Do Your Visitors Read Your Entire Article?
You worked really hard to rank your content on Google and/or Bing and now your search traffic finally arrives at your page.
If every click from search engines that arrives on your page were glued to your article. Your audience would flow down your page fully engaged.
When they reached the end, they are convinced and become your loyal fans. Or, ever better – your repeat customers.
How wonderful would that be?
But right now, that feels like it’s a whole world away, doesn’t it?
- Your bounce rates are in high double digits
- Your on page time is a cough away
- Your are still praying for conversions
You are at the edge and thinking about throwing in the towel and giving up.
Then, you remembered what Kyle said, write for your audience and not the search engines.
So, how do you write for your audience?
How do you keep them engaged?
I am going to offer you 2 tips to think about...
Tip 1 - Hook Your Audience With A Question
This has to do with human psychology.
As humans, we are hard-wired to find the answers we just been asked. Our brain will sub-consciously try to close the loop.
Therefore, our brains will not stop until we find the answer to the question.
Now you know why we behave the way we do.
- We must finish that puzzle
- We need the answer before moving on
- Why we just love short cuts to answers
Now you know why many articles begin with a question.
Tip 2 - The Bridge Model
This is an old NLP method I learn while working for a large MNC.
Those of you who attended sales training or writing product collateral may know this.
I find it works just as well to get your audience interested in reading your articles.
There are three steps:
- The Desired Situation: Make your audience picture where they want to be.
- The Current Situation: Bring them back down to where they are.
- Offer A Bridge: Create a bridge between the two situations, and position your article as the solution. (I added "article" instead of "product")
Sound Simple, right?
In this case, the desired situation is the hook. This is what you want.
The current situation is now "lacking" and does not look so good when you compare with the desired situation.
While you may not ask a question here. You have created a question in the mind of your reader, which is...
How do I get to the desired situation?
And you position your article as the answer.
Cheers,
Stanley
Recent Comments
74
Thank you Stanley! I do try to ask questions and make it interesting so readers will continue on. I try to put myself in the readers shoes. I know that if I'm reading something too technical and dry I'll hit the back button in a heartbeat.
I like the bridge model...something to keep in mind. Karen
That bridge between our readers' current state and the ideal situation is the bait that hooks them to our posts! Good job!
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In answer to your question.
NO
To a greater degree with our uptake of mobile technologies and their integration into our every waking moment, we are becoming scanners.
We all want the shortest route to what we are looking for.
We just want the punch line.
Which kind of creates a divergence, Google wants long posts, we internet dwellers want short and to the point.
The internet is not a democracy.
Some great tips to help content reach out Stanley, good job.j
Yes, most people want to get straight to the point.