How to write content that boosts user engagement

How to write content that boosts user engagement

Why should you try to write your website content in a way that will boost user engagement? The first reason is that if you don’t write your content well, visitors might not return to your website for a second visit. The other perhaps more important reason is that it effects the website’s bounce rate.

Your bounce rate (in it’s simplest terms) is the percentage of visitors who leave your website after looking at only one page. For whatever reason, they’ve decided not to stick around and read more pages. If you have a high bounce rate (70%+), Google might not rank your website as well, since it looks like most of your visitors don’t like your website.

What can you do to boost user engagement on your website?

Write Well Structured Content.

A detailed well written content structure is essential to improve user engagement. It helps visitors to better understand the topic of each page.

The best way to start is by writing a small outline to structure your content well. Start by crafting a catchy headline. Follow through with an attention-grabbing first sentence. Then, write the points you will be discussing in a bullet point list. Lastly, draft your concluding statements. Once you do this a few times, it should only take a few minutes to create.

When you get to the actual writing stage, you’ll find that your thoughts will flow much better, allowing you to write faster, thanks to the outline. Many of the points in the list can then be used as headings in your page.

Internal Linking Structure.

Not only does having a good linking structure on your website’s pages benefit search engine optimization, but it’s a great way to decrease your bounce rate, improve user engagement and generate more page views per visitor.

Link to related pages and blog posts using anchor text that are relevant to page you’re writing. For example, in the above paragraph, the anchor text “search engine optimization” was used to link to Jimmyweb’s search engine optimization page. This is an excellent example of internal linking.

You can also take it a step further and add “Related Posts” links smack in the middle of a post, right when readers are concentrated on your content. The following is an example.

You may also like to read:
The basics of Search Engine Optimization
Optimization vs Manipulation

However, make sure that you do not overuse this tactic. Although it can improve user engagement, it could annoy visitors if you do it too many times on a page.

Shorter Paragraphs

On the Internet, no one really wants to read long 8-10 sentence paragraphs, no matter how detailed or structured it is. The more white space you have, the better. Your paragraphs should be short, preferably no longer than 3 sentences.

Spacing out your paragraphs into smaller chunks makes it much easier on readers’ eyes and improves user engagement. Long blocks of text often overwhelm readers – and that’s an excellent way to make them quickly leave your site.