How to Write Outstanding Long-Form Articles in WordPress

People make their first impression of you - and potentially your business in just a few seconds. Scary. Fortunately, web-based articles offer some room to maneuver. The majority of websites have just under one minute to argue for readers to stay or bounce.

But still, that's not much time. If you have less than 60 seconds to convince a new client that your business is worth their clicks and shares You must make your message brief and concise, right? Actually, no. In the end, shorter isn't always better. If you'd like to stand out from a sea of content and keep users interested, longer-form articles are the way to go.

What is a Long-Form article?

Articles with a long-form format refer to chunks of text that are much longer than your standard blog. The typical length for a blog post is between 1,100 and 1,200 words, lengthy articles usually have at a minimum of 2,000 words, and can often go to over 2,500 words territory. Articles of this type are focused on creating stories that engage readers.                                                                    Help

But long-form content isn't for marketers alone. If you have a website, you have the potential to earn money by putting together a great article. When you're using WordPress, it's super easy to create some real showstoppers. In this guide we'll go over how long-form content works and why you should be creating them, as well as the techniques you'll need to use to maximize your site's initial impression.

Does long-form content suit everyone? Most people would benefit from giving long-form articles an opportunity. We highly suggest that you check out long-form posts on your site to see the results.

•    Diving into Long-Form Articles
•    Benefits of Long-Form Articles
•    Long-Form Articles Have Huge SEO Effect
•    7 WordPress-friendly Tools and WordPress-Friendly Plugins
•    2 Long-Form Loving WordPress Themes

Diving into Long-Form Articles

If you're still wondering what's going on at this point, don't worry. Long-form writing is one of the most puzzling things to contemplate. In all likelihood, many sites have published long-form content over the years. Long-winded diatribes are no stranger to the Internet and even the idea that the best posts are approximately 500 words or more was born somewhere, didn't it?

It's true that shorter word counts have been favored since a while due to a good purpose. This was because attention spans are extremely small and potential buyers are so busy they don't have the enough time to go through pages and pages of text. They'd prefer to get an idea of what's up before moving on. This is logical and sensible, but the very formulaic nature content writing has adopted is exactly the thing that long-form has been reacting to.

While it sounds unscientific, the human approach is the most effective in this case. As Steimle writes:

...if you produce content you like, others might like it as well.

Advantages of Articles with Long Forms

It's crucial to realize the fact that lengthy articles are far more than wallpapers. Therefore, we'll go over some of the benefits further down.

The average blog post from 2017 was, just shy of 1100 words. It is expected that the number will keep climbing. Compared with 2014, six-times the number of blogs published posts that exceeded 2000 words in the past year.

Visually Appealing

Images can also significantly increase the reach of your content. You can get as much as 94% more shares by adding just one image to your posts.

But the more you add more, the more you can get. Canva as well as BuzzSumo looked at information from more than 100 million articles. The top performers all had one thing in common: Images everywhere.

It was discovered that placing images every 75 to 100 words has the highest share. The idea of putting images in every 125-150 words leads closely behind.

Which means that it isn't sufficient for a good lengthy article to have 1200 or more words. Also, it needs between ten and twelve pictures to break up the content and keep it from being a word wall. That's what gives it its shape, and differentiates it from an early 1990s Encyclopaedia Britannica set.

So, if you're committed to creating long-form articles ensure that you're not limitless in terms of words. Include some images to make things readable as well asshareable.

Higher Quality

Long-form lets you create higher quality content. Have you read a blog post promising to be a "comprehensive guide" only to find that it will only cover an area? Yeah, that's pretty disappointing. It's also unavoidable when sticking to traditional blog post lengths. The longer form content allows you to dive deeper into the subject as well as include research and comments through interviews. It gives you the opportunity to take your time and be thorough. This is what can result in more high-quality content.

Long-Form Articles have a huge SEO Effects

After getting the "what" out of the first step, let's get to the "why." Why should you create long-form pieces of content? Well, do you like free search engine traffic?

