Most of the time, SEO experts and organizations focus on the discoverability of their websites and push efforts towards increasing discovery. Your content could be on the first page of Google, but if people are not clicking through, it might very well be on the last page. While focusing your SEO efforts on getting your content in the top spots is essential, ensuring that people click through is equally important. And here are a few ways you can do just that.
Include a call to action in your meta description
This is an integral part of the content because this will be what people see on the SERPs. To give them more reasons to click through, include a compelling statement or ask a question that makes them want to read more about it. Or, if you have included keywords and phrases in your post that could stand out (compared with other results), then use those words and phrases here as well. You can even add something like “this blog post” at the end of the sentence so that readers know exactly where they are going while clicking through from Google’s search result page.
Using images
When using images in your content, make sure that they are relevant to the post. Also, if possible, include a photo with a call to action included inside it. You can use arrows or text on top of these pictures, which would point towards where people should be clicking for them to proceed further into your website and read more about what you have mentioned in this blog post.
Using Featured Snippets
Google’s featured snippets provide another quick way by which readers can click through from the SERPs without having to go all the way down below across several results pages just so that they can find something valuable enough for them out there on the web world. Thus, when writing your posts, try including related questions being answered by different sources or try including your content in the form of an answer to a question. This way, people would find it easy to click through and get more information about what you have written here on this blog post.
Use descriptive URLs
Another essential thing to keep in mind is your website’s URL. Keep it short and straightforward so that anyone who sees it on Google would be able to remember the name of your site quickly enough. Also, try including some keywords or phrases which can appear as a part of this link and encourage people to click through by giving them an idea about what they might find once they visit your website.
Make headlines catchy
Bloggers spend hours creating their posts but frequently forget to make their headlines catchy and compelling. This is a critical step in click-through rate because if the headline doesn’t catch your attention, you will never even bother clicking through. Headlines that stand out from others are titles such as “The X ways to Y.” Here, it’s not just about saying ‘ways,’ but instead say ’11 Ways’. You can also add a number in your title so that people know what they’re getting into before they click on the link.
Check readability
There is no doubt in our minds when we say this, but sometimes bloggers fail at making their content readable and engaging for users. The easiest way of doing this is using subheads or bullet points whenever you feel the topic might be challenging to understand. This will help people break down information and make it easier for them.
Include a poll or survey
There is no better way of convincing someone than getting their opinion on something, right? You can use this principle in your content by including an interesting question that you know they’re dying to answer (and click through). If there are any keywords that you want to be included in the post, then ask about those words specifically, such as “are these ways helpful?” or “how many of these do YOU usually follow?”.
Optimize images with Alt Tags & Filenames
Most bloggers forget about optimizing images when creating posts, but it’s essential since search engines cannot read text within image files. This is where you can include essential keywords in the filename of your image so that people get to know more about it. You should also have an alt text for each photo that briefly describes what’s going on within the picture itself while also including keyword-rich content whenever possible.
Using long-tail keywords
People are naturally drawn to clicking on the top results. So try using long-tail keywords that will help you stay in the game longer. For example, if someone is searching for “SEO tools,” they might not want to click through websites that have used similar keywords like “best SEO tool” or “seo software review.” However, if your website has used phrases like “Top SEO Tools,” it might be more likely to catch their attention and get them interested enough to click through.
In the end, you have to keep in mind that your content should be engaging and must answer a question. If people read it and find it interesting, they will click through no matter what, while others might not bother unless there is something special about your site or post that can get their attention quickly enough.
