by Are you always looking over Google Analytics reports and looking for new ways to increase the time your readers spend on your successful blog?
To improve the online experience you provide to your users, it’s important to pay attention to the content you publish on a daily basis. Your articles are more than a means of communication. They are your products, the elements that help you turn your passion for writing into a successful business.
And data from Analytics and Search Console says it all about how well it converts your blog content.
Find out that more than 15% of those who access your page do not scroll. Then, more than half of those who scroll do not pass the introduction of the article.
The bottom line is simple: the introduction of articles is the most important section of the content you publish.
A boring introduction that doesn’t say much will make you lose users. That’s definitely not what you want. In the case of a successful blog, the goal is to get your reader to browse all the content on one page.
Well, that’s why it’s important to learn how to write introductory and enchanting readers.
The practical tips below will describe the steps you need to follow. I know, the first words you have to write are the most difficult. However, if you apply the recommendations in this guide, you will write easier and faster.
In addition, you will get your readers to read your entire article.
Useful tips for blog posts: how to write impactful introductions
As I mentioned briefly above, the introduction should not be boring.
This is the basic rule from which we start in the following. So the first piece of advice is to give up politeness and clichéd expressions.
Your readers don’t have much time. Don’t lose them in irrelevant details. Learn to guess what their intentions are and provide content that meets expectations.
The more you postpone this aspect, the more you risk losing users.
But, let’s see how to plan and structure a captivating introduction.
Get out of the way
In the introduction, you have to be surprise. Your reader should be fascinated by the first sentence.
If you can leave him speechless, so much the better. Of course, not in a negative way :).
So try to get out of the way. Use something unusual, something your reader did not expect.
It can be a joke, a question that identifies his own fears and problems, or an experience that will remain in his memory for a long time.
Do your best to find the right expressions depending on the topic of your article. Don’t forget, don’t deviate from the subject just for the sake of shock. Everything must be related to the information that you will detail later in the body of the article.
Address the second person singular
It is important to empathize with your readers. Your article should be like a dialogue you have with a close friend.
Therefore, in the introduction of the article use at least once the personal pronoun you. You can also opt for yours, yours, believe, see, learn, have an idea, etc.
In short, choose a form that will make your reader feel comfortable reading your article.
Introductions that have a great impact use at least 3 times the personal pronoun in the 2nd person singular.
Learn how to optimize the text on the site without the help of a specialist.
Again, don’t overdo it to impress. The balance and naturalness of expression must be your rules. As I said, as you would if you had a dialogue with a close friend.
Use short sentences
No one will read endless paragraphs. Give up parentheses, commas, and long sentences. You will get bored and lose readers.
Instead, choose introductions in which all sentences are short. Let’s say it’s not good to exceed the number of 16 words/sentence.
Concise sentences are understood by everyone. Avoid ambiguities, express yourself clearly, directly, and on the subject.
In addition, you convey emotion and place yourself in the same plane as your readers. Exactly what you need for an impactful introduction.
Do not repeat the title
A big mistake often made in the case of blog posts is repeating the title in the introduction.
If the user has already clicked on the article then he definitely knows what his title is. You don’t have to remind them. You will only be able to annoy him and make him believe that he wasted his time and that the title of the article was a clickbait type.
Your goal is to impress, not disappoint. So, whatever you do, avoid repeating the title of the article in the introduction.
Don’t crowd keywords
I know, almost all on-page SEO recommendations say to include keywords in the first paragraph of the article.
True, the main keyword of the text should be included in this section. But only when this can be done fluently and naturally.
A forced expression will not leave a good impression.
Alternatively, you can always use a meta description and then you can forget about the importance of the keyword in the actual introduction.
You can enter the meta description quickly and easily using the plug-in for WordPress, All In One SEO (AIO).
Again, express yourself fluently, clearly, and naturally in the introduction of your article. If you can slip in keywords it’s perfect, if not, don’t worry too much.
Identifies readers’ fears / problems
If a user came to your blog and accessed a certain article then he expects to find a certain type of information.
It is extremely important to know what your readers’ expectations are.
In the introduction of the article, you must show them that you have the answer to any problems or fears that users have. Thus, you will make them eager to read more to find out the actual conclusions.
If you provide information that is not related to the basic intention of the readers, you will not be able to increase the time they spend on your blog.
Describe what the article is about
A short table of contents should be included in the introduction. It can be the length of a single sentence, or you can use a short paragraph. It depends on the topic and the information you include in the structure of the article.
The idea is that after the introduction the reader knows what he will find if he chooses to go through the whole article.
It’s a small preview, a teaser like every newly released movie has a trailer that makes you want to pay for a movie ticket.
So, include in this section the essentials, the ones that can change the life of your reader.
It presents clear data that can be verified
A well-written introduction adds value. In short, it conveys trust, expertise, and authority.
Of course, behind these elements is the author or the publisher.
Therefore, where possible, it provides clear data that can be verified. You can refer to official reports, infographics, tables of values, or any other similar element with immediate impact in understanding the information transmitted.
Tell a story
Gather all of the above into a well-told story.
Your introduction must also have a beginning, content, and end. Everything must be cursive and understandable to your potential readers.
As an example, you can follow the introduction of this article. I tried to include there all the practical advice I described above.
Conclusion
As you can see, the introduction of an article is also the most important part of it. It can make the difference between an article that goes viral quickly and one that doesn’t reach its true potential.
As I often like to say, it is useless to write an article full of useful information if it is not read by anyone.
Try to follow the tips above to increase organic traffic to your blog. You can write to me about your experience with your blog using the comments section below.
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