3 Secret Tricks For Luring Readers Back To Your Website

  lure 
  Originally uploaded by shari c

Have you ever spent hours on your article, been eager to get it submitted and off to the distribution network, and then at the last minute threw together a resource box that didn't have much thought behind it? 

I think we've all been there, especially in the early days of our article marketing campaigns before we realized the power of that little box. Yes, that's the place where you get to include a link to your website, and some folks put little more than a link back to their site in that precious area underneath the post.  

But the resource box has the potential to do much more than just build links to your site–your resource box is the one place where you can talk about your own business/website and entice the reader to click through to your site.  

But how do you entice and lure in 450 characters or less? Great question! Don't worry, it's not difficult, but it does take some strategy. If you want to get the maximum benefit from your resource box, just follow these 3 tips:

1) Tell the reader exactly what to do and why. When creating a really strong resource box, tell the reader exactly what you want them to do and be as specific as possible.

Let's understand the reason behind the extreme attention to detail. Think like the reader–

Most readers are not giving 100% of their attention to reading your article. They're looking for specific information for a certain need, and at the same time their phone is ringing, they've just noticed the incoming mail chime on their email, they're trying to finish up a report for work, and perhaps their children or co-workers are gabbing in the background.

When we're writing our articles it may seem very clear to us what the next step is–'if you like this article then click through to my website for more valuable information!'–but we're giving our article 100% of our attention, and the reader is probably just trying to glean the basic information that he/she needs at the time with a million distractions going on. 

This is why we need to specifically tell them what to do and why. 

Let's look at an un-inspirational resource box:

"Steve Shaw develops systems and software to help you succeed in your online business. [link here]"

Eeek! Why should we go back to my website? What is there for you? The reader needs to know or else they have no reason to click through. 

We need to make it more specific–tell the reader what to do next and why.

By editing it in a simple way we can significantly improve the number of click-throughs:

Steve Shaw develops systems and software to help you succeed in your online business. Want to learn more about how to publish articles for profit online? Claim Steve's popular free ecourse, available at: =>

[link here]

A reader would be much more likely to click the link in the second version of the resource box. Why?

Well, Joe Reader can find out more about a topic he's interested in by clicking through. Also, he should grab that e-course because it's 'popular', which plays on the herd instinct. It's free – yes, people are always on their guard and want to be assured that they can get more information with no obligation to buy anything. In addition to this, he's very helpfully guided them from the article on to the next step–go grab the free e-course.

Joe Reader has an assignment, a direction in which to go next, and that message comes through clearly to him even though he has a million other things on his mind and is surrounded by distractions. He knows what to do next, and he has a reason for the action.

You may have also noticed something interesting with the resource box above–I use this symbol => to help move the reader's eye to the link. It's an effective technique, and I think the reason why is because that arrow is action oriented. When you see an arrow, you naturally want to see where it's pointing. (That isn't a hard and fast rule–you can choose to do it or not do it.)

Also, you'll notice that the link is on a new line–aha! Perhaps you haven't seen that technique before. Did you know that it is often preferable to put your URL by itself on a new line, so that it stands out better to increase click-throughs, and to avoid any possible problems with individual publishers if the article is wrapped incorrectly when published? Well, now you do!

2) Customize your resource box to the article. So, you've garnered the attention of a reader, and she's been interested enough to read your article–why not capitalize on your reader's peaked interest by continuing what you started in the article on into the resource box? That makes sense doesn't it?

Suppose your article was about "7 Top Tips for Baking Homemade Bread" (or whatever). Your resource box can continue in the vein of your article and say: 

Julia Brioche is an accomplished pastry chef. If you found these 7 bread baking tips helpful, claim your free e-book showing you how to bake 50 tasty bread recipes, available at =>

[link here]   

What should the reader do after reading the article? Go to the author's website. Why should they go to the author's website? To claim their free e-book on the topic that they're interested in!

Of course you don't need to have a free e-book or an e-course to lure a reader to your site, but you must have something to offer readers to entice them to click.

Maybe you have a blog that has a post containing 50 more baking tips, maybe you have a newsletter–if you can't think of anything special at your website that would lure a reader from your article, then you must create something. You absolutely must have a reason for the reader to click through, or she simply won't.

3) Use a single link. It seems like some authors think–"Since I get to link back to my website in the resource box, I want to include as many links as possible!" Sometimes people include multiple links to increase the chances that a reader will click through, but actually the more links you include in your resource box, the less likely a reader will click!   

Think about it–we have a very limited amount of space in our resource box, and we need to use our words wisely. If we concentrate on convincing the reader what action she should do next and why, she will be more likely to click through. 

On the flip side though–if we just hurl links at her and don't give her enough reason to click, then she won't. Multiple links in a resource box leads to reader confusion and it dilutes the potential power of your resource box call to action.

So, stick to one precious link in your resource box, and focus all your efforts towards encouraging the reader to click this link. For maximum effectiveness, avoid hyped up or promotional language; just offer the reader further information that will be of interest to them.

Were these tricks helpful? I hope so! 

Does anybody feel like they are a resource box ninja? If you have any other tips, please don't hesitate to share–we'd love to hear what's worked for you!

Post based on the article: Making Your Resource Box … Work! 

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