A hot topic again lately is one that comes up here and there throughout year… how many words should a senior living blog post be?
You probably won’t be excited if we tell you to write until the article is done, right?
While that doesn’t seem especially useful, it is the truth.
If you follow @JohnMu from Google on Twitter, you’ll see for yourself that even the search giant agrees.
He’s tweeted and replied on the topic numerous times, but it’s still an issue people bring up frequently.
Probably because we all want a definite answer when there just isn’t one.
Word Length Doesn’t Equal Better Quality Senior Living Blog Posts
One misconception we hear repeated often is that long-form content gets the highest priority from Google.
Some senior living providers believe the longer a piece of content is, the more it help to increase their authority and improve SEO.
This is kind of a chicken and egg issue… did long-form content earn you higher ranking or did your expertise on the topic do that?
We do write a lot of longer blog posts on behalf of SCCS clients. And most of our clients enjoy first page ranking.
But, those articles that are shorter in length still rock the SERPs too.
What they all have in common is that the blog posts are well-written and factually accurate. The voice and tone connect with visitors.
Our crew has hands-on industry experience, in addition to being SEO copywriters. So we bring unique insight. That’s one of the big reasons a site we write for ranks well.
It’s the same for any industry. While there are a lot of factors that influence rank, content remains at the top of the list.
What should you be looking at and focusing on instead?
Here are a few tips for you to ponder and try…
What Makes Content King?
There’s no magic formula for creating quality senior living content.
It’s a persistent effort that takes time and commitment.
We encourage clients to know what the purpose of each piece of content they ask us to right is.
Does the blog post or page or tool achieve the goal you set for it?
Are you writing to meet and answer the searcher’s intent?
Another way to ask that is if a senior or their adult child finds their way to your content, will they be walk away with a better understanding of the topic?
There is a danger in writing too long of an article just for the sake of hitting a particular word count. That is that it can become too fluffy and wordy.
Visitors will hit the return arrow and head back to the SERPs to try another site.
But the bottom line isn’t to write shorter articles, either. In fact, those that are 300 words or less probably won’t help you much. It’s hard to speak with authority using that few words.
What we are saying is to set an objective for each page/post and to write until you achieve it.
Then to ship it over to an editor to hack away at polish up.
Want to talk more? Drop us a note with your questions and we’ll be happy to help!