The Iris Predictions: How to Achieve Content Success in 2021
As the name suggests, web content refers to the content of a website: text and multimedia. The quality of web content is crucial for attracting traffic to a website. It can be any type of element, with varying degrees of creativity, such as text, images, videos, applications, or e-services. Textual web content, which is free of plagiarism, typically has reliable internal links to help the reader get more information. On the other hand, multimedia consists of images, audios, videos, and animations that reflect upon the content of the website.
Creating valuable content is a top priority for all businesses, irrespective of the type of audience they have. It is believed to be a more efficient way of marketing your business, as compared to traditional ways such as newspapers and radio. With more and more businesses shifting to digital marketing, Web contentis continuously changing. With 2021 just around the corner, it’s important for content creators to strategically plan the content for their websites based on current trends and predictions made for the next year. Some of the things to keep in mind are the following.
1. Personalized Content
Web content should be highly personalized, to perfectly match the requirements of the target audience and help in conveying the message at an individual level. Using your audience’s preferences and behaviors, specific promotional emails can be sent instead of sending every customer the same email. Almost all industries are saturated, thus businesses will now focus on content niches to attract specific buyers, based on those niches.
2. Voice Search
Smart speakers are now trending which has created a new way for businesses to engage with their audience through Voice Search. In 2020, 50 percent of web searches were through voice search. This shows the importance of this element. As compared to text searches which are usually 3-4 words, voice searches tend to be lengthy. In 2021, it’s equally important to optimize your website with Voice Search as it is to optimize it for text searches.
3. Content Length Based on Age Groups
Depending on the target audience, the content length should be decided. For millennials, short content will be favorable with interactive elements such as colorful animations, videos, etc. For Generation X and Z, other techniques should be used according to their preferences. However, it’s of utmost importance to not compromise on the quality for the sake of reducing the size of the content. Easy to understand sentences, a good flow, and headers play an important role in textual content. Appropriate images, videos, or animations should be used for visual content.
4. Interactive Content
The usage of interactive content will help keep the audience engaged. This will allow your audience to participate in polls, quizzes, or surveys which will also give you an insight into the expectations of the audience. This allows two-way communication and can also resolve any problems the customers may be facing. Interactive infographics or Virtual Reality (VR) can be used to show an idea in a few seconds. They also act as a powerful tool in helping customers make a decision.
5. Videos
Videos are one of the most popular mediums used by everyone. Six out of ten people prefer online videos to TV. The videos made for your business should share your story as well as sell your product. Apart from posting videos on your website, you can opt to post on applications such as YouTube and TikTok. This is a good and low-budget plan as compared to TV commercials. With new video applications coming into the market, the videos made for your business should be formatted properly to ensure they are compatible with new updates of those applications.
6. Value-Added Content
Value-added content allows your audience to gain knowledge through your content which may help them in some way. For example, you can post a guide on how to start a business from home which could help someone who’s struggling to start their own venture. Another example could be with the ongoing pandemic, your website can spread awareness and educate your audience on how they can save themselves and those around them from COVID-19.
7. Mobile Friendliness
Page layouts, element sizes, and the navigation of websites on mobile devices are tricky. Usually, websites are slower on mobile devices, even though more than half the usage of websites is from mobile phones. The content should be structured in a way that it’s easy on the eyes when it comes to viewing it. Another reason people leave websites is because of difficulty in navigating. Businesses are now focusing on thumb-friendly navigation where the menu, search bar, contact buttons, etc. can be easily clicked, making the experience more comfortable for the audience. Furthermore, your website should run smoothly on both iOS and Android devices.
In 2021, content will and should be tactically planned to increase customer reach. The focus should be on telling your brand story on platforms that your audience is already using. For the same reason, it’s important to consider ongoing trends when devising a plan. Embracing trends will help you stay ahead of your competitors by providing your audience with what they are looking for. Colorful minimalism in web designs, pictures with graphical elements, and static 3D content are some of the aspects that will be seen in websites. Focus on personalized content, voice search and interactive content will be noticed on websites, in 2021.
