Can Content-Driven SEO Generate Traffic For The Less Exciting Industry Niches? (Part 2)
In the first part of this post, we discussed topics such as determining the primary characteristics of your audience, the specificity of the content and its applicability for your readers. These three methods of content writing stand at the core of a successful post that could eventually translate into higher traffic and brand awareness even if your company doesn’t sell the most exciting products or services.
The second part of the post takes our train of thought a few stations further and I aim to introduce you to a few other gimmicks that will certainly keep your readers from dozing off in the middle of your article.
Photo credits: BrittneyBush
Let’s start with your writing tone.
How should you address the audience?
Now, you might think that you stand a better chance at establishing your blog as an authority in your niche by using big words, industry specific jargon and elaborate phrase constructions. However, keep in mind that not all of your readers are university lecturers and that your goal is not to publish a thesis on the advanced principles of the string theory.
To put it simply, you want the reader to understand what you’re saying without the help of the Oxford dictionary or a guide to the terminology of your industry niche. Don’t patronize your audience, don’t make the subjects you approach seem inaccessible and don’t write exclusively in a formal tone.
It is in fact much easier to connect with the readers by addressing them directly and speaking in an informal tone, you know what I’m saying? Furthermore, a few humorous remarks that relate to the content as well as a pop culture reference here and there are always welcome. Just make sure they are part of the text’s natural flow and not inserted artificially.
That’s all fine and dandy, but how do you explain more intricate concepts?
Ah, yes, this is the tricky part. At first glance, certain ideas may appear incomprehensible without a solid knowledge background of the niche. Don’t despair thought, there are ways to surpass this seemingly insurmountable obstacle. I’m going to ask you to think back about your high school days, more particularly the science class. Do you remember how your teachers explained the invisible and intangible principles of science that make the world go around?
Exactly, by utilizing analogies with the tangible and visible objects/common situations, here is where your imagination comes into play. Considering you are the keeper of knowledge for your industry niche, try to come up with similarities between the functioning of a certain product and a real life ordinary situation.
To simplify your task even further, current events can also constitute an excellent source of analogies. Just take a look at the evening news and you should be able to understand what people are preoccupied with. On a side note, this principle is referred as news hijacking or “news-jacking” in the SEO niche.
Boosting the readability of the content
Ok, this part has nothing to do with the way you write the content, but rather focuses on the way you present it to your audience. I did mention that you should avoid intricate constructions of lengthy phrases, but the same should apply to the way you structure the paragraphs. Large bulks of text are anything but readable and this approach makes it confusing to find any information. Therefore, try to stick with shorter paragraphs that present one or two basic ideas each. Furthermore, adding a subtitle to describe the contents of the paragraph enhances the overall readability even more.
Another important thing to remember is that plain text content is dead and buried. Nowadays, pictures, charts and infographics rule the internet, but this happens for a good reason: these gimmicks constitute an excellent way of presenting your ideas in an intuitive and comprehensible manner. Keep in mind that the human brain interprets relevant imagery faster and easier, particularly for topics that don’t exactly stimulate the imagination.
Stir up some controversy, ask for feedback, profit!
You should understand that you’re treading on thin ice here and you have to watch your step. However, if there’s one thing everybody loves nowadays, that has to be the freedom of expression. Put two contradictory concepts head to head (relevant to your niche of course) and ask your audience to share their opinion. Even the most “boring” subjects can spark flaming debates!
This post constitutes the second part of our two part section about content driven SEO driving traffic to less exciting industry niches. These posts have been kindly contributed by one of our regular guest authors Michael Melen:
“Hi I’m Michael Melen and I enjoy blogging about SEO and its ever changing landscape. Find me on company’s Facebook!”
