“Content is king.” I bet you’ve heard that before. However, not all content is created equal. You can make your content stand out by remembering who you’re writing for: your visitors. Read on to learn how you can make your content user-friendly.
1. Make it scannable.
It’s fairly common knowledge that people read differently online than they do offline. Researchers have done studies to prove it by tracking people’s eye movement as they looked at web pages. Visitors only read about 20% of the words. Instead, they watch for headings and keywords that match what they’re looking for.
Since people read differently online, you need to write differently. And that starts with making your content scannable. This isn’t news, of course. Yet it’s a strategy that I often see people fail to put into practice, so it bears repeating.
What’s a “topic string”?
Back in my graduate school days, I taught about topic strings in rhetoric and composition courses. Let’s review: a topic is the subject of a paragraph. It’s easily identifiable by a keyword that shows up multiple time in a paragraph. Topic strings relates to how you use that keyword use over the course of a paragraph. If you use the same or similar topics throughout the paragraph, your writing reads more smoothly and is easier to scan. Readers will know instantly what that paragraph is about and they can choose to read more deeply or skip to what they’re looking for, i.e. useful, new information. Using a consistent topic helps you stick to one idea per paragraph. And, in the process, you’ll build trust with your visitors because you’ve delivered on their expectations.
Subheadings are your friend.
Help your users find the content that’s most useful to them by creating obvious signposts. That way they can bunny hop down your content to exactly the information they need. If the content they want is easier to find, they’re more likely to return to your site because they experienced it as easy to navigate. Subheads also help to break up your content into manageable chunks.
2. Make it relevant.
Your dream is to build a loyal following of visitors who will become advocates for your brand and share your content thereby increasing traffic and conversions. Readers won’t do that it you’re not writing about something that matters to them or offering solutions for problems they face. As you’re considering what to write about, it doesn’t hurt to get out a pen and paper and have an old-fashioned brainstorming session. What problems are your target audience facing? Once you know that, you’re better positioned to craft compelling content they can use.
3. Make it reliable.
Whether you are perceived as credible or not, i.e. whether or not someone decides to do business with you or purchase your product, depends a good deal on how reliable you are. In writing, there are plenty of things that affect reliability. Consistency, for one. You may notice how often the blogs you read get new posts. If you haven’t seen a post for a while, you may start to think, “These people are slipping.” If you decide to write a blog, be sure you’re posting regularly.
Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.
Easy-to-read content that’s not ridden with errors is usable content. Check your work. A quick proofreading tip: read your writing backwards. You’ll be far more likely to catch those less noticeable errors because you’re forced to read more slowly.
4. Make it brief.
Like the best poetry, content for the web doesn’t use more words than necessary to communicate its message. Writing concisely forces you to focus your words on what’s important, and it makes it easier for your readers to find what they’re looking for. Simply put, concision is key.
If all this just feels like too much to add to your already full plate, contact Filament. We’re happy to help you create deeper, more lasting relationships with your customers with the kind of kingly content that they can easily use.
