Website Content
How-to Guides
How-to guides are detailed instructional articles that help users accomplish specific tasks or solve particular problems related to your software. They provide step-by-step directions, often accompanied by images, videos, or diagrams to enhance understanding.
IMPLEMENTATION
Identify Common User Problems: Survey your users or analyze support tickets to identify frequent issues.
Choose a Topic: Select a topic that addresses a common problem or question.
Research: Gather all necessary information and resources.
Outline Steps: Break down the solution into clear, concise steps.
Create Content: Write the guide, including visuals like screenshots or videos.
Optimize for SEO: Use relevant keywords to improve search engine visibility.
Publish and Promote: Share the guide on your website, social media, and through email campaigns.
Update Regularly: Keep the guide current with any software updates or changes.
STRATEGY RATING
SCORE
21
How-to guides score high on engagement and longevity, making them valuable for building long-term user relationships. They are cost-effective and require a moderate level of expertise and time investment.
RATING 1-5, 5 BEING THE BEST
3
Expertise
Requires a good understanding of the topic but can be done by knowledgeable team members.
4
Cost
Generally low cost as it primarily involves writing and content creation.
3
Time
Moderate time investment for research, writing, and editing.
4
Engagement
High engagement if the topic is relevant and the guide is well-crafted.
5
Longevity
Low interactivity as it is primarily informational.
2
Interactivity
Low interactivity as it is primarily informational.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Does our target audience frequently ask for guidance on this topic?
Do we have the expertise and resources to create a high-quality guide?
Can we clearly explain the solution in an easy-to-follow manner?
Will this guide add value to our users and solve their problems effectively?
How will we promote this guide to reach our audience?
HOW TO MEASURE
Traffic: Monitor page views using tools like Google Analytics.
Engagement: Track time on page, bounce rate, and scroll depth.
Conversion Rate: Measure the number of users who take a desired action after reading the guide (e.g., signing up for a demo).
Social Shares: Use social media analytics to track shares, likes, and comments.
User Feedback: Collect feedback through comments, surveys, or direct emails.
EXAMPLE
Company: Trello
Implementation: Trello created a series of how-to guides on using their project management tool for various use cases, such as team collaboration, personal productivity, and project tracking. They included step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and videos to make the guides easy to follow.
Outcome: These guides drove significant organic traffic to Trello’s website due to their SEO optimization. Users found the guides helpful, which led to increased engagement, higher user satisfaction, and an uptick in conversion rates as more users signed up for Trello’s premium features after learning how to maximize the tool's potential.
By providing valuable, evergreen content, Trello strengthened its user base and positioned itself as a helpful resource in the project management space.