Are you looking to refresh your website or intranet? While beautiful layouts and gorgeous graphics are essential for drawing attention, high-impact copy is the only way to get audiences to act.
A sticky site is one that audiences want to linger on, spend time with and revisit often. But if your readers are dropping off, and your site is failing to generate the engagement you need, it's probably time for a refresh.
Here are my top tips for creating sticky web content:
Make it easy to navigate. Nothing’s worse than content that’s difficult to find or read. So, before you get started, create a site navigation map or content outline that allows for cross-functional collaboration and referencing. Then, gather feedback on it from web experts, designers and your target audience.
Find a flow. If your web copy doesn’t have a logical flow, your audience will find it challenging to process important information. As a guide, most web pages need an attention-grabbing headline, a teaser or sub-header, descriptions and benefits, and a compelling clincher.
Make your reader the hero. Each web page should tell a consistent story. Just make sure your audience is the hero of that story. After all, your products and services exist to help them succeed.
Focus on benefits. If your descriptions are organisation-centric, or if they leave audiences wondering what’s in it for them, they’re far less likely to convert. So, take some time to understand your audience's needs and challenges. Then, highlight them in your copy and describe how your product or service can help.
Make it readable. If your web copy is long, wordy or filled with acronyms and jargon, you will lose your audience. Instead, try to keep your sentences short and straightforward. Be sure to select easy-to-read font types and sizes. Also, for legibility, keep a sharp contrast between the colour of your text and the colour of your page background.
Make it scannable. Break up your content into scannable chunks on the page. Headers, sub-headers, bullet points, tables, charts and white space are all essential for fast comprehension. Always position important information in the first sentence of every paragraph. And don’t forget to test your formatting on mobile devices, as well as desktop computers.
Include a strong call to action. Great web copy always converts. A persuasive closing statement will inspire an undecided reader to cross over the response threshold. Just make sure you tell them where to go next and what to expect.
Tap into keywords. It won’t matter how beautiful your web content is if your audience never finds it. Before you start writing, research what keywords and phrases your target audience might type into a search query box to retrieve your products or services. Then, include them in your copy. But, avoid keyword stuffing. Your website needs to appeal to real-life people.
Review your content. Businesses, customers, content trends and technology are constantly changing. So, plan to review and refresh your web content regularly. Use metrics and analytics to identify opportunities for improvement, and A/B testing to understand what messages resonate with your audience.
So, those are my top tips for creating sticky web content. Have you got a suggestion that you'd like to share? Pop it in the comment box below!
About Victoria Hall
Victoria believes that great communication has the power to change the world. She's passionate about helping organisations to lift their profiles, inspire action and achieve remarkable results by crafting and delivering their stories and messages in a clear, compelling and persuasive way. If you've got a question about how to produce high-quality communication plans or content, you can contact Victoria here or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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