What is it that draws people to your website, that makes them stay, that helps them decide to purchase your products or sign up for your email list? It’s not your URL, color scheme, or anything like that, although those things are important. The thing that keeps people coming back to your business and your website is your content. The information you are giving them is what they are really after, so you need to make sure your content is top-notch. But even if you have great information, if it isn’t presented in an enticing way, you are still going to struggle. Here are a few ideas to help you spice up your content and attract more people to your website.
Craft a Compelling Headline
Your headline is the first thing that people will see for each article that you have on your website, and it is often the first thing that draws them in. A compelling headline can get readers to click on your website, but every day, run-of-the-mill headline will make them keep scrolling to find a more engaging article. Not only is this judgment important, but it happens very quickly. If you don’t get your message across in a few words, people won’t keep reading.
Creating your headline or title is one of the very first things you should do when creating new content. This will drive the topic of your content and it will help you figure out the organization of your article. For instance, if your title says you will talk about five different things to accomplish some task, you need to have five separate sections that focus on specific steps to accomplish that goal.
While it may be tempting to use clickbait strategies when creating a headline, don’t do that unless you mean to follow up on the promise you make in your headline. A clickbait title may get you some clicks, but it will cost you your credibility if you don’t follow up on your claims. An entertaining title won’t mean anything if people don’t trust your reputation.
Use Images That Compliment the Written Content
Visuals are an incredibly important tool to use when creating your content. We tend to recall images easier than actual words, which makes having at least one excellent visual a must. Pictures are eye-catching and can be used to summarize the message that you are trying to get across to your reader. You can use multiple images to illustrate different points or to compliment something that you are describing in your article.
In addition to using images to make your article more attractive, you can also use graphics to prove a point. A lot of complicated information can be easily displayed in a graph or chart that would not come across well in a written form. Not only does it make your job easier, it also makes your content look more professional.
Make It More Readable
Engaging readers requires a mix of excellent content and corresponding formatting to keep them reading on. Bunch your material into segments using sub-headings. Give each sub-heading a title so that the reader can quickly scan through the entire piece of content to know what they want to read and where it is located.
You can also use bulleted or numbered lists where possible to break down larger lists of things. Not only do you break the monotony when using this format, but you also improve the scanability of your material for the reader. This is a highly recommended format when you are listing off things that don’t need any more explanation, or if you want to quickly introduce the main sections you will cover in a longer article.
Create Your Niche
Finding a niche for your website is incredibly important to retaining readers and being able to deliver the best content. The broader your area of topic, the harder it will be for you to deliver unique content that your readers are interested in. If you are creating content for your business, consider focusing on the areas that you provide service in and not branching out much further. This is your area of authority, so you should stay within it. The SEO Expert recommends figuring out what keywords correspond to your business and centering your content around those topics.
Deliver Unique Content
Another critical component of putting together work that becomes compelling for the reader is creating original, unique content. The internet is replete with posts about similar topics which are thinly veiled attempts at rehashing the same old thing. If you can see through that when reading another creator’s content, then your readers can too.
Incorporating first-hand experiences in your area of expertise brings a level of originality that is hard to beat. Readers can connect with insightful advice gained from troves of experience which makes the content more relevant and enjoyable for them. If you lack experience in the area you want to create content around, engage an expert who will deliver the first-hand knowledge that will set your material apart from the crowd. Use brainstorming to come up with different takes on the same idea. Maybe you could write the content from a point of view that is rarely used.
Wrap Up
Fashioning engaging content is a vital skill one needs in this day of information overload. Look at your headline, the uniqueness of your content and the readability of your writing to make sure that you are producing the best content you can. Readers need to feel that what you create adds value to their experience, so don’t go with the same recycle information and same formula that you use every time.