The question is a bit of a setup, obviously. Who doesn't like free traffic? Let's simplify it: if you're looking for your organic reach to expand make sure you increase your words count. Google likes long-form content.

Based on research conducted by HubSpot The longer your content is longer, the more backlinks your website can earn.

This causes an impact that snowballs your rankings. The more link your content gets (especially if they're from websites that are renowned for their domain authority) and the more powerful the overall off-site SEO gets.

Which is one of the reasons for longer content tends to hold higher positions on organic the search results pages. A study by CoSchedule and CoSchedule, they found that longer-form content is ranked higher by averaging than pages with shorter content.

CanIRank, an SEO-specialized agency was looking to comprehend this apparent snowball effect. So, they investigated the relationship between the length of content and rank in organic search. Their initial results proved stunningly like other studies.

• Bigger sites that have greater domain authority tend to publish longer-running content.
• Longer content has more keyword optimization.
• The longer content will earn you more external links.
• Professional content creators are more likely to create more pertinent content.

However, when they controlled the factors mentioned above the researchers were unable to understand the connection between content length and rank. This led CanIRank to conclude that, "...it is, therefore, plausible (though not proven) that Google rewards longer contents directly as part of their algorithm, though the effect is quite small."

However, even if the "cause" of the connection isn't clear, the "effect" is. Simply adding 1,000-word articles to your content strategy will help you get further. The HOTH implemented this method for a new client, and observed a massive increase in organic traffic.

This brings us back to the initial question in this article: Do you prefer organic, free traffic? If so, you need to expand your website's content and keep the word count pumping. Your SEO will thank you, and as more users find their way to your website and your profits reflect the same appreciation, too.

We've now covered the "what" behind long-form articles as well as what's the "why." That leads us to the meat in our sandwich:"how. "how."

7 WordPress-Friendly Tools and WordPress Plugins for long-term WordPress success

The importance of optimizing your content is to get the most benefit from your content. Neil Patel used this very method and had huge success. In 2017, Neil Patel increased his traffic by a third and rank with the help of MarketMuse's content optimization software.

By changing small things like subheadingsand subheadings as well as doubling on his writing word count as well as updating his website's material, his website was listed with over 100,000 key words and saw double the annual traffic per one year.

Although the task was still massive for the magnitude of the site The changes can easily be duplicated for your own site. If you choose to go ahead with the addition of long-form content on your website, you absolutely must have the right equipment for the task. Below is a list of third-party tools and plugins which can transform your long-form content from dull to Pulitzer-worthy. It's close at least.)

1. Utilize Evernote to Keep Your Ideas in One Place

Think of Evernote in the same way as a notepad that you never need to replenish. You can save audio files, handwritten notes, task lists, screen caps, as well as entire web pages by using Evernote.

It syncs all of your data across all of your devices, making the platform an excellent tool for your long-form arsenal (and an extremely productive boost in the process). Have an idea for an article on another website? You can save it to your electronic notebook using Evernote. Find a fantastic email to use it to illustrate an advertising strategy? Save it to your computer for later.

If you're an individual, the basic plan can be used for free. It allows you to upload up to 60 MB of new notes per month. The basic plan comes with a variety of features, too:

• Sync across 2 devices.
• Web pages to clip, images pdf files, images.
• Find text within photographs.
• Send notes to friends and colleagues.
• Secure the app on mobile by entering a password.

Are you part of a group? Evernote provides even additional flexibility and possibilities through their business packages. CoSchedule One of the companies we'll be talking about in the future, utilizes Evernote to ensure that their employees are organized and on the same page in case of an emergency. What follows is the statement of Eric Piela, CoSchedule's Head of Public Relations, says:

Each step is recorded. If any system goes down We have all the data for quick recovery. The information is all searchable inside the notebook.

