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Get startedWhat makes a casual internet visitor want to go to your website in the first place? Likely, you have a product, service, or answer for which they’re looking. But what keeps these people coming back to your site after that initial visit? Great content optimized for user experience is one option. The term user experience is one we often hear in website design and functionality, but you can apply similar principles to your content to make it better.
The term user experience (UX) is most commonly used in website design and development. In simple terms, it’s the quality of the experience a visitor has when browsing your website. A site that has excellent user experience lets creators answer “yes” to questions in the following categories:
You can apply these same principles to any content you share. A great way to guarantee a good UX for the entire website is to optimize each page and piece of content you share.
Image via Giphy by @nickrewind
Use these five tips to optimize your content for a better user experience online:
What’s the best way to learn what somebody wants from you? Just ask. You can quiz your visitors and subscribers to understand what content they want to see. Try polls or surveys to ask them what content you already provide that’s valuable and the examples of which they’d like to see more. You can also give visitors the option to tell you what they don’t like or provide ideas you haven’t yet considered but could incorporate into your content.
Be mindful of the time it takes your content to load on the page. Did you know 47% of consumers say they expect a web page to load in two seconds or less? Even if they’re really excited to see your content, they may not wait longer than that to see the information. How can you ensure that your content loads fast enough? Be mindful of the size of images you use and how many you add to a page. Consider if you’re using GIFs, videos, or other motion graphics, as those can also delay page load speeds.
Image via Giphy by @ichos-Y-floras
Don’t be cryptic when sharing your content with visitors. For example, if you publish an article about how to create an email newsletter, be thorough in the steps you describe. Give step-by-step instructions, including tips, and background information about how and when to use one.
Your visitors come to you as a source of information and to get their questions answered. Don’t send them on a scavenger hunt across your site before they get a response, or promise them results without following through. These tactics could leave visitors frustrated and less likely to return to your site, share your content, or recommend your business to others.
Do you have strong calls-to-action (CTAs) in your content? Often, you engage in content marketing to provide value to your visitors on a topic related to your business, then encourage them to take a step to make a conversion and interact with your company. This may involve signing up for an email list, making a purchase, or scheduling a call with your service team. No matter the CTA, make sure it’s easy to find and logical to access.
Good CTAs tell visitors exactly what you want them to do and make it easy to take that next step. Use simple language for the text and contrasting colors to draw attention to links or other methods of conversions. You can also use interstitial ads like this:
“CopyPress gives us the ability to work with more dealership groups. We are able to provide unique and fresh content for an ever growing customer base. We know that when we need an influx of content to keep our clients ahead of the game in the automotive landscape, CopyPress can handle these requests with ease.”
Kevin Doory
Director of SEO at Auto Revo
While we spend a lot of time with content focusing on keywords and search engine optimization (SEO), it’s important to remember that you can rank high on search engine results pages (SERPs), but if actual users don’t find value in the content, there’s no point. Researching and implementing keyword strategies that you’d use for SEO are still important for the user experience. Focusing on those concepts helps you provide the most relevant articles for their search queries.
Just remember that you’re writing for the people, not the robots. And how those humans view everything you share should be the driving force behind every content decision you make.
Image via Giphy by @showtime
If you’re looking for a team to help you create content that delivers the best user experience for your audience, start a call with CopyPress today! We have a team of content experts who are able to analyze your current content and run analysis on the keywords you should incorporate to attract members of your target audience to your content.
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