First impressions matter.
According to data from the Nielsen Norman Group, the average web page visit lasts anywhere from 10 to 20 seconds. Users leave a website for a number of reasons from not being able to find the right information to poorly designed pages that are cluttered or too confusing. This is why companies continue to invest heavily into their web design as they have only a few seconds to capture the attention of their audience.
But another important aspect of web design is content.
The reality is that even a quality design is not enough to convert visitors into customers.
What ultimately drives online sales is your content. Content also has a major impact in terms of SEO as better written content has a much better chance of ranking in the search results compared to generic or rehashed material.
Anything from spammy content to poor readability can cause visitors away to quickly bounce out, never to return again. Addressing these issues is absolutely a top priority. Here we look at several best practices to keep in mind to better manage your website content.
- Make Your Content Scannable
Think about the last webpage you visited.Did you read every single word?Probably not.Most online users tend to scan online content. This is a fact that you will need to consider for all content you publish to your site. Even with informative engaging content not available anywhere else, you need to structure your content in a way that is easily readable across all devices.
Here are several suggestions for writing scannable content:
- Write shorter sentences: Attention spans are short, especially online. Avoid writing in huge blocks of text without any breaks. Instead, write shorter sentences to improve readability.
- Keep paragraphs short: In a similar fashion, you should also keep your paragraphs short. Ideally only a few sentences per paragraph but less would be better.
- Use bullet points: Bullet points (such as these ones here) are another great way to make your content more scannable. They also help visitors find the right information they are looking for.
- Use headlines: Headers and subheaders make it easier for visitors to find the correct section. Including relevant keywords here also improves the SEO of your site.
- Include images or other multimedia: Another way to increase engagement and get visitors to stay on your pages longer is to include images and other multimedia such as videos. These elements also help to break up blocks of content.
Implement these suggestions to improve the readability of your content.
- Use Citations to Back Up Any References
People go online for a number of reasons.Perhaps the main reason is to find certain information.Expertise can give your business a huge competitive advantage. Which is why content marketing can be so effective, defined as the following:
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Quality content distinguishes your business as people see your site as an industry authority and are more likely to choose you over a competitor. This is yet another reason to invest in content creation as it translates to higher visibility and more sales for your business.
But it also puts increased pressure to deliver exceptional content that is well researched.
Be sure to use citations to back up any references you make or to strengthen a statement. And then link to those resources so visitors can follow through. Content that is well researched with references will always outperform content that is simply a rehash of existing material
- Optimise Content For SEO
Data from Fleishman-Hillard found that 89 percent of consumers turn to search engines including Google and Bing for purchasing decisions. The results from the study demonstrate the need for an SEO marketing strategy as higher visibility in the search results translates to more sales.
Optimise the following on-page factors to improve the SEO of your content:
- Title tags: The titles are the first thing that users see in the search results. Include your target keywords here and craft an engaging title to increase click through rates.
- Headers: Headers are useful to break up blocks of content but they also offer benefits in terms of SEO. Optimise your heading tags to include secondary keywords that are related to the primary keywords.
- Meta descriptions: These are short snippets of text that can be found underneath the title tags in the search results. Include your target keywords here as well as an engaging call to action to get visitors to click through to your page.
- Image ALT text: Be sure to include an ALT text for the images within your content. Doing so tells search engines what the image is about.
- Content: Also remember to include your primary keywords and other related phrases throughout your content. But remember not to over-optimise your content either as doing so could result in a ranking penalty.
Conclusion
Web design is certainly important as a poorly designed pages can cause visitors to quickly bounce out. But content is just as essential as well written content ultimately translates to more sales and establishes your business as an industry authority. Both of which contribute more to your bottom line in the long term. So follow these best practices as described here to improve your content.