The internet is filled with a lot of content, be it blog posts, podcasts, social media posts or videos. These content assets are the first touchpoint for potential customers. This is the reason why it is important that your content effectively communicates with them. Content testing plays an important role in ensuring that your content is positively received by your audience.
This blog post deals with the question what content testing is, why it is important and in what ways you can evaluate content. Let’s dive in.
How you evaluate content
What is content testing?
Content testing involves evaluating how your target audience interacts with and understands your content. If you do it right, content testing helps you to identify which words, phrases and information resonate with people. It is a crucial step that starts early in the user experience (UX) process and continues whenever new content is introduced.
It is necessary to pay close attention to the words your customers use when describing the product or service, as well as the words they don’t use and the reasons behind it. You need to leverage these insights.
Next, let’s find out 4 common reasons why content testing is important.
Why is content testing important?
There are good reasons for you to test your content:
- Improving audience engagement: Testing your content helps you understand what resonates best with your audience. This way you can customize your content to keep the audience interested and engaged.
- Boosting conversions: Your objective is to generate leads or increase sales? Then content testing enables you to refine your messages and strategies. This optimization can significantly improve your conversion rates, maximizing the returns on your marketing efforts.
- Enhancing user experience: By experimenting with different content formats and layouts, you are able to create a seamless and enjoyable user experience. This is important in order to keep visitors on your website or social media platforms engaged.
- Making data driven decisions: Content testing is a valuable process that provides important information for making decisions. By basing your choices on insights derived from data rather than assumptions, you can make well informed decisions that align with your goals and connect with your target audience.
6 ways to evaluate content
There are 6 main ways to evaluate content. Let’s explore what you need to consider.
Usability
Usability refers to how user friendly your content is. Ask yourself the questions: Is your writing clear and concise? Do your chosen phrases and messaging directly address the pain points of your audience? (Hoping your answer is yes ;))
Readability
Readability refers to how easily your content can be understood. Are you using language that matches your target audience’s vocabulary? Is the font chosen easy on the eyes, so website visitors can read your text easily?
Searchability
The third way is searchability. This determines how easily people can find your website or products online. Questions to ask here: Have you optimized your content for search engines (like Google) so that it appears in search results? Does your product rank higher or lower in search results?
Navigability
Navigability: Another way is navigability, it gauges how effortless it is for users to browse through your UX design. Can users easily locate what they are searching for? Are you utilizing a hub and spoke website structure?
Accessibility
The fifth way is accessibility and refers to the ease with which individuals can discover and utilize your content. Is it optimized for search engines, ensuring its visibility in search results? Does it look good using all the different web browsers?
Tone and voice
Ask yourself the questions: Is the tone consistent throughout the content and reflecting your brand identity consistently? Does the tone vary depending on the context?
Final thoughts
In conclusion, there are many aspects to consider when evaluating your content. Always consider the six crucial points usability, readability, searchability, navigability, accessibility and tone/voice. By testing your content you can improve audience engagement and boost conversions. Happy testing!
