How to get readers to stick on your website

My new website is like the first few hours after a snowfall. The landscape is pure and white, and I can see exactly when people have stepped out into it and the route they’ve taken because their footsteps are starkly visible in my analytics. 

Some people are landing directly on the home page, but mostly they arrive here via a blog. I haven’t written many yet, but there are sharp peaks in visits when I post something new. My daily traffic analytics are like a concertinaed view of the Alps. 

Most of these visitors follow a social media link to read something I’ve written, but they don’t hang around afterwards; most footsteps stop at the bottom of the page. 

A tiny but important minority land on the blog, then read another one, or check out the services, or the book, or the courses before they disappear. These are my favourite visitors, the interested ones that could turn into potential clients or referrers or collaborators.

So how do you encourage more of those visits? 

Post good blogs

Obvious, I know. but the first step is to blog. Post new things. Write content that answers the questions your ideal clients are asking. Write stuff people will want to read.

Until you’ve built up a head of SEO steam that means people are finding you through search, you’re going to have to consistently put signposts to your site in the pathway of the people you want to visit you. That sign post is your headline, the few words that catch their attention. Your headline needs to pique curiosity, or echo something that you know is already on their mind. I’ve written more about how to do that here.  

Fight distraction

It’s a numbers game, and the more people you can attract the merrier. However well you write and design your content, most of the people who land on your website will read one thing and vanish. Only a small proportion will hang around to explore more, so the more you get there in the first place the better.

That’s because we’re all busy - doing ten things at once, distracted, multi tasking - while they’re reading your blog they’re more than likely thinking they should be doing something else instead. That doesn’t mean these readers aren’t worth attracting. Make it good enough and they might bookmark you to come back later. Or recommend you to somebody else. Or keep an eye out for your next blog.

Image by Lizzie Everard from the Valuable Content Marketing book

Get to the point

If you’ve promised answers to questions in your headline, deliver them quickly and then move on to ask and answer more. The inverted pyramid style of writing - most important stuff first - is invaluable for encouraging readers to hang around. 

Be a breath of fresh air

Make whatever you’re writing as easy to follow as possible. Bear in mind that your reader is most likely frazzled and only half concentrating, so make your writing clear and unambiguous. If a reader can quickly grasp what you’re telling them, and want to know more, they’re much more likely to read to the end, and want more of the same. It’s a question of tone as well as content, people will stick around if they like the voice. 

Other ways to inject fresh air into writing include throwing in some sensual words or surprising images. Words that make the reader see, touch, taste, feel can jolt them out of a scrolling frenzy and encourage them to linger longer with you. How to write diamond studded metaphors that make your writing sparkle will give you some pointers if you want to make your writing more vivid and immediate.

Clear calls to action

If you want to encourage people to explore more of your blogs, weave links to them into the body of your text, like I did above. If you want them to sign up to the newsletter, say so and make it a simple one click sign up process. If you want them to check out your services, write blogs that allow you to seamlessly drop relevant links into the copy. (If you’re reading this and you don’t know where to start with your own content you might find this useful.)

Try to avoid tagging ‘if you want to work with me call x’ at the end of everything you write, like an awkward business card exchange at the end of a nice chat. Instead write blogs that make ‘I’d love some of that’ a natural follow up for your perfect client. 

Make reading a joy

Think about the reading experience you’re creating on your site. Embrace white space. Choose a practical and beautiful typeface. Make the font large enough to read on a mobile. People will stick around for longer if they’re relaxed and enjoying themselves. 

Share

Make it easy for people to find you. Get your signposts up in the sight lines of people you want to attract. Share other people’s content too. Make helping your ideal client a priority, so share good things from everywhere.