In this quick guide, I’m going to share four ways to keep visitors around longer.
Here’s the TL;DR version:
- Get to the point
- Use the curiosity gap
- Write skim-friendly headings
- Create layered content rabbit holes
Giddy up.
1. Get to the point 😴
Don’t beat around the bush. Just because someone clicked on your link doesn’t mean they’re gonna wait around for hours for you to get to the point.
Take recipe articles, for example.
Nobody wants the backstory on why you don’t like store-bought pesto and why your vacation to Italy inspired you to start cooking. They just want the ingredients.
2. Use the curiosity gap 💭
Open a loop for your visitors that they have to close before they can move on to the next thing. With each line on the page, your goal is to leave a reader feeling like they have to read the next one, and then the next, and the next, and so on.
Why do you think binge-watching TV shows is so common?
- Below Deck
- Selling Sunset
- The Kardashians
- Every Food Network show ever
Trashy (but great) shows that open loops before commercials and at the end of episodes so you can’t possibly walk away before finding out what happens next.
3. Write skim-friendly headings ⚡️
Sorry if this comes as a shock to you, but…
Nobody’s reading every word you write.
There’s a million and one scientific studies that prove we’re all just a bunch of skimmers. In fact, I already know you’re skimming this very post (hence the headings).
If you write “long-form” headings that can stand up on their own, you’re creating anchor points that can grab a skimmer’s attention as they’re speed-scrolling.
✅ Good headings:
- Calculating the potential ROI of comparison pages
- The common hesitations (and why you should disregard them)
- The anatomy of a great SaaS comparison page
❌ Bad headings:
- Hesitations
- The ROI
- Anatomy
4. Create layered content rabbit holes 🐰
Internal links, with a twist…
Ever find a genuinely good article, and by the time you reach the bottom you realize you have 5 more tabs open with a bunch of follow-up articles that were linked to along the way? Then as you read through 1 or 2 of those articles, the same thing happens.
These are what I like to call CONTENT RABBIT HOLES.
By plugging in well-timed internal links to related guides and articles, recommended reading links, and supporting resources or tools—you’re creating dozens of gateways to keep visitors hooked and wanting more.
It’s the exact same concept as “suggested videos” on YouTube. By the time you finish one, you’ve got 3 more that you also want to check out. Then 3 becomes 9, and so on.
Key takeaways 🔑
If you skimmed to the end, here’s what you need to know:
- Hook new visitors right away—don’t make them wait.
- Create curiosity gaps to keep visitors scrolling.
- Skim-friendly = multiple attention anchors.
- Well-timed links lead to rabbit holes.
The longer someone sticks around on your website, the more time you have to “sell” them on your unique points of view. Over time, this can turn into actually “selling” them on… what you’re selling.
Thanks for reading (or skimming)!
