What you can do with these benchmarks

Now you know what good looks like, here’s how you can get there

Did some of those benchmarks make for uncomfortable reading?

Never fear. Here are some steps you can take to help your content perform better against each of these key measures.

Reduce your bounce rate

When your audience drops your content before they finish the first page, they have no chance to absorb all your carefully crafted messages.

If your bounce rate is above average for your industry – or for a specific type of document – consider if your content has a clear purpose.

Ask yourself:

Who is the intended audience?
Is the content aligned to the needs or expectations of the audience?
Does the cover and headline clearly communicate a benefit for readers?
Which traffic sources have a high bounce rate?
Is your document optimized for mobile devices?

How Standard Chartered Bank achieved a low bounce rate

Standard Chartered’s eye-catching Turtl Doc has a 35% lower bounce rate than the brand’s other content. The animated cover grabs reader attention from the start.

Boost your read time

The human brain is highly visual. Understanding this is one of the key psychological principles of making content that captures and holds readers’ attention.

If your readers aren’t spending much time with your content, review the images you’re using to see if they’re engaging enough to capture their attention.

Consider:

Is it relevant to what’s discussed in the chapter?
Could a video be used instead to add movement to the page?
Have you included images to break up text-heavy sections?
Do your images appear correctly on mobile devices?

How National Trust keeps its audience reading

National Trust’s mobile-first Turtl Doc is full of bright images and color, as well as videos, polls, and stand-out CTA buttons. The result? It’s read 42% longer than the benchmark for content of a similar length. Take a look.

Make your content worth sharing

If your audience has an easy time with your content and it makes a lasting impression, it’s much more likely they’ll share it with others.

See where your share rate sits against the industry standard, and consider how your design and layout aid the navigation and reading experience for your audience.

Ask yourself:

Do my chapters look consistent in terms of design and styling?
Is the layout of my text, images and widgets clear enough to get my message across?
Could I introduce white space to let parts of my content take center stage?
Does my layout help my key messages stand out?

How Capgemini encourages its audience to share content

The dark theming, consistent page templates and bright iconography went down well with Capgemini’s audience – so well, they shared it 1.81x more frequently than other content. See for yourself.

Drive more conversions

Of course, it’s not just about keeping your audiences engaged with your content. It’s also about encouraging them to take action.

If you have a low bounce rate, but you’re still not getting the number of conversions you think you should, parts of your content might not be working hard enough to prompt readers to take the next step.

Consider:

Are your CTAs clear and in the most strategic locations in your content?
Is your CTA related to the content it’s part of?
Are you offering the right incentives for your readers to take action?
Is your CTA a logical next step from the content your audience has engaged with?
Have you explored the different gating options available?

How Kantar boosted its global lead generation

Kantar’s interactive report didn’t just make for a more engaging way to explore the year’s biggest media trends. It also helped the company generate 6,000 high-quality leads in just four months. Take a behind-the-scenes look below.