Blogging is the third most popular content marketing tactic, and up to 80% of businesses use blogs for marketing. But why? Blogs serve as additional spokespersons for the business and actively support the marketing campaign by increasing traffic conversions and brand awareness.
So, is publishing random blogs sufficient? No!
The RAW (Research – Analyze – Write) method and an insightful content strategy framework will help you build credibility with potential clients.
A holistic approach is a must to develop successful strategies. For example, in the length domain, multiple researchers corroborate the finding that search engines favor longer blogs.
Diving more into the topic, one must evaluate what exactly long length entails. Why does length matter? And is it true that lengthier blogs are better for SEO?
Let’s find out.
What is a blog and how is it instrumental in marketing?
“The real act of discovery is not in finding new lands, but seeing with new eyes.” - Marcel Proust
Blogs let readers see things in new ways by representing corporate values and communicating with consumers about everything.
A blog is a sum of extensive information wrapped in relatability and personal nuances and falls under the ambit of digital marketing. It is a type of journal, in reality, so works best with less complex vocabulary. A blog page consists of multiple blogs that are shown in reverse chronological order, with the most recent appearing first and providing all of the most recent updates about the company.
In the business world, blogs work as part of a marketing strategy, an advertisement with more words and space. Blog posts serve as online sales representatives, answering queries, expressing ideas, and eventually personalizing the experience. The purpose of the blog is not only to present informative content but also to build social relations with its readers.
Can blogs improve your search engine ranking?
Primarily, blogs are informational and are formed around particular keywords that are key product indicators. These keywords assist in the creation of user-friendly and well-targeted content that promotes the services with more conviction.
As blogs provide first-hand information, their relevance in this virtual world is on the point of supplanting the traditional marketing monologue. According to one study, 77% of Internet users read blogs on a daily basis. It represents a substantial market for your blogs and products.
A well-optimized blog with relevant themes can help your blog rank higher and lead you to better SEO results. Keyword rankings become important because higher-ranking get more organic search traffic. The motive is to rank for keywords along with influencing people to indulge in your brand or services.
The modern era is of Consumer Generated Media (CGM), where clear, concise, and consistent messages on the internet work in the favor of businesses.
There are 4 major advantages of blogging:
1. Drive traffic and build authority
Blogs serve equal benefits to diverse types of visitors. For those searches, in which a brand name is typed right into the browser for information, expertise, and thought leadership is portrayed through updated blogs.
However, in general, consumers locate online sites by typing in common keywords. In these scenarios, optimized blogs rank better and boost your website's discoverability, attracting new readers.
If you remain consistent with blogs and focus on various keywords related to your services, the ranking will endure and provide steady traffic. The variety of blogs will show your brand's expertise and authority on search engines.
2. Lead conversion
The business blog aims to make closer communication with customers. A well-crafted call to action will gently move your prospective consumers to the next stage of the sales funnel. Blogs raise the brand's value proposition, which leads to lead conversions from high traffic.
3. Better customer relations
Blogging is a long-term approach that keeps readers up to date on the latest news and information from the company. Blogs answer consumers' questions and fill gaps with newsletters and free tutorials.
These regular encounters bring consumers closer together and foster strong, long-term customer relationships.
4. Builds a community
Blogs stimulate readers' interest, and the comment area allows them to express their opinions and ask more questions about the subject. Readers engage with identity and help to grow the blog's diaspora.
The reactions form a community, which generates interest in your company, and boosts its authority.
What is the ideal content length?
Backlinko, an SEO consultancy site, uncovered that material displayed on Google's main page averaged 1,890. According to the experts:
● The ideal length ranges between 2,100-2,400 words, according to a HubSpot study.
● SEMrush trusts the ideal length to be more than 3000 and also suggests blog post length must be based on specific blog post types.
● Per Buffer, the optimal blog length is of nearly seven minutes, or around 1600 or 1600+ words.
● According to GrowthBar, blogs should be at least 1500 words long.
Content length strategy varies according to the need and requirements. Analyze your targeted audience and user intent and align your writing length with the logical framework as blogs act as a valuable corporate asset.