In case you're having trouble trying to keep your team or your article ideas in one place, Evernote is a definite essential tool for gathering and organizing your long-form research. Additionally, integrating Evernote with WordPress is easy. However, don't simply trust us to tell you the truth. Let's go take Evernote to a test drive now.

For starters, go to Evernote and sign up for an account with your email address or Google account.

If you're using a Google login, then you may be presented with this page. If so, click on"Create Account" in green "Create Account" button to move on.

This will bring you into the next stage of your account set-up. Since we're making use of Evernote to keep track of research and our articles, choose the option on the left "To manage content."

Then, click "Get Web Clipper."

If you're looking to use the desktop version then you should select the left-hand option in order to install and download the. Each option will open within a new tab. You'll be back in the tab in a second, so leave it open now.

As we're using Chrome this is what appears on the next screen for us. Evernote can also be available via an app for Internet Explorer 7+, Opera, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

Install it and then complete installing it in the browser you prefer. After that, you can go back to the original home screen and press to click the "x" button in the upper right corner to exit it. The default dashboard will look in the future. It's a little plain-jane right at the moment, but we'll alter it in the next step. Select or shrink your "Getting Started" tab.

We have settled upon " 7 Tips to Improve Your UX Design Practice. If you come across something that you'd like to keep, click on the Evernote icon that is located on the right-hand side of your screen.

This will trigger a drop-down menu, which allows users to save their page in a few different methods:

• The entire article (with the formatting of the site)
• An easier Version of this article
• This page contains every bell and whistle
• A bookmark
• A screenshot

In the meantime, assuming that we want to be able to reference the page in a specific way then select the next choice: "Full page." While it's creating and synchronizing your clip, you'll see an indicator at the top right-hand corner.

After that, go back to your Evernote dashboard and choose another icon at the top to open your notebooks. There should be a fully clipped page ready to be accessed.

What's more valuable than a notebook you'll never lose? A notebook that is self-correcting as you work. If you want to correct this issue, use our next step.

2. Let Grammarly Make Your Writing Smoother and smarter

If you've ever attempted to write your own piece only to discover that your oh-so-helpful word processor made the executive decision to swap "taught" to "taut," you're going be in love with Grammarly.

What really makes Grammarly stand out among other word processors is its contextual ability to recognize context. If homophones such as "taut" or "taught" are ever causing you trouble, Grammarly can analyze the text and give you intelligent, pertinent suggestions for words that could be confusing or style mistakes.

And when you're done finding and proofreading your article Utilize this instrument to put the last polish on your piece by assessing your readability level and enhancing your keywords.

3. Improve Your Content Using Yoast SEO

Navigating the ins and outs of SEO can feel as if you're trying to ride every attraction at Disney World before lunch. While blindfolded and pulling an entire wagon of kleptomaniac lemurs.

Which is to say that regardless of whether you're an SEO expert or professional or wrangler, you'll always need to get a bit of help. That's why the Yoast SEO plug-in can help.

But don't just make your copy more attractive. The absence of your pictures can cause negative effects for your customers and your ranking.

4. Get your images to look sleek by enhancing your images

As per HTTP Archive, as of July, images made the average 43 percent of a website's weight. For long-form content, this is much more likely that it will be even higher than that!

Therefore, if you're filling your articles full of visually-stimulating goodness, make sure your images aren't slowing down your site and cause more damage than positive. Images that aren't properly optimized will cause websites to take a long time to load. And that's never good for your site traffic.

Sites that take more than seven seconds to load may drop 30% off their users. Yikes!

As far as first impressions are concerned the length of loading time is a, very poor one for the first time visitors. This is the reason an image compression plugin is a great solution. It is easy to compress your photos without degrading the quality of your images, and make your website speed up loading.

Here are a few of the image compression plugins that work with WordPress that we would recommend:

• Imagify (this is the method we use for )
•    Optimus Image Optimizer
•    WordPress Smush
•    EWWW Cloud

Once you have set the plugin in place, it will improve the images you upload. It is important to note that all of the plugins mentioned above optimize images offsite, therefore they will not affect the performance of your WordPress site while the compression process is in progress.

