7 Reasons Why Readers Won’t Stick Around
Author info: This is a guest post by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.
Do you think that generating traffic is all it takes? You couldn’t be more wrong, convincing visitors to drop by again is simply a must if you are serious about making it in the long run.
Most people seem to have thought of everything, yet have forgotten to try their best in order to convert visitors into loyal readers. If you do your job right as far as website promotion is concerned then yes, you will get people to visit your website, but what happens after that? You may not know it, but most of your potential readers may choose not to stick around, and here’s why:
1) You Make Promises Through Your Title and Don’t Deliver
Yes, a catchy title can “convince” others to check your article out but if you fail to deliver afterwards, you can rest assured that the reader in question will be quite disappointed. Actually, that person leaves and never looks back in most cases, so that it should come as no surprise that readers are not exactly tempted to stick around under such circumstances.
2) You Are Too Aggressive
Sure, you don’t have to lie to readers and tell them that they are perfect but that doesn’t mean that you should start insulting them. You can definitely tell a person that there are certain areas where improvements are in order in a more delicate manner, being too aggressive is not an option.
3) You See Writing as a Chore
If you are not passionate about a certain topic, your readers will definitely pick up on that and the results won’t exactly be worth bragging about. Don’t see writing as a chore and, instead, make sure that your content reflects just how passionate you are about a certain topic.
4) You Assume That Everyone Is an Expert
Just because you are extremely knowledgeable as far as the topic you’re writing about is concerned, it doesn’t mean that each and every one of your readers is. Don’t be afraid to explain certain terms when you think that it is necessary, as a good writer needs to be able to cater to the needs of beginners as well. Otherwise, readers who are not yet experts will leave and that is definitely not an option.
5) You Explain When It Isn’t Necessary
While assuming that each and every reader is an expert is not the way to go, explaining the obvious is not necessary because, if you have such an approach, your entire article will end up being filled with all sorts of explanations and your readers will end up being distracted from what is truly important.
6) You Go Off-Topic Way Too Often
While there is nothing wrong with the occasional off-topic remark, you have to be able to determine when enough is enough. After all, the last thing you need is readers leaving as a result of the fact that you are not able to focus on the topic you are writing about and insist on useless information way too much.
7) You Don’t Remind Them
If you want readers to stick around, why not remind them to subscribe to your newsletter or RSS feed at the end of the article? If you are writing an article series, why not remind them to drop by for the next article? Something as simple as reminding your visitors to stick around can and will make a difference, so why not act accordingly?
If at least one of these reasons sounds familiar, I’m sure you know what you have to do. Identifying what you did wrong is an important first step, but taking things to the next level by acting accordingly is simply a must.
Best wishes,
Alan Johnson
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By Carrie on May 13, 2008
As long as the content is relative to me I continue to read a blog. I do enjoy when blog’s have inspiring posts, when reading a blog leaves me feeling motivated I appreciate it.
By Ajith Edassery on May 14, 2008
Definitely good points. But what worries me more is the fact that despite wholehearted effort and many of the above mentioned points taken care of, I am yet to get a reasonaly good audience size.
Ajith
By shawal on May 14, 2008
Content are the king….
Writing style are also important to make reader stick and read to the whole article…
By Nicole Price on May 14, 2008
Simple and effective. The kind of piece that you read and feel - Oh that is so obvious - yet few actually think about these things and apply them.
By Recliners on May 16, 2008
You’ve made some excellent points there.As for points 4 and 5 it is a fine line between being too technical and being too explanatory about any topic and treating your audience like children. Explain too little and people are at sea, explain too much and it seems as though you think people are idiots.
By Ades on May 16, 2008
Recliners, you are right. But I personally believe you won’t go wrong with giving full details (or steps), it’s better to explain more than explaining too little. But again, the language used in the article must be professional, and shouldn’t sound like you are treating your readers as idiots.
And in some other situations, you just want to give your readers the idea, and want them to take action themselves. This is appropriate when you share a common ground with your readers. Because when they know what you are talking about, they can further their research independently.
By Alan Johnson on May 16, 2008
Hi there and thanks for your comments, it’s always great to see that readers appreciate your contribution :)
Best wishes,
Alan Johnson