A Brafton client diversified its content strategy and saw 20 percent more readers on its website.

Industry: Payment processing
Content: Written articles, video blogs, infographics
Highlights: 20 percent more readers, visual content gets 2x the engagement

In the early days of SEO, keyword-optimized written web content was what you needed to create if you wanted to dominate search results pages. Now that search engines have matured and rankings evolved, you also need relevant images, videos and basic information about your business that answer an array of questions readers might have about your products, services or industry.

Marketers might be reluctant about launching a content marketing strategy that goes beyond blog articles because it requires more time, attention and investment. On top of that, you need to make sure those extra requirements will pay off.

Diverse content appeals to searchers and search engines

A company that partners with Brafton to produce content for its website recently diversified its strategy from just written blog articles to video blogs and infographics, and it’s seeing the rewards:

  • 20 percent more readership
  • An increase in pageviews per session

These results align with the concept that diverse formats will rank better now that Google search results aren’t just 10 blue hyperlinks on a page, but a combination of pictures, direct answers and click-to-play videos. Google understands the searchers’ intent and is developing a service that reflects those needs.

Google search results aren’t just 10 blue hyperlinks on a page, but a combination of pictures, direct answers and click-to-play videos.

To learn more about why ranking No. 1 for written content isn’t the end-all, be-all of SEO anymore, check out this blog post

Visuals formats earn stronger engagement

Written content is still the bread-and-butter of most web marketing strategies. For this client, news articles continue to bring in the most visitors. However, visual formats are giving it a run for its money where engagement metrics are concerned.

Comparing quarter over quarter results, it’s clear that visual formats generally outshine written content published on this client’s site when it comes to qualified or interested visitors.

The average video viewer:

  • Looks at over twice as many pages per session as news readers
  • Spends over twice as long on the site per session
  • Bounces away half as often

It’s possible that visitors coming to a site to watch videos are naturally more engaged because they opted to interact with content that would require their full attention for a few minutes. This demonstrates greater buy-in than a visitor who arrives on a site with the intention of skimming an article and going right back to search results.

However, it also attests to the power of visual content. Many people are visual learners, and they prefer to interact with content that relays information visibly. A video or graphic delivers a more complete picture that people want, and it might compel them to dig deeper into the website for additional insights.

As search behavior and technology continue to develop, diverse strategies will be rewarded with better rankings and more visibility. One-dimensional strategies rill fall behind. Readers’ informational needs vary based on the type of answer they’re trying to find – and brand content should reflect those diverse needs.

Elements_Yellow_Arrow7
Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.