Want to have content on your website that actually gets read by hundreds, thousands and even millions of people? Make sure you incorporate these four crucial strategies:
Engage your audience quickly
According to data by Chartbeat, 55 percent of visitors spend less than 15 seconds on your website. This means you need to engage your audience quickly before they click off and visit elsewhere. Hook your readers in with a compelling story or a question that your readers will likely ask. This will prompt your visitors to keep reading further.
You can also provide a tease at the beginning of your copy that will encourage your readers to read until the end. Perhaps, it’s an ebook, whitepaper or tips on how to do something. Whatever you’re offering, be sure to tease it within the first paragraph.
Make sure your images work well with the copy
Including plenty of images along with your copy is a surefire way to increase engagement. In fact, a study conducted by Xerox shows that colored visuals increase people’s willingness to read a piece of content by 80%. Include at least one high-quality, colored visual at the top of your article. For longer articles, you may want to include more images throughout to keep the content more appealing rather than just having text.
But just including high-quality images is not enough. Your images will need correspond with what your content is all about. For example, if you have an article on fly fishing, you should have a picture showing a person doing that activity. This will help your readers to visually see what you’re talking about as well as make your content much more appealing when it’s shared on social media.
Use plenty of white space
White space is the empty, blank space that surrounds elements on your web page. Using enough white space is crucial to creating readable and visually attractive pages on your site. Plus, your audience will see your call-to-actions easier if you use white space, especially around the button where they sign up, download a file, or whatever else you want them to do as a result of visiting your page.
Implement blockquotes and pull quotes
Some words are more powerful than others. When you’re using quotes or if there is a piece of content that deserves more attention, make it stand out with blockquote or pull quote. Incorporating these quotes will encourage people to keep reading because they act like a hook that pulls them in.
The four strategies above will allow you to create the content that readers want to see. Rather than stale boring words, your readers want to read something that speaks to them, entertains them, and even helps them learn a thing or two. If you achieve those things, your content will reap the benefits of tons of traffic and eventually increased sales.
