Do you put a lot of effort into your website or blog content? You have an important message to share with the world, and you deserve to be heard! Only… your website traffic isn’t quite what you hoped it would be. Maybe you have a high bounce rate, or perhaps it has been a while since you reached a conversion goal. You might be scratching your head and wondering why the heck no one is reading your content. Here are some issues that might be the culprit behind your problem.
It’s Difficult to Read
I’m a writer, so of course I have to put writing issues at the top of the list. In a previous blog post, I discussed some common errors in website content. It bears repeating: if the mechanics of your writing are not up to par, you’re going to lose your audience somewhere along the way. In a best case scenario, writing with a lot of errors is a challenge to read. In a worst case scenario, you might accidentally end up communicating the wrong message to your audience.
Some common writing errors, issues, and missteps to keep on the watch for include:
- Paragraphs that are too long
- No subheadings to organize your ideas
- Frequent misuse of commas
- Not explaining unfamiliar terms (Unless you know your audience already has some knowledge of your subject, you should explain any word or term that they might not understand. Remember, they do not have your level of expertise.)
A professional freelance writer, like yours truly, can help you identify and say goodbye to such problems. I can makeover existing content and help you produce fresh content that is a breeze to read.
It Doesn’t Look Good
Staring at a computer, tablet, or phone screen isn’t good for the eyes. It can be particularly wearisome if a website’s aesthetics are unpleasant. Of course, you want your site to reflect your unique style and personality. However, you also want it to be nice to look at. Some problems that might turn your audience away include:
- Having background images that make it difficult to see portions of your text
- Not having enough contrast between your text and the background
- Having font that is too small
- Having font that distorts letters a little too far beyond standards shapes
Your Website Doesn’t Adapt to Mobile
Most website templates automatically adapt to mobile devices so your audience can easily digest the lovely content meal you’ve prepared for them. However, if you are using an old template or have an older custom-built site that doesn’t adapt to mobile devices, you could be losing a huge part of your audience. Mobile browsing accounts for a major portion of online activity. In fact:
- In 2019, 80% of people used a mobile device to search the internet
- More than 50% of websites use responsive design
- Almost half of users will switch to your competitor’s site after having a bad experience with your mobile site
It’s the Same Old Same Old
There’s nothing wrong with pulling ideas and inspiration from fellow experts in your field. However, audiences crave original content. Therefore, you have to bring something new to the table. Maybe what you bring is a fresh perspective on an old topic, or maybe your product or services presents a unique solution to a common problem. Every piece of content that you write should have your unique stamp on it. Otherwise, it is going to disappear in the endless noise of the internet.
Here are a few ways in which you might freshen up your content:
- Expound on points that your competitors’ content commonly glosses over
- Share meaningful anecdotes and stories that highlight the value of your service or product
- Create some long-form pieces that really get into the nitty gritty details of your subject
- Play “devil’s advocate” (For example, you could point out the downsides of the most common solution to a problem.)
- Add a twist with humor or videos
Of course, you never want to be original at the expense of truthfulness. It’s common for business to ignore the downsides of their particular service or product, and that is fine. However, you must be careful with wording so that you never say anything that will make you seem duplicitous or deceptive.
It’s Not Tailored to Fit Their Needs
Do you truly understand your audience? You might have a general idea of whom you are trying to reach, whether it is a certain age group, income level, ethnicity, etc. However, the more you know about the people you want to connect with, the better. You can find valuable information by hosting surveys, using census data, and exploring Google Trends.
Your SEO Is Lacking
Maybe the reason your audience is not reading your content is simply due to the fact that they have not found it yet. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of getting your website to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO is quite a beast, and I don’t pretend to be an expert on it. However, I do understand its basic concepts. Here are some quick tips to boost your SEO:
- Avoid black hat practices. For example, you should avoid flagrant keyword stuffing at all costs. (Keyword stuffing is the practice of unnecessarily using the same phrase over and over again in your content.)
- Pay attention to tags. This could include your meta description, alt image tags, italics, bold, subheadings, and more.
- Optimize your page speed. Make sure your website stays updated, and don’t bog it down with a bunch of unnecessary plugins.
- Don’t post duplicate content. Google hates plagiarism and is quick to red flag it.
I’m working on learning more about SEO (it’s one of my projects that is temporarily in the Procrastination Pile). I’ll certainly share more tips with you as I discover them!
You are an expert in your field, and you want to share your expertise! Avoiding and/or correcting the above problems can help you to do just that.