Have you ever been reading something online and then just suddenly stop?

Maybe you were distracted by something else or you just became bored with the information.

Whatever the case may be, you probably never returned to finish what you were reading. What a loss!

The solution to your problem could have been in that very article you stopped reading. You might have even liked it enough to share it with your friends.

Don’t worry; it’s not your fault. You may have not finished reading because the content wasn’t interactive. It didn’t keep your interest long enough to make you want to stay connected. This is a major cause of distraction or boredom.

That’s why I’m making a big push to ensure the content on my website is as interactive as possible.

Keep reading to learn more about why you need interactive content for your website.

The Value of Interactive Content for Websites

I believe there is a loss that results from noninteractive content.

This can be found on both sides of the screen. For the person who published the content, they lost readership. They also lost the possibility of their content being shared or distributed by other readers.

For the reader, something is lost as well. Problems go unsolved, knowledge isn’t shared, another dead end.

By highlighting these examples, can you see how important interactive content for your website really is? For your content marketing strategy? I hope you can. 

When you release content, you want readers to immediately fall in love with it. That is at least the optimal goal in a perfect world.

Yes, because when they are in love with it, they don’t want to let it go! They want to read until the end. And when they get there, they will continue the love affair by sharing with their followers. Let’s not forget, they also engage with your brand.

The picture above says it all really, “Don’t just stand there.”

Just standing there is exactly what you should avoid doing. It’s not engaging. Passively producing content that doesn’t pique your readers interest is just not effective, in terms of engagement.

How to Create Interactive Content

To publish content readers will fall in love with, you need to make sure to include the following factors in interactive content for your website.

Engagement

People need to do something with a piece of content.

With slideshows, most people have to click on next. Clicking on next gives people something to do, which keeps them engaged.

For articles, you can do this by having readers click for the next page of the article. That way your readers also get a nice break from reading.

Having graphics or images that speak to the reader is another viable option. These shocking graphics or content (not in a bad sense) are inherently more share-worthy and therefore more likely to be spread.

Make your content paint a picture for the reader, ideally one that solves their problems or helps them in some way. In a sense, you are trying to participate with them.

Make It a Game

Content doesn’t have to be serious.

For whatever it’s worth, you can tell readers you are playing a game with them and to win the game, they have to read to the end of the article.

Maybe not in a literal sense, but I hope you get the point.

The prize might be the solution to the person’s problem, or the answer to the question. You could also include a special prize like a free eBook. The only way for readers to get it is to read the last paragraph of the article.

This is a great frame of mind for you (the writer) to be in. Seeing your content as a game takes the seriousness out of your craft and will naturally make more engaging and sincere content.

You may even do a better job at serving your readers.

Present at the Right Time

It’s not only about what you include in the content, but how you market that content. This includes unconventional marketing tactics as well.

You need to know your audience inside and out. Then present content at the right time.

If you’re selling products and services, you should present the content at a time readers are looking. Obviously, you should be reaching into your toolbox of analytical metrics to do this.

You will have to do some research to understand where you need to display the content to the largest number of people who are seeking what you’re selling.

This maximizes your marketing efforts and the value of your time spent creating content.

Add Video and/or Images

You may have text, video and images to entice your readers.

Creating your own videos to stand alone or compliment your existing content is a great way to engage readers.

Think about it, it’s far more engaging and personal to watch someone explain concepts, discuss topics, or entertain viewers rather than reading about those same things.

I’ve included videos on most products I sell and definitely see the positive effects of the added engagement.

People will love to read the text, and then learn more through a video. Maybe, people are more interested in a quick video before they spend time reading more themselves.

The point is, there are options for the reader. They have multiple ways to digest and engage your content. Only offering one option or medium to experience what you’re offering is only a self imposed hindrance.

Some people are highly visual learners, and images will help them better understand the message you’re trying to deliver. By adding all these factors into your content, you meet the learning and attention needs of many readers.

Conclusion

Overall, interactive content on you website will help you be more successful at content marketing.

Start generating better content that gets your readers doing and thinking more. As you do that, you’ll start to see visitors stay on your page more, bounce less, and share more.

Leave a comment below about how you make your content interactive. We would love to learn from you, and we invite you to learn from all of us!

Speak your mind below.