You spent a lot of effort and time creating a Turtl Doc, and have received first feedback in the form of analytics, but some of the metrics are not exactly where you want them to be. Read forward if you want to learn what actions need to be taken in order to improve the performance of your content.

Bounce rate is one of the metrics that measure user engagement and it's closely connected to reads and readers. After investing so much effort and time into creating a Turtl Doc, you want your readers to explore further after landing on the cover page.

If your bounce rate is high, it could mean there is an issue with your cover page impacting the user journey. Consider the copy on the cover, as well as the layout and design. You should think through points, including whether the visuals are eye-catching. Is the copy relevant to the initial CTA? Do the visuals complement the text?

You can check how your bounce rate performs on the Benchmark analytics dashboard.

Tips for improvement:

1. Check the source: Typically we see higher bounce rates from social and paid media and the lowest bounce rates from website GIF embed opening in a lightbox.

2. Check the reader journey: Review the reader's journey prior to opening the Turtl doc. Does your promotion match up with the Turtl Doc? Also, check out this video webinar on best distribution practices!

3. Check your setup: Ensure your metadata, URL, and social cards are clear, concise and contain any relevant keywords.

4. Check your cover page: Ensure the cover heading and subheading are clear and actionable and the CTA button is prominent. Consider adding a short video/gif to the surf cover page to help draw attention. Ensure that any media used on the surf cover page is relevant to the content itself.

​5. Check mobile preview: If you have a high bounce rate of readers on mobile devices, check the design is optimized for mobile format by selecting the mobile preview at the top of the editor. Additional tips for a great mobile experience can be found in this Q&A and this video.

You can check how your engagement with interactive content scores against other Docs by looking at your 'Interaction score' in the Benchmark analytics dashboard.

Tips for improvement:

1. Check your measurements: Calculate your interactions based on the number of readers of the specific chapters, rather than the overall reader numbers.

2. Include a clear CTA: Tell the reader more about your videos, audio snippets, or polls. Place text in a bright feature box next to the interactive element.

3. Check your design: Check your interaction is clearly distinguishable on your page and has space to breathe. If it's a poll, choose a bright color that stands out on the page.

Tips for improvement:

1. Check the image: The image is the first thing your reader will engage with and can be the deciding factor as to whether your Surf page is successful or not. The image should be eye-catching, relevant, and high-resolution.

2. Review heading and subheading on the Surf page: Headings should be descriptive, catchy, and to the point, but also as short as possible! Short titles will also optimize the Contents menu in the top left of your Turtl document.

3. Check the mobile preview: Check how your Surf page will look to your mobile readers by selecting the mobile preview at the top of the editor. Tips on improving your mobile view can be found here, here, and here.

4. Check content: Is the content in this chapter relevant and interesting to your readers?

Learn how your sign-up rate benchmarks against other content on Benchmark analytics dashboard.

Tips for improvement:

1. Explore different placements: Is your form on the back cover? Try placing it mid-way through a Doc and test how conversions change. Consider A/ B testing for sign-up form placement.

2. Check your CTA: Is it clear and actionable e.g. 'sign-up here to get your content' or 'contact us to hear back from a representative'?

3. Check the form structure: Are you asking for too much information? Lowering the barrier can improve conversions. Is it a fair exchange?

4. Try a soft gate: Having sign-ups as optional throughout your document is a great way to build trust with your reader.

5. On-brand form: Ensure that the form has been formatted to adopt your relevant brand theme.

The number of shares your content receives is a great indicator of how well it is resonating with your audience. A higher number of shares leads to increased visibility and engagement with your content.

You can check the share rate on Benchmark analytics dashboard.

Tip for improvement:

Use poll and quote widgets: It is important to understand that Turtl can only count shares made through social sharing icons featured on the back cover, the toolbar, and quote and poll widgets, so make sure you use those strategically across your content. Apply A/B testing to check what works best for your content.

Tips for improvement:

1. Check your content: Look at your highest converting chapters, inside or outside of the document. What could you do differently?

2. Re-order your content: If you have a page with key information or a CTA or sign-up form, try moving it higher up the page order.

3. Make your next piece shorter: Maybe this piece just wasn't made for long-form? Test a shorter format next time to validate your hypothesis.

Tips for improvement:

1. Filter analytics by source: Start by filtering your data using the Source filter at the top of the page. Click through to review readers and sign-ups per source.

2. Start using UTM tags: UTM tags are unique queries you can add to the end of a URL to help split out traffic sources. These can help campaigns, sources, and even the performance of certain keywords.

Start using them to track and compare the performance of each individual channel and campaign.

Tips for improvement:

1. Check your copy length: All the best surf pages have clear and concise titles that signpost the reader.

2. Have one CTA on cover pages(!): Ensure that there is only one CTA on each page. For this reason, it is not recommended to have a 'Read on' button on a cover page.

3. Check your choice of image: Surf page images work best when they are both beautiful and meaningful. Images that help to signpost the subject in the immerse level will likely see higher CTRs and Avg. Read Times.

4. Check mobile preview: Has the best or most meaningful part of your image been cropped for your mobile viewers?

Average read time is helpful to marketing teams because it provides a measure of how engaging your content is. A longer average read time means your audience is finding your content valuable and interesting. It also shows how thoroughly your content is being read - if the average read time is much lower than expected, it could indicate your message isn't being conveyed as well as you'd have liked.

Read times can be tricky to benchmark as it would also depend on the length of your copy. You can compare your read time with other Docs of similar length in the Engagement section of the Benchmarks dashboard.

Tips for improvement:

1. Check heading structure: Having a clear hierarchy to your immerse sections will make them easier to follow on all devices.

2. Break out text with white space: Improve reader experience by reducing cognitive load and increasing the visual appeal of a layout.

3. Include visuals and interactivity: Include images or interactivity early on in an Immerse section to boost engagement.

4. Check mobile preview: Make sure that content is correctly ordered and cropped for your mobile readers. Tips on improving your mobile view can be found here, here, and here.

Content review guide

How to win with widgets
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