For content websites and blogs, acquiring web traffic is not enough--increasing page views and eventually subscribing are other critical goals. Some blogs struggle with high bounce rates or a lack of total page views per visit.
By optimizing the design of the content and adding tools to encourage readers to discover new content, blogs and content websites can increase page views and decrease bounce rates. Here are a few ideas to help entice readers to explore more of your blog's content.
- Interlink posts. As you develop themes for your blog content, you have the ability to interweave your posts using internal links. This helps readers dive deeper into your blog and gain more context on the subjects your blog covers. Wikipedia makes use of internal linking quite heavily. Interlinking posts also help improve the search engine optimization of your website.
- Writing for scannability. People have different reading habits online than they do offline. People tend to scan content--gleaning snippets and looking for items of interest. Too much can be too much. Try to simplify your content design and layout and improve website readability. Add bullets and headlines to isolate main points and cut down on long paragraphs or sentences.
- Blog content design can improve retention. Simple updates to the design and presentation of content can have a resounding effect, including reducing bounce rates and encouraging readers to read on.
- Related Post tools. Automatically recommend new content to users from the bottom, sidebar, or corners of the browser. Be careful not to obscure the content, but by sharing related posts or content, you may discourage visitors from bouncing. Perhaps the current blog post didn't resonate with the user, perhaps another post (recommended by a social sharing algorithm) would be useful.
- Comments are content too. Comments can add meaning to blog posts and help to retain users. Stronger comments should gravitate to the top. Comments can entice readers to stay longer and engage further with your content.
- Sidebar links. Use links in your blog sidebar to make other recommendations: archives, keyword clouds, recommended posts, or recent posts all help retain users. Consider using media in your sidebar to draw interest in new posts.
- Include media in your content. Photos and videos can encourage users to stay longer and not bounce away. It improves the design of your content and makes the page more attractive to users.
- Search specific categories in the blog. For large blogs or content websites that provide an impressive number of resources, it may be helpful (for some websites) to allow users to search a section. This is not recommended for all websites. By limiting the search to specific categories, users will be able to mine sections of your website for more specific topics and resources.
- The importance of blog page titles cannot be overstated. They help users find what they are looking for. Don't try to trick readers by getting clever with your page title--this will only up your bounce rate. Try crafting a page title to help readers find the right content quickly. Page titles are often cited in category pages, in sidebar menus, and shared socially.
- Clean, accessible design. Your website should be designed to encourage retention. Don't scare users away by complicating navigation or hiding popular content. Help users find what they are looking for. Strong web design is a vital trust factor for your brand and contributes greatly to retention.
