Writing Engaging Content

Here’s the thing: we all study SEO tips and tricks until our eyes are bloodshot and our wives are throwing shoes at us to turn off our screens (might just be me; your mileage may vary). But the thing is, at the end of the day, there are just two things that really matter when you write content. Like, the two things that make any difference at all:

• Was it useful?

• Was it engaging?

If it wasn’t at least one of those two things (preferably both), then it sucks. That’s all there is to it, man. Make it fun or interesting to read, and provide value. This is content writing, not copywriting. We are not professional agitators. We are here to articulate the problem and then showcase the solution. 

Let’s dive a little deeper into this topic and see what we come up with.

The Importance of Engaging Content

Your content can be thoroughly researched and spot on, but if your delivery sucks, then nobody will ever know how much value was in it. 

Why is engaging content important?

Engaging content is important for the sage of your ideal audience to find value in it. Your content can be jam-packed with well-researched information that slaps, but if it’s boring, no one is going to read it for long.

Dwell time is an important factor in terms of your website’s quality, but it is not a Google ranking factor. But Ranking Factors aren’t the only metrics that matter. What quality does your website bring to the table if it isn’t good enough for visitors to stay?

What are the benefits of engaging content?

The main benefit of writing good, engaging content is that you create a loyal audience. And 

here’s the thing: when your content is good, it isn’t going to be for everyone.

You don’t speak to everyone on the planet; there’s only one Ferris, only one Hormozi, and it’s not you. But you can carve out a piece of the internet that will hang on your every word if you speak to them.

See, your content won’t be engaging to everybody. 

How to Write Engaging Content

Here are a few tips on making your content more engaging. Engaging content = a captive audience.

Use clear and concise language

Okay, first off: leave those ten-dollar words behind. They make you sound like a jackass. Seriously, they make you sound like a complete tool. 

Get your point across quickly, succinctly, with as few words as possible. You are trying to engage your readers, not invite them to a struggle session. Choose words that are simple but not dumb, if that makes sense. Plain language is always best. The best metric is to aim for a readability of about 5th grade. 

This does not mean that you should dumb down your content; that’s the very last thing you should do. No, you need to use clear and concise language in order to focus on the message itself. 

Write engaging headlines

While content writing is very different from copywriting, certain elements are common, namely, a good hook. And the headlines are exactly where that hook is best displayed. Look, if you don’t land them with a hot headline, they are a fish that’ll get away. 

Spend some time learning how to write excellent hooks (admittedly, my biggest blind spot). Don’t worry; there are plenty of guides. 

Use visuals to break up text

Images are a type of SEO all their own, so if you aren’t paying attention to them, you are missing out big time. But it isn’t 2011 anymore; you can’t just jump on Shutterstock, grab some stock photos, and call it a day. 

No, if you want to catch your ideal customer's eye, you need to do some real legwork. Google favors content written in a way that illustrates first-hand knowledge of a topic, so creating and sourcing your own images (i.e., taking the pictures yourself or creating the visuals on your own) is becoming pretty damned important. Also, screenshots are good medicine in 2024, especially in the context of providing supporting documentation for whatever you are talking about. 

Charts and graphs are nothing new, but they remain fan favorites because they do what nothing else can do, so be sure to create some graphs relevant to your topic and insert them. 

Personalize your content

I just mentioned this in the previous paragraph, but it bears repeating: people favor hearing about things that are not theoretical. 

Example: if I am going to rebuild my deck (coincidentally, I am 🤞🏻), I am reading some Bob Villa. I have no time to read the idea of what a deck project would or could entail. I want to know from the master what it’s going to take and how to do it. 

Write for your audience

Here’s an interesting one for me because I write for two different disciplines with very different audiences. On the one hand, I write for professional aviation companies, namely in logistics. 

On the other hand, I write about out-of-state car and dirt bike registration and firearms. These are two very different crowds, so I have to keep this in mind when I write the content for each group.

Promote your content

Finally, promote the hell out of your content. Trust me: nobody else will. Maybe you get a retweet or a share here and there, but for the most part you are on your own. 

Write, proofread, publish, and then talk about it. A lot. Rinse, and repeat. 

Conclusion

If you put pen to paper for any kind of writing, you need to focus on factors that make it engaging. Some of it just comes from years of experience and hundreds of thousands of words on the page. But while you are putting in your reps, you still need to focus on making it interesting. Build a solid hook. Learn how to structure your work. Start taking relevant pictures of your topic, and work on other types of visuals. But mostly, stick with it. That is way more important than anything else in this game. Persistence wins biggly. 

SEO Tips of The Week

I have one suggestion if you really want to learn SEO. Like, really, really want to.

Go to www.namecheap.com and buy a domain name. Some of them are like $4 for the first year, and then you can get web hosting for like $22 for the whole year.

Start a website, buy the Yoast plugin, or the All In One SEO plugin, and start cranking out content. After a few weeks, you’ll realize you don’t know shit about SEO, or design, or anything haha.

But seriously, do this. Make a ton of mistakes like I am right now with my website www.justenoughseo.com. And then make it grow anyway. Maybe you grow it into something worthwhile and sell it in a few years. That’s my plan anyway. Otherwise, make it your personal blog, or your portfolio.

I talk a lot about the theories of SEO, but man, you find out that theory is just that: theoretical. You need to make the rubber meet the road, and the only way to do that is with your own creation. Start a website and see if you can do something cool with it. It’s dirt cheap, and the skills you learn by just doing it for yourself can pay dividends for years. All upside, no downside.

Resources & Recommended Reading

I am finally getting close to finishing up “The Dark Side of Camelot” by Seymour Hersh right now. JFK was not a great guy. We all know this, but man, everything he did was driven by his sexual appetite, his huge ego, and then backdoor deals with the mob. It’s a little bit older of a book (1998, I think), but it is excellent. Since JFK has been dead for so long, the information is timeless. Get yourself a copy.