Optimizing Dental Website Content After It Goes Live

by Naren Arulrajah, Ekwa Marketing

Quite a few elements of content marketing can be anticipated and controlled. However, the same cannot be said of audience response.

What would you do if some content that you have generated does not elicit the desired results? According to content marketing experts, there is plenty that you can do. With regard to a majority of content, it is possible to enhance the performance of a website article or blog greatly through the post-publishing optimization process.

You can start off with the following three scenarios alongside content optimization strategies to help you improve your dental site or blog content after it goes live.

1. Causes of Bounce

The Issue
You are witnessing an extremely high bounce rate. Readers click on the article you have published, skim over it, and then move away from the page. This is something to be worried about for two reasons – besides indicating that readers did not absorb your message, it can send the wrong message to potential clients since the bounce rate can be viewed in your website’s public stats.

The Cause
One reason this happens can be due to a breach between the content and your item’s promise. It is possible that at first look the title of your content and the accompanying image caught the attention of your audience, but a look at the article indicated that it was really not as relevant as they expected it to be. To sum it up, it is likely you are using click bait which is not something your audience likes.

Yet another reason is that though the article is interesting and relevant, it is too much for your audience to absorb.  Readers do click on the link, but when they see that the article is too lengthy and not something they want to read or are not capable of reading, they move on to some other site to continue their research. It might be due to the article having too much text making it quite tiresome to absorb.

The Fix
Let us begin on a positive note. One thing to ascertain from a high bounce rate is that something caused the readers to click on the link and look at the content even if it was briefly. Though the content itself couldn’t hold their attention, you should focus on the visuals as well as the title that managed to draw people in without tricking readers in any way.

Thus, you should first concentrate on bridging the breach mentioned earlier. Modify the social media appearance of the post to ensure that it is not trying too hard to sell an idea to your intended audience. It will help to ensure that you have chosen an appropriate publication for your intended audience, when it comes to branded content. Since the title is riveting, it might be attracting readers who are not really relevant and this might explain their brief visits.

Lastly, look at the content you have produced with a critical eye and think about the kind of impression it gives. It is likely that your article requires a greater number of visuals and lesser text. If this is the issue, you should utilize content formats that are interactive. For example, a poll that seeks readers’ opinion by asking them to vote can be integrated into the content to catch attention and also extend the time readers spend on the item.

2. Unfinished Business

The Issue
Readers begin to interact with the content posted, but quit halfway. This is applicable to specific types of interactive content since every item will not have a clear indicator of completeness. This assumes importance when it comes to branded articles because the aim is to acquaint the audience with the brand message in its entirety. In certain instances, the most important branding is situated at the end.

The Cause
It is likely that readers are moving away from your content midway because the article is too lengthy or not captivating enough. See if your analysis indicates that this kind of drop-off happens at a particular point. If yes, it might be because you have diverged onto something that is not as relevant or even something they find objectionable. If readers are dropping off after a poll or quiz, then it might be because they were unable to get the right answer, or found the questions difficult and left out of frustration.

The Fix
There are some solutions that are quite obvious like editing the article in some way, organizing it better, or deleting certain portions. But the crux of the matter is in ensuring that it is appealing enough for your audience. Identifying the particular point at which readers lose interest will enable the optimization process to be efficient and focused.

3. Low Rate of Sharing

The Issue
Though the audience reads the article, they do not attempt to share it on social media. This assumes significance given the powerful role of social media in content discovery. It is definitely useful if readers are turned into brand ambassadors who share your content with their contacts.

The Cause
In order for an item to be shared, it is essential that it addresses the appropriate emotions. Readers might not want to share your article on social media simply because it does not excite them or make them feel proud.

The Fix
Begin by taking a good, hard look at how your content appears on social media. Remember that readers will not want to share visuals that are not appealing or titles that are not well-written. If your content is a quiz, it is alright to get personal but ensure that even negative results are put across in a manner that does not embarrass the reader.

If one result is getting more shares than others, make changes to the content so a greater number of readers get that same result. The key is to place yourself in your reader’s shoes and try to understand what they will feel after seeing your message.

Which of these feelings would they experience – excitement, happy, or funny? In reality, readers will be sharing what they experienced more than the actual content. This is why it is important to look at crafting meaningful experiences for your audience.

Conclusion

The secret to generating quality optimized content is understanding that an article is not done simply because it is published. The suggestions provided in this article, together with the technology available now will let you measure the performance of your articles and make modifications in real-time to derive the maximum benefits possible.


About the Author
Naren Arulrajah is President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, a complete internet marketing company that focuses on SEO, social media, marketing education, and the online reputations of dentists.  With a team of 180+ full time marketers, www.ekwa.com helps dentists who know where they want to go, get there by dominating their market and growing their business significantly year after year.  If you have questions about marketing your practice online, call 855-598-3320 to speak one-on-one with Naren.

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