Ever saw websites with casual narratives?
If you want to replace the old-fashioned content in your website and want to learn how to implement a more conversational narrative, you have come to the right place!
If you prefer formal and traditional narrative writing for websites, you might cringe when reading the content of modernist websites. But dislike it as much as you want, website visitors or users are more attracted to casual narratives, and they tend to stay longer in these websites. This means casual narrative has more SEO services and benefits to offer than formal narratives as casual website narratives are proven to reduce site bounce rates.
So, let’s say you’re convinced that your website should switch from formal to casual—how do you do it?
Story-tell, don’t sell
We know that the main purpose of your website is to sell your products and services. Guess what: your target audience and customers already know that too. Overexposing them to your desire to sell them products or services through formal, traditional, hard-sell, and pushy narrative writing for web will only drive them away from your site.
Instead of bragging about the things that would set your products or services apart from other companies’, share reasons why you think your products or services will be beneficial to your target customers in a warm, friendly manner. If possible, include tiny, authentic stories that show how much your products or services made previous customers and clients happy.
Remember to be human
What separates formal narrative writing for web from casual narrative the most is the tone. Through the years, the continuous and massive use of templated call-to-actions and passages made formal narratives and websites sound stiff and robotic.
When making narrative writing for the web, remember to sound human to achieve that casual tone. Remember to use words and phrases such as “Hey” or “Hello there” instead of “Welcome to Company X”, and “Oops! Sorry!” or “Oh no!” instead of “We apologize for the inconvenience”. Frequently use “us” and “our” as an alternative for the company’s name while addressing the visitors with “you” and “your” to give the narrative a personal touch and emphasize company-to-customer engagement. It also wouldn’t hurt to include something funny like jokes and puns—just make sure they are not offensive and are safe for all ages.
We all know how important SEO is, and we need to get those money keywords in there because at the end of the day, your website is for your business. You might be worried that casual narrative will make it hard for you to insert keywords. In fact, integrating keywords in casual passages is not impossible and is even easier than integrating them in a formal narrative. It’s actually even better because the keywords will not sound forced into the website content.
Turn the narration into a tour
Virtually, users visiting your website are guests and your website is a place for your guests to explore your products and services. To make it simpler: your homepage is the lobby and the other pages are the office rooms or exhibit halls.
Thus, it would make sense to approach the narration like a tour guide casually conversing with a tourist.
Now, it doesn’t mean that you should start using phrases such as “And now we’re in the Contact Page” and “If you look here, you will see our About Us Page”. It only means that your transition from one page to another or from one fold to another must be seamless, like the whole website has a consistent story flow. For example, instead of “About Us” as H1, use “Meet Our Team” or “Our Story”, like you are introducing a group of people in person or casually mentioning the beginnings story of your company during a stroll.
Another way to make a seamless transition is by using the phrases “Need more info?” or “Got some questions?” as snippets in the Contact Us Page to express the thought that if the users have questions after the “tour” or if they need to clarify some things up before availing your products or services, their inquiries are welcome.
When trying for a casual narrative writing for web, remember to keep it conversational. Your website narrative plays a part in branding through the creation of a persona. It would do good for your brand if your website visitors are able to feel the people behind the company, the face behind the brand, and the human behind the keyboards. When you show your company’s human side through your website, not only will they stay longer in your pages, but they will most likely come back because they positively enjoyed the visit.
If you need help with your website narrative, feel free to inquire about one week free trial. If you are unsure if casual narrative suits your site, we here are Redkite Digital Marketing Philippines offer free consultations—guarantee no hidden fees.