Why and How to Create Long-Form Content

Google encourages us to provide helpful information to our audience. And long-form content is the right source for it. Under one roof, it offers complete details about a specific topic, thus eliminating the need for them to visit other web pages. 

Unfortunately, not many marketers know how this comprehensive content can change their online reputation and visibility. But just to name a few, you can expect endless benefits, from credibility and user engagement to backlink and social sharing opportunities.  

Let us see why long-form content is vital for your mediation or arbitration website and how it can help grow your business.

For Enhancing the SEO Rank 

Google itself revealed that people have more interest in broad topics. Long-form content covers the entire subject in detail and provides value to the readers. Thus, it becomes a ranking factor.

Additionally, more in-depth information gives us more chances of backlinking. Google keeps track of our links too. More credible links build a great image in front of the search engine. A combination of all these things contributes to getting a good SEO rank. 

For Gaining Trust 

When information is limited, people need to switch to other pages. In this way, they gather information from multiple sites. Thus, they are less likely to remember every single source.  

However, they know which site is reliable when they save time and effort by finding information from one place. The next time they need to learn about a similar topic, they directly visit that platform. 

For Better User- Engagement

When the topic is broad, we have more chances of attracting users. Engagement becomes easier since we can explain everything in detail, use examples, and add visuals. Most importantly, long-form content provides room for various visuals under one roof. 

Like you can add multiple images, insert a short video, and use infographics in a 2000-word blog post. However, in a quick 500-word post, we have limited opportunity of using multiple visuals. Too many images in a short article look odd, which is not the case in detailed content. 

After knowing the importance of long-form content, you must be curious to know how to create it. Here are a few valuable tips: 

1.  Create a Comprehensive Plan

You can never be able to create an informative piece of content until you set some goals. Think about what you want to deliver, what your readers want to know, and how this blog piece can resolve a problem. 

Once you get answers to these questions, the next step is to select a specific topic. Here are a few tips for choosing the right topic: 

●       Learn the most trending topics through Ahrefs, Content Strategy Generator, Feedly Reeder, and UberSuggest. 

●       Notice the competition on each topic and opt for the one with low competition. 

●       Look at your competitor’s topics. 

●       Stay active on social media platforms and see what your audience prefers to share.  

2. Always Create an Outline 

Since you plan to write detailed content, creating an outline is essential. Otherwise, your article can go out of track. Creating a flow in your content is vital for making the readers connected. 

Try to ensure that every paragraph is linked with the former one. Also, create headings, pointers, and subheadings, to make the content easy to understand. 

3. Research Everything in Detail 

Apart from providing comprehensive information, sharing authentic material should be your prime objective. For this, you need to perform extensive research. Give ample time and understand everything in detail. 

The following things can help you in your research: 

●       Google has information on almost everything. However, never rely on every other site. Make sure that the site is authentic and reliable. 

●       Use Google books to see what book authors say about the topic. 

●       Also, search for the latest research papers and journal articles. Sharing research in your content adds weightage to it. 

●       Look at the competitor’s content. But, always try to write content differently, even if you are picking the same topic. Use better examples, share relevant studies, and try to stand out with visuals. 

4. Create a Rough Draft 

When you are done with the outline and research, you will have multiple things in your mind. Which study was the best, what examples will look good, and which points are the most important? 

Create a rough draft where you write the key points to make things easier. In this way, you will be able to write your final draft smoothly. Take out the outline and write one point about each heading. 

For instance, you can just write “Forbes example” under the example heading. Then, in the final draft, you can explain this example in detail. 

5. Select a Suitable Tone 

Finally, when it’s time to write your content, select your tone of voice. If you keep a suitable style, you can successfully engage your audience.

Considering a few things is essential before selecting your tone. These things include:

●       Your brand’s nature 

●       Your target audience 

●       Your topic

If you have a B2B business in which you address stakeholders, CEOs, and managers, you need to adopt a professional tone. However, if you have a kid’s brand and your target audience is young moms, you can go for a friendly style. 

6. Enhance Engagement Through Visuals 

No matter how great your content is, without visuals, it looks uninteresting. 

Therefore, using visuals is essential for creating an enhancing appeal in your content. Thankfully, getting access to a wide range of visuals is not difficult these days. 

You can take real photos and use editing tools for a professional look. Real images display authenticity but require time. Alternatively, you can purchase stock photos from various sites. These stock images are excellent in quality and save a lot of time. 

Furthermore, you can share screenshots or add explainer videos. These short videos have the power to make your content viral on social media platforms. You can also add typography by using a different font for the most important sentences. 

7. Never Forget to Proofread

Remember, content can make or break your brand’s digital image. When you proofread the content, you get an opportunity to remove all errors. Therefore, always read the content from a reader’s point of view in the end. You might come up with new ideas, examples, or better vocabulary. 

Wrapping It Up 

In short, the importance of long-form content is undeniable. It brings engagement, enhances the SEO rank, and builds a positive brand identity. 

Though creating long-form content looks intimidating, a few steps can help us achieve this goal.

Steps like planning, research, rough draft, final draft, and proofreading can create great content for our audience. 

 Written by: Amos Struck