Alright. I want to follow-up from my previous podcast and talk some more on delivering precisely what a searcher is seeking.
My issue with articles of late is that they do not get straight to the point.
There’s a lot of fillers mixed in with the main point of the article, which means the reader has to find the point of the piece.
Now, I’m speaking from a search point of view.
And from a search point of view, when a searcher clicks on a site, their expectation is that the site has a solution to whatever it is the searcher is searching for.
Entering a site, and having to go through fillers before one finds the solution to their problem, their temporary problem, means they’re performing 2 sets of searches.
Searchers expect to only perform one set of search – with the search engine.
Clicking on a site and having to search on the article, i.e. go through the fillers in order to find the answer they seek is a turn off.
I believe this is a major turn off already, and will be a bigger one that websites will have to address, with their content.
Why will websites have to address this…?
Two reasons:
- Users will increasingly leave in favour of a site that clearly displays a solution to their problem.
- Search engines will favour sites that better show the solution to a problem with their content.
Now, I mentioned in the previous podcast that attention is the new currency.
This saying is one that’s quickly becoming popular in digital marketing. And it’s true!
We are at a point where everyone is aware of the value of content, and the demand for it.
The demand for content is going to continue to increase. This appetite is not going to go away.
What will change is the tolerance of content.
And this is where, we, as marketers, really need to pay attention – because it affects our results.
Users will increasingly become intolerant of content that fall short of their expectations; that are not able to satisfy them, quickly.
Let me give you an apt example.
These days, video content on YouTube tend to all have a preview that acts as an intro to the video.
This 10-15 seconds quick preview is sort of like an advert of the content and primes the audience of what to expect should they choose to stick with the video.
Only just a couple of years ago, this wasn’t necessary.
You could have a video with a long-ass intro and the audience was more willing to go on a journey without their satisfaction of the content being considered – very much.
These days, with endless options for the audience, they want to know that if they give their attention to you, you would make it worth their time.
We see a similar thing with TV shows.
Audiences were willing to invest more of their time on shows that didn’t necessarily captivate them immediately – years ago.
Nowadays, how much time do you give a new TV show before you decide to continue, or stop watching it?
The audience’s attention with content has changed. They expect precision.
Fail to meet this and you lose their attention.
This mindset has primed the audience to have this type of expectation when they click on an article from search.
The deal is a simple one.
A user gives you their attention – by clicking on your site.
In return, they expect you to provide them, or reward them, with what you propose (in your title and description).
Fail to meet this and you lose their attention.
And losing their attention means another site gains their visit.
This is ultimately why having precise content is essential if you want to retain and grow your traffic, and engagement.
Users’ interaction with content will continue to grow on mobile devices.
The accessibility of content is so prominent that it continues to fuel what users expect from content – precision; satisfaction.
Users aren’t going to give you their time if they believe it will be wasted.
Why would they…?
Why would they give you their attention when they do not believe they will be rewarded?
Their time is valuable. And they are a lot more savvy with search than they were just 10 years ago, hell, just 5 years ago, even.
Searchers are aware of the power they hold.
They’re aware they generate traffic to a site when they click on it via a search engine.
They’re aware they have options, as searchers.
And you know what, they expect the search engine to provide the utmost service to them, in exchange for using it.
And you know how this influences search engines, right?
Search engines are aware THEY need to meet the expectations of users.
So if search engines aim to provide users with the information they seek, as quickly as possible, what do you think they’ll be looking for with websites…?
They’ll be looking for websites that can show they precisely provide what users want.
What will this lead to…?
It’ll lead to such sites being listed higher up in the SERPs than those that are less precise with the content they provide.
Have a look at the content you provide.
Is it fluff? Click-bait? Convoluted? Or is it precisely straight to the point…?
