Small and medium-sized business owners tend to face a lot of confusion around the ideal word count for a piece of written content on their website or blog. Data from the past five years shows a steady increase in the length of published posts. And, it seems that the change is happening with good reason.

In 2017, for example, the average article length fell somewhere  between 500 and 1,000 words , with less than 10% of bloggers investing in long-form (2,500+ words) articles.

Today, on the other hand, things are looking very different. According to  research from Orbit Media, 63% of bloggers are publishing posts that exceed the standard 1,000-word count, with 30% to 36% of those who go above 1,500 words reporting “strong results.”

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But while the data suggests that long-form content performs better in today’s digital marketing landscape, we can’t conclude that marketers simply need to write more in 2021. On the contrary – they must learn when and how to invest in long-form content to get the absolute most out of it without wasting resources on producing sub-par material that does nothing but run on and on.

So, how can you make the most out of your digital distribution platforms with long-form content that excites readers and delivers results? This guide looks at everything you need to know before you start making long-form an integral part of your digital marketing strategy.