What I Look for in a Website that Keeps Me Interested.

What I Look for in a Website that Keeps Me Interested

Believe it or not, there was a time in our history where information was scarce. So scarce, in fact, that people thirsted for a new book every six months. Today, we are privileged to the highest forms of technology. Waiting six months for a new book seems farfetched, especially since our generation is gifted a new web page every six seconds! Interestingly enough, it seems as though we are suffering from a new condition: information overload. With a wealth of information literally at our fingertips, it is often difficult to focus. It has become extremely difficult to hold our attention. Knowledge is a beautiful thing, and it should be shared. To do so, we must improve the quality of our information and the methods in which we deliver them. Here are a few things that can help keep people on your website, eager to hear your message.

Write Compelling Content

As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth reading.” I would argue that you should do both…have amazing adventures and then write amazing stories about those experiences. If you want to keep people on your webpage and away from that search engine, you’re going to have to write content that demands attention. Engage your readers. Allow them to escape and become enthralled in your words. Content is key as they say.

Stay True to Your Niche

I was going to write an example of what this means, but Joe Pulizzi already hit it out of the ballpark: “Stop writing about everything. So many brands create content and try to cover everything, instead of focusing on the core niche that they can position themselves as an expert around. No one cares about your special recipe…Find your niche, and then go even more niche.” So I guess what I’m trying to say is, stay focused and “go even more niche.”

Be succinct

Don’t write “skip content”. What is skip content? Have you ever started reading a web page and found yourself quickly skimming over everything until you found the key words you were interested in? The content you scanned over…that’s skip content. In order to avoid skip content, write engagingly and succinctly. This will make sure people read your entire message.

Be the life of the Party

“There is a party on my website and everyone is invited!” That’s the mentality you need in order to write engaging content. You have to have fun. It is easy to tell when someone is writing about something they are passionate about or something they absolutely hate. Write about what you love and have fun doing it.