Lasting Impressions Editing
Are you frustrated by a lack of traffic to your website or blog posts? Are your older posts no longer sustaining fresh reads? Are your readers commenting and sharing your posts with others?
If your answers to any of these questions is not fully positive read on.
Like many business professionals, writers, authors and marketers of products and services, you may well feel like you're languishing in the background with minimal results for your tireless efforts to be seen and heard in a sea of countless competitors. Your tireless efforts just aren't gaining traction and your bottom line is quickly becoming a huge disappointment. In this feature post I'll share with you effective ways to capture attention where others fall short.
Quality content is essential and that means you need to generate highly relevant, unique and informative, 'evergreen' content for your website and blog that stands out, is value added, useful and tells your readers why they should look to you for their next purchase.
Plan each of your website articles or blog posts in advance with a strong focus on the following:
- Identify Your Target Audience: The whole purpose of writing web or blog content is to capture the attention of a specific or targeted audience who needs and wants what you have to share, sell or provide expert services for. Understanding who your potential market is will help you with what you write about and how you get your message across. You will not be successful marketing what you offer if you are throwing out blanket copy for the whole world to see...the whole world does not share the same mutual interests and needs. Narrow down your targeted audience to engage in your content based on their own individual needs and what you have to offer them as a solution.
- Create A Title Relevant To Your Topic: Choose a topic to write about that addresses (1) a problem or need that your reader has and (2) clearly illustrates through the title what your post is all about. Make sure you chose a catchy title that captures your reader's attention. Be sure to research thoroughly in advance on this critically important element of your article or blog posts. If you don't grab your reader's attention immediately with a highly effective title you won't even get out of the starting gate with the post...they're gone!
- Article Body Content: Start your post with a brief, concise paragraph that is in effect a 'Value Proposition Statement'; a promise of value to be delivered in your article. Right away you establish a problem or need that the reader can identify with coupled with the 'promise' that you will demonstrate in your article how you can help resolve that problem for the reader. By doing so you are creating an emotional response that compels the reader to 'turn the page' or continue reading. Just make sure that you deliver on your promise or you will quickly lose your reader's attention and trust...and never see them again.
- Capture Your Reader's Attention: Immediate engagement of your readers is essential. If your blog or article title and/or opening paragraph are lacklustre, boring, unappealing, or your reader simply cannot relate they will quickly click out and move on. Statistics now indicate that you have a matter of only a few minutes to engage your readers. If you haven't effectively identified the problem and assured them a solution is readily at hand you will have already lost them. Statistics also reveal that few readers pour through entire blogs or articles...60% at best and they move on so you had better cover your most critical content early in the post, especially if you want them to click through to your website or landing page.
- Content Framework & Readability: Keep your content as brief as possible, clear and concise. Make sure the entire body of the piece is easy to read (frequent breaks ie short paragraphs, plenty of white space on page) with a comfortable navigation using bold or colorized sub-headings and content that has a natural flow and progression.
- Body Content: The main body of the post or article is where you present that problem that your reader has and what needs to be done to address or resolve that problem. Be highly informative rather than evasive. Give your readers value for their problem and the time they are taking to read your post. They need a sense of having benefited immediately from your article, not only after they make a purchase. Give them the confidence that you have the expertise and product or service that will resolve their issues.
- Evergreen Content: This term is being used more and more frequently today. What does it mean? Evergreen is useful, timeless information that is sustainable and lasting with the passage of time...information or techniques that will still be as highly relevant in the future as it is today. After all, you want to attract new readers, clients, buying customers consistently and you want them to return repeatedly. Think of your favourite music. You may have bought that music ten years ago but because of its timeless meaning and value you will listen to it now and into the future...and you will want to buy more music from that same performing artist.
- Writing A Strong Close: Your closing paragraph is your opportunity to create and present a solid close or summary statement that seals the deal...leaves your readers with an immediate sense of urgency and desire to click through to buy or learn more. Write a powerful, compelling summary statement that includes an 'effective call to action'. In a call to action you need to tell your reader what you want them to do next...subscribe, find out more, contact you, buy now, download a free ebook or gift, click through for more relevant information. Use a call-to-action button that is highly visible and contains brief, compelling click-through direction like the one featured at the end of this post.
- Optimization for Article or Webpage SEO: Developing web content that is optimized for search engine visibility is an essential part of all webpage and blog content today. Ensure that your website and article/blog titles and body content contain keywords and keyword phrases that are highly relevant to not only your post but also your business products or services. Linked above is Google's 'Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide' which may sound complicated and daunting (and for many is) but understanding and implementing the basic fundamentals of SEO are critically important to ensure that your website, blog or other online presence is visible to the search engines and that people searching for your product or services will find you readily on the search engine results pages (SERP's), ideally on the first page of those search results. When I am writing or editing a client's website this process is a critical element of my services for them. It is surprising the difference a select number of keywords and phrases can be when implemented effectively. Research well to ensure that your SEO methods are current as the search engines are frequently changing up the rules for web content and SEO.
- Use Quality Images: The internet browser of today is highly engaged in photographic and infographic visuals. Don't leave a web article or blog post to fall short in the absence of a highly relevant, appealing image to accompany the post. That visual is often as important as the catchy title in drawing the reader's attention and interest. That quality image helps the reader visualize what they are about to engage in and heighten their curiosity to see more.
Blog posts and website articles are an increasingly critical element of content strategy and development and the textual and visual elements should be given equal consideration as they engage our readers in tandem. Stop for a moment to consider the rapidly increasing popularity of sites like Pinterest amoung social and professional networking circles and how they in turn are being utilized for increased web traffic generation. The power of words and visuals cannot be understated.
Want to learn more about how to increase your website and blog reach and visitor engagement?