Are your images ready for the air? All you have to do is a "when" as well as "where" to put your long-form article show in the air. To answer"when, "when," consider trying the next method.

5. Make an Editorial Calendar by using CoSchedule

69% of businesses which do marketing through content rely on an editorial calendar to organize their content. Whether you're putting out your content in the solopreneur mode or have a small team An editorial calendar can help determine when the content will be released, how, and where you'll release the content.

Asana as well as Trello are both popular tools. Here's a quick peek at a Trello calendar.

Here's another view of a calendar by Asana.

Both platforms have a strong foundation and provide affordable plans for the majority of small-scale business requirements. However, neither of them will be able to compete with CoSchedule because of one simple reason: CoSchedule is a native official plugin which integrates directly with WordPress.

Here's what it looks as if you look at your WordPress dashboard.

6. Table of Contents

If you are dealing with long text, it is possible to help your readers out by providing an easy table of content. It's possible with the Easy Table of Contents plugin. It's a simple solution that falls in line with Wikipedia-style formatting, though it is able to be customized in accordance with your preferences using customized CSS, too.

You can also create a table of contents by hand, just like we did for our blog entries using anchor tags.

7. Post Reading Time

The most common practice for websites which host lengthy reads in the present is to display the amount of time it would take a typical reader to go through a piece of content. You can add this feature to your website by using the Reading Time WordPress plugin. You can display the time with a range of different ways as well as make your site appear more similar to Medium. Win-win!

Let's take a look at some awesome themes that make long-form content easy to display.

2 Loving Long-Form WordPress Themes

If you want to create lengthy articles using WordPress that stand out it is essential to select a great theme. Here are two options to ensure that your articles are noticed from your audience. Of course, you can, create long-form articles with any theme, but these are ones that were built entirely with long-form content with long-form content in the mind of the creators.

1. Make Your Writing Shine by Using Typology

It is aptly named. the theme is appropriately named, is a writer-ready theme which puts your content in a prominent position and lets your words be the center of attention. If the thought of searching for images featured on your blog causes you to break into sweat, then this theme is perfect for you. It features beautiful layouts with or without cover images.

Typology has earned an average rating of 4.96 out of five stars, and its cost of $49 isn't that hard on the wallet too.

2. Make it simple and clean by using Type-friendly

Typable  the Typeable, which comes from Array, is a minimalist's paradise crafted into a simple, user-friendly theme. It's clean, crisp, and offers stunning white space compositions.

Alongside its beautiful simplistic layout, this theme can be easy to customize and great for showcasing longer pieces of material.

It has an ultra-sleek drop-down menu for navigation. With its smooth-as-silk AJAX load This theme is SEO-ready from the beginning. If you buy Typable as a standalone item, it will cost you $49.

Summary

The sun still hasn't set over short posts. They still have their place. But the old ban on long-form content has been lifted in a big way. The new rule is this When you have an opinion, you should express it as long as you want to. Basically, don't let arbitrary guidelines dictate the direction of your content. Instead, let your content guide you.

Make it easier on yourself and also more fun for your users through the use of long-form article. Articles that are long-form are not words that are a huge wall of text. If they appear to be an ordinary blog post it's because they're. Subheaders, visual elements and the ability to navigate easily are distinct features that distinguish this type of content.

Remember, just because lengthy articles can be long that doesn't mean that they must be dull. Make use of the techniques and suggestions that are provided in this post to make your content appeal and make them SEO friendly. The first impressions you make only come every once. Create a memorable impression. If you think this way there is no reason to be uninformed.

How are implementing long-form articles on your WordPress site? Which tools do you use? Have you run into any obstacles thus in the past? We'd like to hear about your triumphs and struggles by leaving a comment below!

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