A Marketing Secret You Need To Know

When Bill Gates said, “Content is king,” he had no idea that his words would become the motto of all top SEO media marketers and content marketers. But we are here to tell you that in the online content creation space, the truth is that content is NOT king.

The Secret is that no one can guarantee that your writing will be read online. You’ll have to force people to do so. One way to do this is to compose writing that is simple to read.

Don’t know where to begin? That’s fine. The basics will be discussed in this article. You’ll discover how to persuade readers to read every word you write. 

You’ll learn how digital copywriters, or marketers who use words to convert people online, get and keep the internet’s most valuable commodity: attention.

However, you must first understand how an online reader reads in order to command their attention.

 

People are Scanners

Anyone who has done even a tiny bit of research into how people read on the internet has at least heard of the infamous F-shaped pattern. The F-shaped pattern is the most definitive study on how people read on the internet, based on solid research. 

People read web copy in an F-shaped pattern, as the name implies.

They begin by scanning the page from left to right. They then scan downwards from the left side of the page. They’ll then make a second horizontal movement to the left and continue scrolling down.

The majority of people on the internet are actually skimming. Only 16 percent of people online read word-for-word, according to research conducted by Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group. 

Almost everyone else is a scanner, sifting through text for the bits that are important to them.

Knowing this, you can write in a variety of ways to make the process easier for people and ensure that your message is received completely.

 

How to Write Successfully in the Web

You’ll have to forget some of what you learned in English composition class if you want to write well for the web.

Accept that people scan rather than read web pages in detail, and work with rather than against this reality.

If you want to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, consider breaking it up into several posts.

It’s a great way to keep people coming back for more, and your readers will find it easier to digest your content if you give them smaller portions.

Use the inverted-pyramid structure to organize your paragraphs. That is, state your conclusion first, then back it up with supporting sentences. It assists scanners in moving from point to point and deciding where they want to go deeper.

 

Make your Content Reader Friendly

After that, use the simple design techniques listed below to make your content much more reader-friendly.

It only takes a few minutes to turn a large amount of text into a post that engages and draws the reader in.

 
White Space is A Safe Space

There are a few simple ways to improve the readability of your content.

With the simple addition of a lot of white space, even the most complex content can be made much more reader-friendly.

One idea per paragraph should be featured, and it should be brief — three or four sentences at most.

Also, write some paragraphs that are only one sentence long.

 

Heading Towards Better Content

A compelling headline (and thus a compelling premise) is essential for attracting readers to your website in the first place.

Subheads also keep readers engaged by acting as “mini headlines” that guide them through the rest of your content.

Make your subheads both interesting and informative. Exaggeration will lose you credibility because web readers have fine-tuned lie detectors.

Review your subheads after you’ve written them to see what readers/scanners will understand if they only read that section of your article.

Is there a good story here? Will they be able to understand the gist of your information?

 

Create Bulleted Lists

• They arouse intrigue in your readers that they can’t resist.
• They’re a quick and easy way to present a lot of information.
• They are visually distinct from the rest of your text, providing a visual break for your reader.

 

Add Helpful and Internal Links

Internal links to your most important content will keep visitors on your site and reading your best content.

External links show that you’ve done your homework on the subject and want to cite other experts.

The goal of good content is to broaden your reader’s understanding while also adding value.

 

Turn Scanners into Readers

After you’ve used subheads, numbers, bulleted lists, and other formatting to draw attention to the most important parts of your post, go over it again, focusing only on the text you’ve highlighted.

Does the reader get the gist of what you’re saying?

Take note of the most interesting and relevant words — the ones that will entice your scanner to read more.