This is a guest post about online content from our friend Christina Comben at Day Translations.
While you may enjoy reading novels, I’m betting you only do on vacation. And while a well-written thriller can keep a reader captivated for hours, the same simply doesn’t apply to online content.
With the average attention span of an adult estimated at around 8 seconds, and with an infinite source of competing information at your prospect’s fingertips, your website content doesn’t have to be good to get read; it has to be extraordinary.
But even if your online content is award-winning, if no one sees it, then you may as well be writing in the snow with white paint.
- Optimize your online content.
Before you start, find out what the keywords are for your company and make sure that your online content is optimized with these keywords and LSIs in the right places. Don’t forget about the importance of your meta descriptions in improving your site’s SERP and be careful of keyword stuffing. Not only will your website content read like a kick-in-the-head, but your bounce rates will soar and you’ll run the risk of incurring a Google penalty. - Make your content bite-sized.
Break your content down into small, manageable pieces. Write eye-catching headlines, use bullet points, and experiment with different types of fonts and bolding. Keep your buyer persona in mind at all times. Who are you writing for and why should they be interested in what you have to say? If you know you’re speaking to an over-worked paralegal with a deadline, don’t make her sift through pages of overly pompous prose (she gets enough of that in the law books).Give her the solution to her problem quickly. Tell her where she needs to go, what to click, and the action you need her to take by adding strategically placed CTAs. - Keep your content above the fold.
Also known as the inverted pyramid, use the newspaper rule when it comes to your website content and put all your important information at the top. As most internet surfers are scanning for information, don’t make them scroll down to the bottom of the page to find out that you have what they need.If you sell car parts in Houston, tell the customer that you sell car parts in Houston. Don’t bleat on about how you’ve been in business since 1952 and old Uncle Gabe used to…Wait…Did you hear that? That was the sound of your prospect clicking off your website to your competitor’s website… - Focus on the benefits, not features.
People are selfish. Especially when it comes to business. They don’t care about you; they only want to know what’s in it for them. So, before you start off with “the breathable lining” in your jackets (feature) let me stop you in your tracks.Why should I care that your coat has breathable lining? What’s the benefit for me? Try something like “stay comfortable and dry when biking” (benefit). I’m much more interested in being comfortable and dry than in knowing about the lining. - Localize online content to your target audience(s).
If you deal with customers internationally, or even interstate, then you should be thinking about content localization. Because British people don’t speak the same way we do and the climate, culture, and lifestyle in California are different from New York, think about using local landing pages or different language versions of your site to suit a diverse audience.And, if you need a translation service to cater to international clients, be sure to select a company that can localize your content for all your target audiences, and who understand about the importance of local and international SEO.
About the Author
Christina Comben is a freelance copywriter specializing in B2B online content for websites, marketing materials, article writing, and blogging. Multilingual and qualified to MBA level, Christina has produced investor guides and economic reports in developing countries for Spanish newspaper ABC and currently works as Content Manager at Day Translations.