How do you write web content and CTA for different platforms and devices?

Decide which stage of the buyer journey you're targeting. You can keep this simple with "in market" (actively looking for solutions) vs "out of market" (not looking for solutions). You could go a step further for those "in market" and split them into "solution aware/unaware" ie those who have an idea about what type of solution will solve their problem, but they might not be aware of you yet. This is where analyst reports on the top vendors in your space could come in handy. Once you have an idea of the goals & challenges for those that aren't "in market", the aim is to start providing answers to their most googled questions. The idea here is to remain top of mind so when they are "in market", you'll be the first company they think of.

All of these are great points, there is no "golden rule" for good content, especially when it comes to things like content length. Clarity is everything, especially as search engines are better optimizing their algorithms to rank credible, accurate, clear sources of information for their users. The reliability and authority of the content you create is as key to success in content marketing as SEO. All of these elements, lists, images, videos, etc., help the content feel like a compelling experience the reader senses as they go.

One of the best ways to know if your writing is readable is to look at how scannable it is. Eye-tracking studies have found that people read in an F formation, starting in the upper left corner, taking in the first couple of sentences in full, before scanning the first few words of each paragraph to decide if it’s relevant to them. If your copy is clunky and looks like one giant mass of text, how well you write doesn’t matter — no one will read it. Instead, aim to have a visibly larger introductory paragraph (emboldening, increasing font size), with each paragraph 2-3 sentences long and enough line space to tell sections apart. Combine with a menu on a left and stellar introductions to each section, and you’re onto a winner.

Remember that the reader is interested in themselves. People are inherently self-interested—top of mind for them are their problems and pains. So they want to know that your product or offer benefits or improves their life in some way (i.e. solves those pains). One way to quickly make a call-to-action more compelling is by reiterating a benefit. For example, instead of “get started now”, you could say “get started saving now.” By being explicit about “saving”, you reinforce value for the reader. It’s even better to include specificity in the call-to-action. For example, instead of “get started saving now”, you could say “save 20% now.”

Don’t forget the overall user experience when applying CTAs in content. Even for websites that aren’t DTC. Ask yourself the following: - Does this make sense relative to the page and website as a whole? The CTA in your content shouldn’t be a duplicate of a main navigation CTA. - Leverage browser tab settings for your linked content and CTAs. Links to other pages within your website should open “in same tab”. PDF file links should “open in new tab” as they remove the back browser button functionality and effectively take your user off-site. This is also frustrating for the user. - Ensure your CTA matches your strategy for conversion. Jumping the gun with a “contact sales” CTA can hurt not help the strategic intent of your content.

Writing for your audience is the preference and SEO secondarily. Focusing on longer tail keywords and variations. This leads to a more natural and informative article. Too many articles focus on SEO first and tends to read more like a forced content strategy.