In the world of analog writing, there are three main purposes: to entertain, to persuade, and to inform. However, in the realm of digital marketing, we have one more: to engage. With access to a wealth of analytics tools, copywriters are able to use key performance indicators (KPIs) to create dynamic web pages and relatable, captivating content with a high SEO value.
If you are storyteller by heart but a copywriter by trade, here are the three most useful KPIs to measure user engagement and how you can use these insights to build better content for SEO.
1) Time Spent On Page
Because this KPI measures the average time users spend on a particular webpage, time spent is a great way to gauge interest among your audience. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, users will leave web pages after only about 10 to 20 seconds. If you want to boost the average time spent on your page, your content has to immediately captivate your reader like an all-day Netflix binger.
How To Optimize Content To Increase A User’s Time on Page
Does your writing style reflect the targeted audience? Is your copy too “woke,” or is it “so 2,000 and late?” Are you using pompous jargon or watering down your vocabulary for a first grader? Use your content to build a genuine relationship with your users because, after all, that’s what content marketing is about, right? Naturally, if your readers are interested in the content on your page, the average time spent will increase.
2) Bounce Rate
Similar to time spent on page, the bounce rate is the percentage of users that leave after viewing one page without clicking on or engaging with anything else on the site. Think of the bounce rate as being ghosted after a first date. Bounce rates vary depending on website type, as Ecommerce and retail sites average 20-45 percent, while blogs tend to reach 65-90 percent. Got high bounce rates? Here are a few things to consider before hitting the panic button.
How To Optimize Content To Lower Your Bounce Rate
Compare the low bounce pages on your website with your higher bounce pages. Likely, the answer lies beneath a quick comparison. However, if the answer isn’t clear cut, here are some copywriting tips to make sure you get that second date:
- Don’t mislead your audience. Make sure your content is delivering what it promises.
- Make your content scannable. Bullet points, subheads, short paragraphs, and bolded words are easy on the eyes.
- Engage your audience. Earn clicks by adding enticing calls to action, relevant hyperlinks, and backlinks to pages on your own website.
3) Unique Visitors
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and AOL ruled the World Wide Web, “hits” were the only thing websites were tracking. An evolved descendent of hits, the “unique visitors” metric shows each new, individual user your site reaches. This KPI is ideal for tracking the effectiveness of your title tags and meta descriptions in search engines as well as outreach campaigns.
How To Optimize Content To Increase Your Unique Visitors
On search engines, every website seems to blend into pages and pages of comparable search results. To increase unique visitors, make a great, clickable first impression by writing better title tags and meta descriptions.
- Avoid keyword stuffing. The idea here is to seamlessly place your keywords without forcefully packing them into a small amount of copy. Not only will search engines recognize keyword stuffing, but visitors may also think your website is spammy.
- Write something flashy but accurate. The title tag and meta description are going to be what readers use to determine whether to click on a link. You have roughly 160 characters to catch your reader’s attention and explain your page’s benefit, so make them count. No one notices a boring meta description.
- Be descriptive. Give your audience all the details they need about the content on your webpage. When they can easily find what will be on the page, they’re more likely to click.
Still curious about writing better content for strategic digital marketing? Check out more of our Wpromote blog posts to brush up on your copywriting skills: