3 Tips for Sticky Website Content
Posted by Beth Hrusch on Fri, Aug 06, 2010
What is “sticky” content? You can look at it either as content that makes visitors “stick” to your page, or vice versa. Or, you could think of it as website content that “sticks” in their minds. Either way, sticky content is what you want, because that’s what gets visitors to your site on the hook, converts them into customers and keeps them coming back.
Sticky website content doesn’t get that way accidentally. It’s the result of good, interesting writing. Website design plays a role in making your content and your site as a whole more attractive, but the real money is on what you have to say and how you say it.
Did you know that you have less than 10 seconds to impress someone enough to stay with your site, rather than move on to the next search result? Writing for the Web is different than writing for print. Online readers tend to have a shorter attention span and are quick to make judgments. If they don’t like what they see, they’re going to move on – and they’re going to do it in a hurry.
So, if you want to grab attention and keep it, here are 3 tips for sticky website content:
1. Be as brief as possible- There are some instances when you want to give people more “beefy” content. White papers, articles and ebooks are examples. But on your site—and especially your home page—be concise and to the point. Make your content dense with only the information people need to decide whether to stay. You can always link to more content somewhere, giving them the choice to continue.
If you put lengthy paragraphs on the home page, and/or do so throughout your site, people will say to themselves “I don’t have time to read through all of this!” They become intimidated, frustrated and turned off.
2. Appeal to their visual nature- Graphics and flash animation are not the only ways to capture attention visually. Compelling headlines (preferably containing keywords), in bold, color, italics, etc., will do the job as well. Break up the copy with punchy sub-headings.
3. Include links- Internal and external links are not only good for SEO and rankings, they also help your readers navigate your site more easily, and encourage them to explore your site more thoroughly. A link may get them to more great website content that they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Linking to other authority sites turns your site into a resource for visitors and thus boosts your own authority with them.
One tip for using links: don’t overdo it. Only add links when it will add value for you. Too many links is a visual red flag that says “this site is salesy”.
Creating a sticky site starts with sticky website content. So, try these simple little tricks for making your site more attractive to visitors, and always be sure to write good, authoritative content. It’s the only way to turn visitors into customers and get those customers to recommend you to others.