“The idea is to create a web page that encourages visitors to spend as much time as possible on it”


 

As promised in last weeks blog on the ongoing Organic Traffic Vs. Pay-Per Click debate,  once you have people on your blog, how do you keep them there? Here are some key design tips that make a big difference in keeping people on and interacting with your blog or website:

 

  • Provide direct, concise, clear and very useful content.  In other words, the type of information that can’t be found elsewhere.
  • Right out of the gate, make your intro sentences short and powerful. It’s been proven that people tend to read on if the first few sentences grab them. In order for that to happen sentences need to grab you- in a short and sweet way.  Here’s a good example; one of my most popular and shared blogs on

Losing Or Creating A Great Customer

 

Onwards:


  • Write an engaging introduction.
  • Use a direct language that is easy to read.
  • Use meaningful titles and subtitles. They should be brief and convey a summary of the section.
  • Keep paragraphs short, and use simple sentence structure. Breaking a long paragraph into several smaller sections invites the viewer in to read.
  • Make your page more scan-friendly. Large blocks of dense text intimidate the visitor. This is important, as this is what people do now-they scan.
  • Make your content into a story format. Or fun. Or funny. Or fresh. Or confrontational. Or all of the above. The trick is to make it stand out.
  • Check for grammar. Misspellings and poorly constructed sentences communicate the wrong message and detract from your expert status.
  • Make your content visually pleasing. Aesthetics and style are so important in engaging the reader into understanding the subject of your web page.
  • Pick a relevant and enticing intro picture. It’s the first thing people see.

Use consistent formatting. Choose a pattern of spacing, an order of information presentation or a format of highlighting and be consistent throughout. See how this stands out? Awkward.

  • Use contrasting colors. Text is easier to read when font and background color are in high contrast. Low contrast irritates the reader and causes eye fatigue.
  • Use bullets and numbered lists. They help get the readers attention. Witness:
  • Highlight, underline or bold important keywords or phrases.
  • Use plenty of white space. Thoughtful use of empty space helps the visitor’s eyes to focus on the important information.
  • Add links to other relevant blogs that people who are reading this blog would be interested in such as

How to Create A Monetized Blog

These design tips will make a difference in how long folks stay engaged. Of course you should be asking for engagement, for comments, and for them to DO SOMETHING, somewhere within the content of your blog. Involve the reader. Add call-to-action modules such as an opt-in box,  poll, quiz, comment or guest book. Make it easy for them to navigate your site and find those things rather than having to search for them.  Your call to action shouldn’t be your best kept secret.

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