Why are longer blogs better for SEO?
The benefits of long-form content are massive. More chance to convert. More chance to hook the prospect. More customer questions are answered. - Andrew Holland, Head of Organic Growth at Embryo
Longer blogs are likely to attract more traffic and generate 9x more leads. Additionally, according to CoSchedule, articles with over 2,500 words often rank near the top.
Several research studies have proven from time to time why longer works better for SEO. Some of the reasons are:
1. Longer blogs showcase expertise
Google's algorithm is based on user intent, and lengthier blogs are more likely to provide solutions and satisfaction. Although word quantity is not a predictor of quality, worthy lengthier blogs suggest a broader range of expertise.
The more useful insights you offer, the more trustworthy your service appears.
2. Longer blogs provide valuable dwell time
Neil Patel says people stayed on the long-form content page 40% longer than on the average page.
Longer blogs give valuable dwell time to the website with their premium gap-filling content strategy. If readers get what they want, they will trust your website and remain there for longer.
Dwell time is a clear indicator of whether your material is engaging and piquing the interest of your readers.
3. Longer blogs can include more keywords naturally
The idea is not to stuff your content with extra unnecessary keywords but to create room to discuss an underutilized facet of your primary keyword areas. Keywords show you a way to form a structure and position yourself ahead of your competitors with never discussed additional information around the topic.
Search engines prefer new and detailed information on existing topics and support such content to rank well for matching readers' requirements.
4. Longer blogs attract more backlinks
Websites with blogs continue to be more useful than non-blog websites since they receive 97% more inbound links. Backlinks attest to the credibility of your content and tell search engines that it is worthy of ranking. Long-form content receives 77.2% more backlinks than short pieces on average.
5. Longer blogs drive to get more social shares
Long-form articles get more shares than short-form content. A buzz sumo survey shows blogs with more than 2000 words get more social shares. QuickSprout study shows blogs with more than 1500 words count to get more Facebook and Twitter shares.
High shareability indicates higher viewership and greater scope of the market.
Crucial elements for a longer blog strategy
1. Quality should be consistent
Establish your goals for writing and invest a heavy amount of time and effort in strategy and planning. The longer length will be fruitful only if you mean every word of your content and provide value to your customers.
Quality with consistency will ensure that your services are never taken lightly by your reader or the search engines you are targeting.
2. Internal linking must be impeccable
Internal links are an effective strategy to retain readers on your page while also allowing people to navigate the site. Internal linking improves your overall SEO by spreading link equity and creating an informational hierarchy for readers.
While there is no definitive answer to how many internal links are excessive, four internal and external links per 1,000 words are often acceptable.
3. Sentences and paragraphs need to be short
Longer durations might appear cumbersome and difficult to grasp, and your content's quality should not go wasted. So, keeping sentences brief, i.e., up to 18-20 words, it will allow your targeted audience to comprehend complex information easily.
Short paragraphs present a visually good structure and separate related ideas into easy-to-digest groups.
4. Long blogs should be a treat for the eyes
Including pictures in your material enhances reader retention by 65%. Because human brains grasp information more quickly through visuals, and blogs with images capture readers' attention more quickly.
Infographics, screenshots, photographs, product images, GIFs, and other visuals will increase the impact of the content.
5. Longer blogs need frequent updates
While writing lengthy posts, a lot of effort and hard work goes into it. Your former blogs may become less relevant to your readers' current needs as time passes.
The quickest method to do justice to your hard work and spare extra work writing new blogs is to add fresh information to your previous blogs from time to time and use them to the best of your ability.
What are the top takeaways for longer blog writing?
Blogs are instrumental in maintaining close interaction with potential prospects. With competitive marketing, blog optimization becomes an essential practice for attaining better SEO results.
Every company needs a distinct and personalized content strategy. When it comes to techniques to improve search engine rankings, the most prevalent suggestion is to use a longer blog strategy. Longer blogs are a definite method to demonstrate knowledge and earn credibility from readers.
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