Short-Form vs. Long-Form Content: What Do Search Engines Want?

Short-form content can be more effective for SEO than long-form content. It depends, as with many SEO-related issues. Long-form information can occasionally be unnecessary and wasteful. Occasionally, it's important to have the best possibility of ranking. This post will teach you a quick method for determining how much to write about each topic individually. However, let's first clarify our definitions:

What do you mean by short form content?

Anything that is under 1,000 words is considered short-form material. We chose to describe it in this way, although there are other meanings. It's okay if you just classify anything with less than 500 words as short-form.

What do you mean by Long-form content?

Anything longer than 1,000 words is considered long-form content. Once more, this is the definition we opt for. You could disagree and think that information is only long-form if it is beyond 2,000 words. You have the choice. Should I produce long- or short-form content?

Do I need to write tens of thousands of words to rank for this term, if you're asking this question in the context of SEO? Or is there a shorter form I might use? A good question. However, you shouldn't make this decision by imposing an arbitrary word limit.

Ask yourself, instead: "How much writing do I need to accomplish to satisfy searchers?" Here is a simple five-step procedure to respond to that question:

● Examine the rankings

Bring up the search results for the keyword you're aiming for. There are several ways to accomplish this. Use Keywords Explorer and go down to the SERP overview for "ecommerce seo" if you use Ahrefs. Use the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar to examine results for your target area if you're not already an Ahrefs user and conduct a Google search in a private tab. Other than this you can also take help from a SEO company in Birmingham who provides the best SEO services. Results for "ecommerce seo" on Google

● Select an article format.

Regardless of how much you write, your content is unlikely to rank unless it is in line with what users are looking for. Because of this, choose a content type that is already ranking is typically the best option. Several popular content formats to watch out for are listed below:

1. Guides

2. Articles

3. Lists

4. How to do tutorials

5. Reviews

● Produce a search-specific outline.

A simple blueprint for your content that draws ideas from comparable, high-ranking material is known as a search-focused outline. According to this line of reasoning, since similar top-ranking material is obviously giving searchers what they want, studying it can help you figure out what they want. The content gap analysis is the ideal place to start when creating a search-focused outline.

If we take the top-ranking guides and enter their URLs into Ahrefs' Content Gap tool, we see all the phrases that one or more of those pages rank for in the top positions. Let's imagine we want to write a guide targeting the term "pour over coffee." With a quick glance at these keywords, we can begin to identify subtopics for our outline:

Keywords in the Content Gap results list. Initial draft of the article "pour-over coffee." Visit the pages and look at the subheadings if you need extra ideas for your outline. Additionally, it may show you subtopics you overlooked and will help you understand better how to organise your information.

● Commence writing

It's time to put pen to paper and turn your plan into actual "content," so to speak. You may use this opportunity to express your creativity and educate others. Just keep in mind that your plan is there to make sure you include everything necessary to satisfy searchers, so don't veer too far from it. At this point, don't worry about length or word count. Just concentrate on writing down your thoughts.

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If you're having trouble, consider these helpful hints:

● Freewriting is writing that you don't stop doing. No backspacing is allowed to fix typos. No sentence rewriting. Just write. If you can master this, you'll probably discover that your text flows better.

● Use the Pomodoro approach, which involves writing for 25 minutes and then pausing for 5 minutes. As many times as required, repeat this procedure to complete your material. (This Pomodoro timer is free.)

● Use a writing instrument that won't distract you - My favourite app is Bear, although there are a couple that are comparable. Any software you choose should not display the word count while you write, in my opinion.

Because of the excessive distraction, you can find yourself saying, "Hey, this is becoming lengthy" or "Hey, this feels too short." You should steer clear of thinking like this. You just want to write what you really must and nothing more. Please disregard the word count entirely.

● Remove extra fluff

Your initial draught will always be far too long, whether your material is ultimately short or long-form. Run-on phrases, unimportant points, and excessively extended paragraphs will all be there. Although it may not seem well, it is exactly how a first draught should be written. When you put your thoughts on paper, it will be lot simpler for you to edit and improve them than if you were to think about them endlessly.

Here are three stages to accomplishing that:

1. The first step is to edit oneself.

This is the time to edit any extraneous filler from your initial draft. Rewrite any rambling phrases and make sure everything is as precise as you can. Hemingway and Grammarly are two useful tools for this.

1. A longer paragraph is followed by a shorter one.

2. Getting input from a friend or coworker

Since most individuals don't want to offend you, this one might be challenging. I advise directly requesting their input on anything you can shorten or cut. This should help them focus their criticism and lessen their concern that they could upset you.

1. A round of self-edits based on your friend's or colleague's comments.

Your material should be as lengthy as your current word count permits. It could be long-form or short-form. It is irrelevant. It is crucial that you wrote what was necessary to live up to searchers' expectations.

Is it really so easy?

Kind of, however there are a few additional things to consider that could affect your choice. You shouldn't say it again. Imagine you're looking up subtopics for a content piece when you come across one that you've already written about on your website.

Conclusion

Instead than aiming for some arbitrary word count, concentrate on satisfied searchers. Let your search-focused outline be your guide if you're dealing with freelancers and you need to offer them a rough estimate since you're paying by the word. Tell them to make it brief and sweet if there isn't much to cover. If there is a lot to cover, give them a general time frame and ask them to let you know if the material should be extended. In this case, flexibility is crucial.