The conventional wisdom among bloggers is that short posts are better than long and the shorter the better. Recent research, however, suggests that longer articles—those of 2000 plus words—actually rank higher on Google searches. As a matter of fact, the top ten positions for keyword searches are long articles.
Assuming the study is accurate, does it mean that you must drop conventional wisdom and write only long posts for your clients? Or, should your long post be divided into a series of posts meaning a 2500 word post should be divided into five 500 word blogs.
There are benefits to both forms. A long article is appropriate when the material requires in-depth analysis. If your practice leads to complicated litigation, onerous tax matters where readers need more information rather than less, long is the right choice. And, your readers would probably like it all at once, not in little dribbles.
The fact is that long posts are easier to share making it more likely readers will spread the word through the social media. Information that is interesting, of good quality and useful gets shared—a lot—good for you and your firm.
Some topics, however, are better served in a series of posts. There are times when you need to cover points that are supportive of the main topic and are necessary to help your readers better understand the whole picture. A series of posts can explore those topics in depth where a single long post might restrict your ability to clearly inform the reader. Having a series of posts also brings your readers back to read the latest installment, increasing traffic to your blog.
I think there is room for both long and short posts. The basic consideration is to create content that is specific to your clients and your practice. While it is often easy to write long, the most important consideration is deliver your message in the best way possible; and in a way that is useful to your readers. Length shouldn’t be the controlling factor. Short or long, there is room for both forms of content. The secret is to choose the best form for your topic.
