How to optimise your website’s content to improve user engagement
Looking to improve your website’s content but unsure where to start? Whatever your industry, producing valuable and relevant material for your visitors is vital to the success of your site, but can feel overwhelming. However, there are strategic steps you can take to help identify what kind of content you should be creating to meet your user’s needs and keep up to date with current trends and interests.
Check out some ideas below:
1. Plan new content around what your users want
Keyword research
No matter what the goals of your website are, the best content will meet your users’ current needs. You can start identifying this by looking at the type of search terms people are entering in search engines in relation to your industry. This ‘keyword research’ enables you to understand what your users care about and what they are interested in. Use tools like SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs Webmaster to carry out your research. For more information on how to do this, check out Hubspots beginner’s guide to keyword research.
Internal website search and user sentiment
You can also see what content you are missing by examining your users’ searches within your own site and plugging in any gaps. Using data reporting tools like Google Analytics and Looker Studio you can determine exactly what your users want out of your website and create content that is not only relevant to your audience, but immediately valuable too.
Check out the competition
Understanding what your competitors are doing can offer valuable insights. Analyse their content to identify gaps or opportunities that you can take advantage of. Look at the types of content they are producing, how they are engaging with their audience, and what trends they are following. This research can inspire your own content creation and help you stay competitive.
2. Optimise your existing content
Perform a content audit
Look at your existing content to understand which pages are performing the best. Again, tools like Looker Studio and Google Analytics can help you identify these, by giving you data such as number of page views, bounce rates, dwell time and user engagement. Ask yourself: Which pages are users spending the most time on? How are users coming to my site? What topics do they engage with the most? If your website has a user sentiment feature, such as the ability to ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ your content, check which pages are performing best, and which need some improving. Then, look at how you can replicate the success of your top performing content and what you can do to improve your weakest page.
Update evergreen pages
Check your evergreen content to make sure it is still relevant and up to date. Whether it’s mentioning expired offers, old brands, past dates or closed businesses, any sign that your content isn’t current will reduce your page’s authority on the topic and your website’s overall trustworthiness.
Refresh your pages with new imagery
As the old saying goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Replace outdated images with new, high-quality visuals that resonate with current trends. Just remember to get the file size right, nobody likes slow loading times!
3. Innovate with Design and Engagement
Creating engaging content extends beyond copy and images. Page design and formatting can have a significant impact on how engaging users find your content. This can be particularly powerful when used alongside trending topics and hot topics. The case study below is a prime example of how this tactic can be used:
When Taylor Swift came to Edinburgh to perform for her Eras tour, the team at Forever Edinburgh (FE) wanted to seize the opportunity to be at the forefront of the excitement. The FE team produced carefully designed content that captured the wants and needs of their target audience. Always ready to elevate our client’s digital presence, we worked with the FE team to create a bespoke Taylor-themed page template to complement their new content. Adorned with the singer’s trademark glitter and pink, the templates captured the essence of the star’s brand, without losing sight of Forever Edinburgh’s visuals. The result was a series of Taylor Swift-themed pages that not only looked amazing but also drove engagement and resonated with the websites users. A hit for fans, and Forever Edinburgh too!
So, there you go! Following these steps will keep your website in the competition, and one your users will return to repeatedly. Still looking for help to improve your website further? Get in touch to discuss how Whereverly can help you take your online presence to the next level.