Have you ever authored a piece of long-form material or an eBook with a word count of 4000 words or more?
If you haven’t, you’re probably unaware of the advantages and believe it’s a waste of time. But, if you’ve done it before, you already know that, while it’s a lot of work, the end result may make a big impact in search engine results. I previously wrote about two key factors to consider when writing long-form material, and many readers requested a more extensive guidance, so here it is.
Let’s pretend you want to start your own company. You can’t sleep at night because you’re afraid that your company may fail.
Then, one day, you come across an A-Z handbook for establishing any business, which, fortunately, answers all of your questions and assists you in getting started. This guide is jam-packed with all the knowledge you’ll ever need, and after reading it, you’ll start to trust the folks who put it together.
So the next time you need something for your company, such as project management software or advise on how to manage your work-life balance, you’ll know where to go.
That is one of the advantages of producing in-depth, long-form material.
To put it another way, long-form content will get you more of what you want from your blog – more visibility, improved engagement and social shares, more backlinks (which means a higher SERP ranking), and, most importantly, it will make your audience see you as the ultimate authority in your industry.
This post, however, is not about the value of long-form content.
Instead, I’m here to share with you:
Page Contents
11 SEO Hacks For Creating & Ranking Long Form Content
- 1. Start With Keyword Research
- 2. Target Long Tail Keywords
- 3. Optimize and Clean Your URL
- 4. Use A Proper H1 Tag
- 5. Add Good Subheadings
- 6. Add Inbound Links
- 7. Add Outbound Links
- 8. Optimize Your Title Tag
- 9. Optimize Your Meta Description For SEO
- 10. Include Multimedia
- 11. Add Your Target Keyword And Related Keywords
- Performing Proper SEO Of Long Form Content
11 SEO Hacks For Creating & Ranking Long Form Content
1. Start With Keyword Research
Take the time to seek for the best focus keyword on the topic before creating your long form piece, and consider targeting a lesser competitive term as well.
Just make sure you do this step correctly, because it will decide how well your content performs in search engines.
There are a plethora of fantastic tools available on the internet that will make your keyword research assignment a breeze.
Here are two of my favourites:
- SEMrush
- Ahrefs If you still don’t know how to carry out effective keyword research, check out the tutorials below:
- A Comprehensive Guide To Keyword Research By Juggernaut Method
- Keyword Research for SEO – The Ultimate Guide For Beginners (2020)
2. Target Long Tail Keywords
You already know that while creating a long form blog post, you should use a focus keyword. However, many people are unaware that they should be focusing on long tail keywords.
These are the kinds of keywords that narrow down a topic to a fine point. Long tail keywords are typically easier to rank for and attract highly targeted traffic.
Here’s a list of long tail keywords I found using the popular keywordtool.io tool:
The same method can also be used to collect as many long tail keywords as possible. If you’re having problems coming up with more of these phrases, Google’s “similar searches” area is a fantastic place to start:
Check out these resources for more information on long tail keywords:
- Why Long Tail Keywords Is More Important Than Exact Match Keywords
- 6 Awesome Tools to Find Long-Tail Keywords In Any Niche
- Free LSI Keyword Research Tool To Rank Higher In Searches
3. Optimize and Clean Your URL
Cleaner, shorter URLs have been proven to assist search engines better grasp what your content is about while also providing a better user experience.
You should also make sure that your URL incorporates your goal keyword; this will help it rank higher.
It’s best to keep it short and sweet.
For a deeper grasp of URL structure, see the following guides:
- 15 SEO Best Practices for Structuring URLs
- 10 Useful Tips for Structuring URLs For Higher Ranking [Infographic]
4. Use A Proper H1 Tag
When people arrive at your blog entries, the first thing they will notice is your H1 tag.
The title of your blog post is usually the H1 tag.
A solid H1 tag can help you rank higher in search engines.
After changing several of their page names and H1 tags, a local car parts store in Houston, Texas received the following search engine ranking result:
A well-optimized H1 tag will help search engines index your material more effectively.
Your H1 tags should ideally:
- Be short and to the point.
- Provide a clear idea of what the blog post is about.
- Have a long tail keyword (your target keyword).
You’re ready to go after your headings have these properties.
