Brace yourself—it doesn’t matter how well written the content on your website is. Statistics show that more than half of your visitors will only read an article for 15 seconds or less. It’s a battle for attention, and frankly, do you really win that battle with good content? Or, maybe a better question is whether or not the metrics of page views and sessions are the right things to measure. Does this accurately measure the success of your content?
Even if somebody clicks on an article, the chances of them reading the whole thing are slim. We continue to consume content online the way we always have: we don’t read it, we skim it.
So, if that’s the case, what’s valuable to you isn’t the number of short attention-span visits. What you want to measure and identify is the number of people who engage with your content for a meaningful amount of time.
Content has no value if it doesn’t engage attention. It’s not about how many people you reach, but how many people you are connecting with as a result of your content. Consider this for a moment; which has more value?
We can’t lie, reaching for and really exemplifying uniqueness can at times be pretty tough. Creating truly meaningful content is more difficult than measuring the sheer quantity of page views and sessions, but the benefit of doing so is undeniable. Measuring your content’s worth (so to speak) is possible:
A Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures loyalty between a brand and a consumer. You can use this measurement to determine the value that your content brings to readers. An NPS score is generated using a question for readers on your website. Here’s an example: How likely is it that you would recommend our blog to a friend or colleague? (Using a 0-10 scale to answer).
The responses are placed into three groups:
- Promoters: loyal enthusiasts who will refer others and fuel growth
- Passives: satisfied but unenthusiastic readers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings
- Detractors: unhappy campers who just might go out of their way to throw some negative word-of-mouth stuff out there
Subtract Detractors from Promoters and you’ve got your NPS. Examine your content this way to understand the percentage of readers who value the content you provide for them. In this case, it’s an easy equation to express: valuable = sharable.
Is a Facebook “like” the same thing as a comment? How about a retweet? Who bothers to leave a comment or share an observation when they can just click on an icon to express their like (or dislike)?
Thinking about it this way, any comment you happen to come by is indicative of someone who has engaged deeply with your content. They’re worth pursuing. You’ve literally found the highest form of engagement.
What a world we live in. You have to go to other websites to measure the effectiveness of your own website’s content. Blame it on a billion Facebook users. If your content resonates, visitors will pass on their satisfaction using social media.
What makes content valuable to visitors? Start with these 3 questions:
- What makes it unique?
“There is nothing new under the sun.” Shakespeare wrote that in a sonnet, but it was already old news by then (the same phrase can be found in the Bible). So is it even possible to create unique content?
It is, with the twist of perspective. There may be nothing new under the sun, except for your particular point of view. And, if you do have a unique opinion, have the gumption to dig deep into the topic. There’s no such thing as a word count barrier when readers are ravenous for your perspective.
- Who will be its champion?
This is different than asking who will like it. Think of a crowd—there are a handful of people in a crowd who will have a deeper connection with your content than the rest. Every reader is important, but this handful is crucial. They’ll spread the word (and give you the highest NPS).
- Is it actionable?
Good content helps readers solve a problem. Great content arms readers with practical information that can be acted on. The cause/effect of actionable content is powerful because it arms readers with social currency. They can share it and feel helpful.
Fifteen second page views may be easy to measure, but the number of click-thrus your site gets gives you about as much insight into the true value of your content as skimming one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. To really get an idea of your content worth, look for the amount of user engagement.
Are you finding that your content isn’t up to par or resonating with your audience? No worries—sometimes it’s better to leave content marketing to the pros. That’s where we come in! ContentBacon is made up of a team of professional writers, journalists, storytellers, and designers. We will beef up your content strategy and bring your audience engagement to new heights! Contact us today.
