you need to write long form content. Long form content is more in-depth and detailed than short form content. It provides more detailed information on how to do something (or how NOT to do something) for readers who are interested in learning about a particular subject matter.
Longer length also gives you more time to get your message across without having to worry about getting cut off by a nervous editor or publisher worried about low word count requirements or being sued by someone whose name appears in your article without permission!
It’s easy enough for people to share good quality short-form articles on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook—but most readers won’t bother making the effort with longer pieces unless they feel they’re getting their money’s worth out of such an investment of time into reading material on their part.
Long-form content tends to be more thorough and detailed than short form content, but can also be more time-consuming for you as a writer (and for your readers). Short-form content can help break up your website into bite sized pieces that attract visitors based on their interests and needs without overwhelming them with too much information at once.
5 Questions To Ask When Writing Short Form or Long Form Content
We all know that writing content can be a lot of work. It’s easy to get caught up in the details and stress about what people will think or how your writing compares to other people’s.
But when you’re writing, it’s important to remember the big picture: what do you want your audience to feel? What do you want them to think? How do you want them to act after reading your writing?
When we focus on these questions, we can write more effectively—and also ensure that our content is as effective as possible. But sometimes it’s hard to know what exactly those questions are!
That’s why we’ve created this list of questions for short form and long form content creation:
Where am I trying to go with this piece?
As the writer, it’s your responsibility to know where the piece is going so that you can guide the reader there. You want to know your audience, their values, and what question or need you are attempting to fill with your content.
What do I need the reader to learn from it?
This is probably the most important question you can ask yourself when writing short form or long form content. The best way to answer this question is to think about what you would want someone else to explain to you if they were writing a blog post about this topic. What would be most helpful for them to say? People read content that is useful to them. The more specific you can get about the information that is important for your audience, the better off they’ll be when they read your article.
What do I hope they’ll take away from this piece?
What do YOU want them to take away from reading this article? Make sure that each part of your article or post reflects your intent as a writer. This is the most important question you can ask yourself when writing content, because it will help you better understand your audience and what they want to read. If you know what your readers want, then you can write in a way that makes them happy.
Why should readers care about what I’m saying?
This is another key question to ask when writing content. If people don’t care about what you have to say, then why would they bother reading it? This question should help you make sure that your content has an appeal that reaches beyond just one specific group of people or industry.
How can I make my piece more engaging and interesting than other pieces out there on this topic?
When writing content, it’s important to remember that while there may be many pieces on a subject, not all of them will be written in the same way. By asking yourself how to make your piece more engaging and interesting than other pieces on the topic, you’ll be able to stay focused on creating something unique and special!
CadenceSEO SEO Writing Services
CadenceSEO SEO Writing Services is a professional writing agency that offers several writing services. Whether it’s copywriting for an e-commerce site or marketing content for a blog, we can help you achieve your goals through effective communication.
Our writers are highly skilled in their respective fields, which includes:
- Content Marketing and Strategy
- Blogging
- Business Writing
- SEO Optimized Press Releases
We hope this article has given you some insight into what makes long form content different from short form content. As a final note, we would like to reiterate that the best thing to do when writing for your audience is to start with their needs in mind, and then work on finding the most effective way possible to meet those needs. After all, at the end of the day, it’s all about providing value!
