Articles of 600, 1200, 2000 or 3000 words? Videos of 30 seconds, 1, 3 or 10 minutes? All marketers have already wondered about the ideal size of their content. Yet there is no unanimous answer. You can buy website traffic at any amount and wait for the results. However, the length of web content affects both user experience and search engine rankings. This is why this question remains legitimate. So let’s go! Let’s try to answer the question together: “What is the ideal length of web content?”.
What is short content?
To determine the length of your content, you must first clearly define what constitutes short content. Some specialists set the limit at 1,000 words, others at 1,200 words. It’s up to you, according to your convictions, your audience and your activity. Generally, content under 1000 words is easy to read and digest, especially if it is airy and illustrated. Regarding video, a format is said to be “short” when it is less than 1 minute. Short content therefore covers a specific topic, without being too in-depth or detailed.
The advantages of short content
- Short content is an effective way to get an idea across quickly and efficiently.
- It allows communication with users with short attention spans.
- It is the ideal format for communicating on social networks.
- Its production is fast and less resource intensive.
- The short content is perfectly suited for viewing on mobile.
The disadvantages of short content
- With short content, it is more difficult to go into the details of a topic.
- It is not for buyers in the middle or end of the buying funnel, who need the details to make up their minds.
- Short content is often less visual, less enriched with examples. Readers find it more difficult to make it their own.
- Short content is not “evergreen”: its interest and performance diminish over time.
What is long content?
Long written content is over 1200 words long, while a long video is often longer than 1 min 30 min. Deepening a topic is necessary in the case of:
- Guides and tutorials
- Training
- Case studies
- White papers and ebooks
- Webinars and virtual events
- Particularly useful for managing your image as an expert or converting prospects at the end of the funnel, this content engages and retains the audience.
It is intended to educate and inform users who are looking for detailed answers, concrete examples or a methodology to solve a problem.
The advantages of long content
- This type of content is generally ranked higher by search engines.
- Long content allows you to position yourself on several requests.
- According to a Semrush study, texts over 3,000 words earn 3.5 times more backlinks than those between 901 and 1,200 words.
- The conversion rate of a landing page increases by 30% when its length is multiplied by 20.
- Long format content helps position you as a leader in your industry and rarely becomes obsolete over time.
