Content is king, as you’ve heard being said many times, and content marketing relies on it. While content can strongly affect your bottom line, if it’s not done well, your time and efforts may be wasted.
The content you share and how you share it simply has to be right to attract the audience you want.
So often, though, the content you so carefully crafted and published seems to go unnoticed, with no comments, no tweets, or no shares on Facebook.
If your content does not attract and hold attention, you may automatically think it’s all about your writing skills and that you need to seriously work on polishing them; but, the solution may be simpler than you expect – writing less and styling your text may be all it takes.
Many studies have shown that the majority of web users scan rather than read, so creating content that is engaging, informative, and compelling without having to dive into details is the key.
The question is: with so much content out there, what can you do to engage your readers?
Knowing that people scan web pages, rather than read them in detail, structure your paragraphs so that you start with your conclusion first, and then support it with the sentences that follow – this will help skimmers and browsers go from point to point and choose where to focus more on.
For complex content, opt for a series of posts instead of one, cumbersome post. It’s a great way to have a repeat audience and make it easier for readers to digest.
Once you’ve covered that, you can follow these quick and easy ways to create more reader-friendly content by turning a post from an overwhelming pile of words to engaging text:
1. Line Breaks
Even content that is complex and hard to follow can be made much more reader-friendly. Introduce one idea per paragraph, and make each paragraph short — keeping it to three or four sentences at maximum.
2. Compelling Subheads
A technique taught at Copyblogger is to break up your content by writing your headline and subheads first.
If you want readers to notice you and check you out, a strong headline is crucial to your content. After that, having solid subheads will keep them engaged – so make them intriguing and informative.
3. Bulleted Lists
Bulleted lists bring readers in, they are easy to scan, and great for presenting multiple points.
Also, bullets provide a visual break from the rest of the content.
4. Captions
If you include image captions, your copy is much more likely to be read, studies have shown.
Now, if you pair a strong image caption with a “deep caption”, two to three sentences long, your readers will be even more intrigued and want to read your whole content.
5. Links
Good content uses relevant and helpful internal and external links to expand your reader’s understanding and add value.
Adding internal links that lead back to your own content will keep people on your site.
When you add external links, it shows that you’ve researched the topic and want to highlight other subject experts.
6. Highlighting Content
When you strategically highlight your content by bolding important concepts and emphasizing key points, your reader can scan through and get the most important information at a glance.
7. Numbered Lists
Using a numbered list in your post is a great way to effectively capture attention and keep the reader engaged.
You can make your content more compelling and text more visually pleasing by numbering your main points.
8. Formatting
Once you’ve used the above-mentioned tips to highlight the key elements of your post, read your content again, looking only at the text you’ve emphasized.
Do you think the reader will get the gist? To turn scanners into readers, make sure you have chosen the most interesting and relevant words to stand out – these are the words that will pull them in and engage them with your content.
Investing in content is one of the most impactful and cost effective things that you could do within your Internet marketing Lancaster PA strategies.
And if writing content is not your forte, turn to professional bloggers and content writers who can add great value to your online business! Contact RODA marketing, your digital marketing Lancaster PA solution.