Summary: Links that closely follow the user’s current interest will encourage them to explore the site and reduce the bounce rate (bounce rates). With the right invite, people will stay longer on your page.
Too many websites lose their chance to attract readers. The problem is often not the content, but the findability: viewers are unaware of its existence.
Many people visit websites by clicking on links from search engines or external sources. Their original intention was that the first page would provide the information they wanted and that search engines would make it easy for people to leave the site after a quick visit. However, users’ goals can change to continue to explore more if they see links that match their interests.
If your site analytics shows a high bounce rate, it’s time to reassess how well your site supports relevant content. Lots of factors – like authority and content quality – contribute to pageviews and bounce rates. Still, evaluating relevant links can be a good first step.
Main navigation bar (global navigation) plays an important role in providing one-click access to the homepage and giving a simple overview of the site’s overall services: it helps users who want to see something. completely different from their original question.
However, most users still keep their initial tracking in mind enough to be easily tempted by narrow offerings that are close to their current interest.
Unfortunately, users often overlook related links because they:
- Not available or not suitable
- Placed in a place that is hard to see
- Graphic design and look like advertising
- Write in a way that discourages scanning
Here are 7 guidelines for creating related links that are easy for readers to discover.
Table of Contents
1. End the article with links to related content
Always provide relevant content and/and a strong call-to-action at the end of the article. Don’t close the door on your reader once you’ve answered their initial question.
Your writing may be good, but it’s still not enough for everyone. Guide readers who want to know more about the topic. Like a polite host, keep the conversation going by providing additional insight when the reader is at his most receptive. And in the case of articles and blogs, the most receptive state is usually when people finish reading the article.
Provide a set of related content as a guide to the next step. Doing so improves user experience and translates it into increasing pageviews and improving website rankings.
2. Select appropriate related links
One of the biggest complaints from readers about related content is that it lack of appropriateness. Oh my, they’re supposed to relate to that’s it. “Relevant” content should match everyone’s current goal: it is a specialized narrow content mechanism.
Web users are individuals with specific goals who emphasize the need to quickly obtain information. Users appreciate sites that provide recommendations tailored to their needs.
Until we invent mind-reading, it’s impossible to be 100% sure of exactly matching the user’s interest. Fortunately, knowing what page a user is reading provides a very good representation of a user’s interest.
With a small, carefully selected number of follow-up options, you have a good chance of getting closer, and users can apply their personal intelligence to sift through links and choose which one to choose. the best. We recommend from 5-7 related links to avoid overloading the user (too many links are not useful, they become a challenge).
Make sure the suggestions are actually relevant to the current article. Making the same repetitive or indiscriminate suggestions alienates and doesn’t want to hear.
Giving the right recommendations at the right time can make a positive difference in user satisfaction and loyalty. Develop a strong strategy for content tagging, including manual fine-tuning.
3. Consider context when assessing relevance
The strength of the association varies from situation to situation. The reader’s situational context affects how well you’re receptive to what you’re suggesting.
The suggestion must match the user’s mood. Don’t appear insensitive by giving false levels of suggestion. For example, someone who wants the latest updates on a natural disaster probably won’t appreciate the hint of a fashion. But someone searching for current headlines might not be interested, considering both stories are of the same nature.
People visiting your site from a search engine or a referral link are often focused on a particular topic or article. Their original intention was to read an article and leave. Keep them engaged by providing them with specific links that match their interests.
Knowing the keywords used to find your page provides insight into visitor intent and is better used in adding relevancy to selected related/following links .
The deeper the people on your page, the higher the focus should be. It is better to provide a wider range of articles on the homepage and component pages because they serve as a jump-board to content that people may be interested in, but not think about in the first place.
4. Avoid placing high-priority links between decorated, stylized content
Banner blindness extends to intentional behaviors from not looking at the banner to avoiding the surrounding space of anything that would normally indicate irrelevant information or advertising.
That means web browsers train themselves to divert attention away from the area where they are relevant to the ad.
Traditionally, the right column of the page is dedicated to ads and contains little important information. The graphic design of this area has a big influence on whether or not people notice the elements contained within it.
The more similar the ingredient is to the ad, the easier it is for people to ignore it. The more you decorate it, the less likely it is to hit the target.
When designed well, sidebars can work in favor of content discoverability. If you want people to notice the related links feature in the right column of the page, the column should avoid any graphic elements that look like ads. The location of links to content should be far away from banner ads to avoid “sin of association” and against right-column information blindness.
5. Do not put anything between the article and related links
Keep the scan route neat and clean between the end of the article and the set of related links.
Readers generally do not view the current article further as links are not immediately provided. Avoid blocking related content with unnecessary elements or excessive white space. Both approaches give the wrong direction to the end of the page and prevent people from scrolling any further.
Readers are more likely to pay attention to suggestions at the end of the article when they appear immediately below the article.
6. Feature related folders
The title tag you choose for related links can affect whether people skim them or not. The bibliography should help the reader distinguish topics and determine relevance.
Well descriptive and relevant bibliographies provide good predictability of information and help readers quickly identify topics.
7. To link start with keywords
You have a better chance of people paying attention and clicking on links when the most important word is placed at the beginning of the link, because most people don’t read the full phrase or sentence.
Grab instant attention by communicating what the content is in the first few words. Good links are prominent, descriptive, and start with keywords.
Conclude
Using related links is an important strategy for keeping people on your site and creating loyalty.
Pages provide helpful hints that encourage people to engage with them and return often.
Keep the conversation going by making sure related links are well-written and presented for everyone to notice.
(Translated from the article Related Content Boosts Pageviews, When Done Right – author Hoa Loranger – Nielsen Norman Group website)
