Why people aren’t reading your content

One of the biggest challenges businesses face when it comes to keeping visitors on their website is creating content that keeps the reader’s attention. People have increasingly short attention spans and their tolerance for time-wasting content is only decreasing (anyone else know the ‘multi-screeners’ who sit on their phone while watching a movie?). 

If you cannot get your customers to engage with your content, then they will spend less time on your website and be less likely to take any positive action on your site. 

Simply put, the more engaging the content, the more leads you are likely to generate. 

Let's look at 5 reasons people don’t read your content.

1. You are being too salesy

If someone has gone to your website, there is a fair chance that they are interested in your product or service. Refrain from being like one of those collectors on the street getting people to sign up for equality for hamsters or whatever their cause is. The last thing your visitors want is to have content that is in their face. 

Instead, create content that explains how your product or service meets the visitor’s needs or how it can solve a problem. Talk about the pain points they might be experiencing, or even share a testimonial of someone’s story where you have helped or added value.

Don’t be afraid to have a clear call to action for their next step - it is key to ensuring they know what you want them to do next.

2. Your content is not keeping their attention!

The top 5 categories of what people spend their time doing while online are:

1. Social Media
2. Entertainment
3. Services
4. Games 
5. Retail

For your content to get the engagement and the visibility you desire, it is important to remember what people want to do online with their time. 

Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a comic genius to capture their attention, just be authentic in your writing, show your sense of humour and personality and add real value to your reader. 

Huge amounts of text will cause the reader to switch off so instead keep it punchy, include stats, quotes, links, images, bullet points, graphs… anything but huge pieces of text!

3. Your content is poor

Although this may seem obvious, if your content isn’t good enough then no one will read it or engage with it. Make sure you know what subjects people want to know about and then provide them that information in an easily digestible format that keeps them interested. 

Remember who your audience are and write for them, not to show off that you know more than them, nor to speak down to them. Write to educate, add value and inform them.

Making sure your content is accurate is also vital - things change so make sure any stats you cite are always relevant and up to date - nothing will reduce your credibility than writing something that isn’t correct!

4. Make your content accessible 

If you have created great content that your audience will enjoy reading and will value, you need to ensure that it performs well with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and that you are sharing it across all the relevant platforms. 

People will not read your content if they can’t easily locate it, even if they are trying to search for it. This is a missed opportunity for both the searcher (potential customer) and you.

5. Your title and headlines are boring

The internet is full of things competing for our attention, which makes it difficult to stand out. Your headline should scream ‘read me!’ to anyone who comes across it. 

Make it intriguing and interesting and be clear what the reader will find out from reading your content. However, be careful not to become ‘click-bait’. You do not want to damage the authenticity of your reputation.

So when it comes to getting people to actually read your content think about writing something that you’d like to read yourself. Make it intriguing enough for them to read on to the next paragraph. Your blog is a great window into your business for prospective clients and employees - let them see the best of you.

Not sure whether or not your content needs some TLC? Book a call with us and we can review it together.