Check out these resources for more information on H1 tags and titles:
3 Simple Tips for Creating High-Traffic Post Titles
5. Add Good Subheadings
Keren Lerner wrote in a LinkedIn Pulse piece that “your headlines may be catchy.” Your writing has the potential to be fantastic. You may have well-crafted phrases, snappy sentences, and amazing insight into your reader’s thoughts. However, if your blog [post] is more than 150 words, you must include sub-headings – or create them as you go!”
This is because “reading a large block of texts can feel like a chore,” she says.
Subheadings are the h2, h3, and h4 tags seen in most blog posts, in case you didn’t know.
Subheadings might help you break up your text into manageable parts. This will make it easier for your viewers to navigate and skim your content.
Check out this page for further information about sub-headings:
- Heading Tags SEO: Tips for Using H1 to H6 Right Way
6. Add Inbound Links
Any link from one page on a website to another page on the same site is referred to as an internal link. It’s one of the techniques employed by savvy bloggers and content marketers to inform Google and website visitors that a given page of material is relevant.
Internal linking has numerous advantages, some of which are listed below:
- It helps to boost your ranking for certain keywords.
- It helps search engines easily crawl your site.
- It can help you to promote some paid services.
- It gives your audience further reading options.
7. Add Outbound Links
Linking out to related pages in your field tells Google that your page is of higher quality, and it also helps search engines figure out your particular topic, just like inbound links.
“Not linking out might be the #1 on-page SEO error that I see people make,” says Brian from Backlinko. I attempt to employ 2-4 times as many outbound links per 1000 words as possible. For the most part, that’s a good rule of thumb.”
8. Optimize Your Title Tag
The importance of title tags cannot be overstated; a correctly optimised title tag will dramatically improve your page’s visibility in SERPs. When your material appears in the search results, they’re frequently the first thing users view.
A title tag is the title of each result that appears, for the benefit of clarity.
Consider the following scenario:
When composing your page’s title tag, make sure it includes your focus keyword as well as a description of the page’s benefits.
For more on optimizing title tags, check out:
- WordPress Tags – What You Are Doing Wrong & How To Fix It
9. Optimize Your Meta Description For SEO
A meta description is a 160-character snippet that sums up the content of a web page.
Your page’s meta description, like the title tag, can help your content stand out in search engine result pages.
A properly optimized meta description should:
- Include a focus keyword.
- Be brief (about 160 characters).
- Be crystal clear and descriptive.
- Contain a call-to-action (CTA).
- Be enchanting and entice the visitor to read the entire page.
10. Include Multimedia
You’re well aware that content marketing is more than just words. You can only get so far with text alone. Videos, photos, screenshots, diagrams, and charts that are entertaining can get you a long way..
They will:
- Boost the time spent on your site.
- Reduce your bounce rate.
These are the two major user-interaction ranking variables that Google has recently used to evaluate web sites.
You may have noticed that I frequently include graphics, charts, and screenshots in my blog entries; this is simply because I understand the value they provide. They will increase the perceived value of the page, which will increase the possibility of others linking to it, in addition to increasing time on site and lowering bounce rate.
As a result, aim to include as much relevant multimedia as possible while producing your long form material.
For more on enhancing your page with multimedia, take a look at:
- How To Embed YouTube Videos in WordPress
- 20 Awesome Tools for Creating Engaging Visuals for Your Blog & Social Media
- 10 Absolutely Free Websites to Download Stock Images
11. Add Your Target Keyword And Related Keywords
In the body of your blog article, make sure to include your focus keyword. However, don’t go overboard — just make sure it’s in there a couple times.
When Google crawls your material, it will see that your focus term is important.
Sprinkle in a few related, low-competition keywords throughout the content to help you rank for even more specific long tail keywords.
Finally, your keyword should be mentioned in the last paragraph of your content, as well as in some of your subheadings. Always remember to exercise caution and avoid overdoing it.
Performing Proper SEO Of Long Form Content
Long form content can help you establish yourself as an authority on your issue while also improving your search engine rating. However, solid SEO strategies, such as these 11 criteria, are required to achieve this.
Remember that this isn’t a comprehensive list of everything you’ll need for a successful SEO campaign. These are only the fundamentals that will help you create the greatest long-form content possible on any subject.
As you may be aware, search engine optimization is a long-term approach for which you should not expect fast results.
Patience is required in order for it to have the best possible effect.
Implement these strategies, and then sit back and wait for your rankings to increase.
Need help with getting your business found online? Stridec is a top SEO agency in Singapore that can help you achieve your objectives with a structured and effective SEO programme that will get your more customers and sales. Contact us for a discussion now.