In the content marketing battle for viewers quality over quantity wins the day. This is particularly true when you don’t have user generated content (UGC).
Your content needs to both stand out and be engaging. Today’s search engines are honing in on searcher intent and your rankings are a reflection of how well you satisfied the searcher’s needs.
But how can a Search Engine determine if a search was satisfied? Well, they look for an absence of continued search activity. Nobody keeps looking once they find what they are looking for.
This is where engagement really matters. Bounce Rates are a signal that a page didn’t meet the viewers expectations. If a click results in the user bouncing back to their search results it’s like that viewer downvoted your content. The search engines measure this indicator.
It’s paramount that your content hooks their attention and keeps their attention. And the best way to do that is to take the reader on a journey. Tell them a story, and tell it well.
I’ve recently discovered a couple great tools to help improve your copy. First is to understand that making your story easy to read makes it accessible to a larger audience. Use the Hemmingway Editor to improve the readability of your copy.
Second, choosing the right story arc is a good way to make it interesting to the reader. For that I find inspiration in Storyteller Tactics. Knowing what kind of stories to tell and how to tell them makes this all a little easier.