Do you struggle to write long-form copy for your website and wonder whether it’s even worth it?
The short answer is, yes, long-form copy is worth it. Here’s why.
It builds authority.
Competition online is fierce. Showcasing yourself as an expert can help set you apart. A long page or post gives you the space to expand on a topic and include all the information you need to prove your bona fides.
Got statistics? Add them. Testimonials or interviews with clients or patients? Drop those in as pull quotes. And, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words so include images for visual appeal and to help break up the text.
It allows you to create a compelling narrative.
A long post can be structured like a story to make it more engaging.
People love a good story so writing yours with a strong hook at the beginning and compelling narrative throughout will keep people reading. This kind of content is memorable and unique, giving it staying power in the minds of site visitors.
It helps draw traffic.
If you are familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), you know the importance of using keywords to help your site get listed high in search results.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in search has started to shift things a little. AI can interpret meaning so it can assess the value of a site on the basis of context, not just specific words.
This is where long-form writing enters the chat. Long pages or posts enable you to go into great detail on a particular subject. They also provide opportunities for links to shorter posts using related terms, creating an interconnected web of topics that, when combined, provide greater context for AI searches, helping you rank higher. As an example, consider the map below for the main topic of pre-diabetes and the various sub-topics that can be spun off from it:
The bottom line: a richer content base on your site means you can rank for pages that AI thinks are a good match even if they don’t contain any of the specific keywords in a user query.
But traditional SEO is not dead. Keep keywords in mind because, as Webbiquity notes:
“Those sites and pages that do well in legacy, traditional search will be the points of reference for AI models that are checking their own work…[O]ptimizing your content for search engines is still vitally important. Showing up in search engines means that when an AI model is unsure about its answer, if the model has the ability to call tools (like web searches), it’s going to ask the nearest search engine.”
It can build trust…if it is genuine.
Long-form writing provides an opportunity for bespoke content that applies only to your business. And while AI is a factor in web search, the creativity required for content creation does not exist in machine writing.
As noted in Forbes: “The human touch in content creation holds great value as it imbues a unique, engaging quality that resonates with users. This allows content to stand out in a competitive market and helps build trust with your audience.” (Emphasis mine.)
So don’t be afraid to showcase your own voice. People want and expect it.
How to use long-form content
You don’t need to write a book for every topic you want to cover. Use long-form copy judiciously.
Site visitors are not going to read multiple lengthy posts, so set up a few cornerstone pieces and create several shorter posts that link back to it. You will enhance the authority of the cornerstone while also branching out to cover topics related to it, making your site a comprehensive resource that people–and search engines–will visit and recommend to others.
Need help?
If all of this sounds daunting, I get it. Creating high volumes of content, including longer pieces, is a lot of work. Talk to me about long-form content, either standalone and optimized for a topic or a cornerstone package that includes a long page or post and shorter, connected pieces you can link to it.
Photo of books by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash.