A new report from QuickSprout underscores what many content marketers have known all along: longer copy ranks better with Google’s search engines.

The report, available from the QuickSprout website, provides details on the company’s study of page length, ranking and conversion. Among their findings:

  • The average page length for content that ranks among the top 10 search results Google is at least 2,000 words.
  • The better a site ranks, the more content it has.
  • Overall, Google’s search engine algorithm prefers content rich sites.

Why should longer content help with search engine rank? Longer content keeps people on your website for greater lengths of time than shorter content. If I can see at a glance what you’re trying to say, I might click away quickly, resulting in low time on page and high bounce rates. But if your content requires me to focus on what you are saying, draws me into the page, provides insights or useful information, and keeps me reading, I’ll stay on your site longer.

Longer website content also tends to get more inbound links. These inbound links are strong signals to Google’s search engine algorithm that a web page has merit.

Lastly, social media users tend to favor longer content, even if they’re not aware they’re doing it. By studying sharing patterns on Facebook and Twitter, QuickSprout determined that a post with 1,500 words or more received 68 percent more tweets and 22 percent more Facebook likes than a post under 1,500 words.

Are You Ready for Long Form Content?

Long form content for content marketing programs takes skills and finesse. You can’t just keep blabbing away and stuffing keywords and expect to get the same results as a thoughtful, in-depth and insightful long form article.

As a long form specialist, my freelance writing services include extensive research. I have a gift for finding excellent original research from well-regarded and reputable sources to support the theme of your article. My writing is also creative, engaging, and insightful, which will make your content highly shareable, too.

If you’re interested in receiving an estimate on your long form content projects, please contact me.

Irony: This post is under 500 words.

But you now what? Sometimes you only need a few words to say what you want. Sometimes, short copy is appropriate. Know when to use long form or shorter copy in your content marketing programs is what I do best.