Curating an SEO-agnostic Content Strategy in the Age of AI: All You Should Know!

The emergence and widespread acceptance of AI have resulted in the creasing of new lines for many fields; SEO is no exception, either. The sentiment that is running amok among professionals is a blend of euphoria and panic- the former at the enormous spate of possibilities that AI promises to unlock, and the latter at the prospect of becoming irrelevant and redundant. Every new wave of technology triggers similar responses within people so this, of course, is nothing new. Like always, one needs to improvise and adapt in order to overcome (paraphrasing the words of a very famous survival expert) these winds of change. After all, the “enormous spate of possibilities” we talk about can only be realized with human intervention; so, lay waste to those panic-inducing thoughts!

An area that AI has compelled SEO professionals to effect significant changes to is content strategizing. With surface-level queries by users getting answered more quickly and efficiently than ever (think of Google SGE’s AI-powered snapshots), SEO experts must now turn their focus to long-form content or “deep content”; that’s what we are going to talk about today. From the benefits of long-form content to its many nuances, we cover it all in this blog; read on to find out!

Merits of long-form content

As our attention spans continue to dwindle by the day, more and more content strategists are starting to become of the opinion that it is short-form content alone that holds the key to their success; well, that isn’t entirely true. Of course, attention spans are getting shorter, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to long-form content becoming obscure. In fact, both types of content serve different objectives and occupy more or less similar footing when it comes to gaining favor from both readers and search engines. 

In this section, we will walk you through some of the gains of employing long-form content. 

Gives you an edge over Generative AI content

Whether it be Google SGE’s search results or ChatGPT’s responses, generative AI content invariably tends to answer queries at a superficial level. Even a detailed answer would tend to educate you on the “what” rather than the “how”. This is where long-form content holds a clear edge. Readers are forever on the lookout for content that not only visibilizes their curiosities, needs, interests, and grievances but also engages them in an active dialogue regarding the same. And such content can only be generated by subject matter experts and industry veterans who have greyed their hairs in their respective fields, amassing lived experiences and insights that are worth their weight in gold. 

While GenAI content does cater to the instant gratification-seeking self of the people, it also stops just there. Long-form content on the other hand offers them a much more well-rounded experience, addressing their existing queries, of course, but also alerting them to viewpoints which they hadn’t even conceived earlier. 

So, while short-form content is great when introducing your brand to new audiences, it is ultimately the merit of your long-form pieces that will help you win their trust and facilitate their conversion. Therefore, SEO professionals who make long-form content their prime concern now, are assured to have their stocks go through the roof in the days to come. 

Establishes your brand as an authority in your domain

The long-form medium enables you to present insights and learnings you have acquired over the years with unsparing detail, assembling a piece that is as invigorating as it is illuminating. It is this very detail that readers value for it helps them develop informed opinions regarding subjects they closely follow or care about. And if you get into the habit of putting out such pieces regularly (making sure not to compromise on the consistency for the sake of frequency, of course), you’ll soon find yourself carving a hallowed space for your business within your domain. The modern-day customer no longer engages with a brand simply for the sake of their wares; they also seek an ideological resonance- this they determine through the business’ publications. As competition in the market continues to get fiercer with every passing day, upping your content game to amplify your distinction has become extremely vital.

Helps you get more backlinks

When you put out meticulously researched and valuable long-form pieces, you increase your likelihood of acquiring a greater number of backlinks. And the more credible the page that links to you, the higher you go up in the eyes of search engines. Now, what kind of content is favorable to earning backlinks? Let’s take a look.

• Write ultimate guides- a comprehensive account of a particular topic that encompasses anything and everything that falls under its ambit and which goes into detail regarding every single one of its facets. How can this be useful? Consider this scenario: a source is publishing a blog that is an advanced discussion on the topic you have covered in your ultimate guide. Now, instead of defining this fundamental unit in their own piece, they’ll instead choose to link to your guide instead. It’s a win-win for both parties; you get your backlink and the site linking to you utilizes the space they’d have otherwise populated with the content in your guide to offer something more valuable to their readers.
• Write your long-form pieces in a format that will increase your chances of grabbing eyeballs. Typically people tend to gravitate towards content that is shaped in the form of “why”, “what”, and “how-to” posts. 
• Build upon already sought-after blogs in your domain- this technique is known as developing skyscraper content. Basically, you take a popular blog and strive to make it at least twice as insightful; goes without saying, this is no walk in the park. It demands high-quality research and a keen editorial eye from your end. But, if you get it right, the results will be worth every sleepless night you haul in the process of writing it. 

Things to keep in mind while writing long-form content

• Steer clear of fluff. Remember, writing long-form content isn’t about meeting a word count; it’s about providing information that is coherent, useful, and relevant. 
• Understand your audience thoroughly. This will serve two purposes: firstly, it’ll help you identify topics that resonate best with your readers. Secondly, it’ll help you understand what kind of content length works best for your readers. Accordingly, you can craft content that is assured to be a hit with your audience.
• Place your keywords organically. Long-form content typically offers you a lot of opportunities to include keywords but that doesn’t mean you should resort to stuffing. Zero in upon your most critical keywords and place them strategically within your content. 
• Be meticulous about content organization. Don’t forget that a long-form piece, by virtue of its very existence, is challenging the attention span of readers at large. So, in order to hook them in, your content organization needs to be on point. Break down your content into headings and subheadings, divide large blocks of text into small bits of 4-5 sentences, and make use of bullets or numbering wherever necessary. 

Wrapping It Up

If you wish to strengthen your SEO game in this AI era, leveraging long-form content is an absolute must. We hope the insights shared above will help you develop an effective long-form content strategy for your business.