Getting someone onto your website is only half the battle. Once they arrive, you need to give them a reason to stay, look around and, ideally, buy from you or get in touch.
One of the best ways to do that is with relevant content: content created specifically for the people you want to attract. When visitors find content that matches their interests and needs, they stay longer, explore more of your site and are far more likely to become customers.
In this article, we’ll explain what relevant content is, why it works and how you can use it to turn casual visitors into loyal customers.
What Is Relevant Content?
Relevant content is the content on your website that’s made with your target audience in mind, to attract them and keep them coming back. It can include blog posts and articles, as well as images, graphics, videos, guides and downloads.
What makes it relevant is that every piece is chosen and created for the people you want to reach. If you run a football-focused website, for example, your videos would most likely be match highlights and goals, not basketball footage. Your audience came for football, so that’s what you give them.
Why Is Relevant Content Useful?
Relevant content helps keep visitors on your website and can turn a casual browser into a loyal customer.
Imagine someone clicks on your Google Ad for a sale on formal suits. Once they land on your website, they find more than the suit they came for. They discover you also sell ties, shirts and belts, and you have a helpful blog on suit styles and what to wear to weddings, interviews and black-tie events.
Even though they only arrived out of curiosity after seeing your ad, you’ve greatly improved your chances of keeping them on your site and making a sale, simply by giving them relevant content to explore.
Relevant content also helps your business in other ways:
- More time on your site: visitors who find useful content stick around longer and view more pages
- Bigger orders: related products and content encourage people to add more to their basket
- Better SEO: content that matches what people are searching for helps your website rank higher on Google
- More trust: helpful, knowledgeable content shows you understand your customers and know your industry
What Does Relevant Content Look Like in Practice?
Relevant content is content that suits both your business and the customers you want to attract. It should appeal to their interests and the reasons they’re browsing your website in the first place. If you’re already creating content with your customers in mind, you’re well on your way.
Think of it like shopping in a DIY store. You might go in intending to buy a tin of paint, but there’s a good chance you’ll also pick up some brushes, a roller and a few tester pots if they’re displayed right next to the paint. The store has placed relevant products together, making it easy for you to find everything you need.
Your website can work the same way. Here are a few examples:
- An online clothing shop showing “complete the look” suggestions beside each product
- A garden centre publishing seasonal planting guides that link to the plants and tools mentioned
- An accountant writing blog posts about tax deadlines, with a link to book a consultation
- A home improvement company sharing before-and-after project photos alongside its service pages
How to Create Relevant Content for Your Website
- Know your audience. Think about who your ideal customers are, what they’re interested in and what questions they ask before they buy.
- Link related content together. Connect your products, services and blog posts so visitors can easily move on to the next relevant thing.
- Answer real questions. Use the questions your customers ask you as inspiration for blog posts, FAQs and guides.
- Keep it focused. Content that doesn’t relate to your audience or your business can confuse visitors and weaken your message.
- Check what’s working. Use Google Analytics to see which content keeps visitors engaged and leads to enquiries or sales, then create more of it.
Make Your Website Work Harder for You
Relevant content turns your website into more than an online brochure. It keeps visitors engaged, guides them towards the products and services they need, and gives them every reason to choose your business.
If you’d like help creating content that attracts and keeps the right customers, or with any other part of your website, get in touch with Whelan Web Design. We’re an Irish agency working with businesses across the UK, and we’ll help make your online presence the best it can be.
