Introduction get a lot of attention. I discovered the topic about how to write them though as a reader I always ignore them. I realize that most people are interested in them and a poor introduction will keep them away from the article.
Now, I turn to the conclusion, things do not receive the same attention but criticism. Your readers come to them interested enough in the topic to fully understand it. Focus on the wrong aspects or ignore them, and you risk people leaving your site forever.
People who read #blog posts to the end are interested in the topic. @Cotealexandra says: Give your favorite audience an ending that works for them and your business via @CMIContent. Click to post a Tweet
Your conclusion can take many formats. They can:
- Distilling the meaning of the post
- Let people know what you expect them to take from your post
- Engage your audience, get them to comment, share, or answer questions
- Tell them what you want them to do next
Here are 15 options for generating more effective conclusions.
1. State many points
When writing conclusions, I tend to stick to the classical structure:
- Final word on the topic with one more keyword mentioned
- Call to action for a product or service
- The final question or food to think about that will drive people to comment or share the post
This is an example of a multi-purpose conclusion to an article on email marketing from Get Feedback:
MailerLite adds visual elements to the conclusion in email branding articles:
In some cases, bra nds replaces the “share this post” CTA with a small incentive to get people involved in the conversation like Buffer did:
Buffer makes it easy to continue the conversation by embedding a reply tweet at the end of the post for readers to use:
2. Prioritize a call to action
Visualize your post conclusion as a Landing page. Many CTAs will confuse the reader. They may choose a low priority CTA link instead of the one you really want to emphasize.
Post by Roger Maftean on CTA will help you create CTAs that convert so you can choose the best optional CTAs to use as the conclusion. In this example, Adobe makes it clear what they want readers to do:
Too many options on a single landing page will overwhelm visitors and kill conversions, @mrmafean via @CMIContent said. Click to Tweet
3. Add keywords
Have you ever had a keyword that you really wanted to include in a post, but it just didn't fit? The conclusion of the paper may just be the place. Use keywords in the title and body text. (You can also do this for a high-priority keyword you already use.)
Adding keywords or phrases to a @cotealexandra stating that the article's conclusion cannot fit the content of text 11 via @CMIContent. Click to Tweet
In this example, HelpCrunch uses the keyword phrase “customer success best practices” in the conclusion. How do we know it's a target keyword? Its URL includes the phrase: (https://helpcrunch.com/blog/customer-success-best-practices).
TIP: For more SEO Score highlight that sentence, use italics, or mention several keywords from the same field in the bulleted list.
4. Make it a summary
Summarizing a post is a commonly used tactic. You want people to remember your main ideas and maybe even your brand name.
The summary is a perfect addition to any educational or technical post like this one by Okta:
And Eventbrite uses action summaries drawn in this conclusion:
5. Bring on emotions
Give an article conclusion befitting a human. Write to a person by tapping into the relevant emotions and feeling .
In this example, Twilio uses a word like “woo” to create a sense of energy that they expect readers to experience after completing the article:
Bamboo HR concludes with an emotional reassurance:
Or you can connect more personally like Creatopy did:
You can make it even more personal by giving your readers a direct way to connect with you like Ahrefs did in this section:
6. Always use the same CTA
When all else fails, create a great call to action and use it with every post to let your readers know what you want them to do – regardless of the content topic.
BambooHR recommends readers to subscribe to their newsletter:
freeCodeCamp invites readers to tweet the article. (Note: The CTA text doesn't include article-specific information so it can be used with all articles.)
7. Sell subtly
If you haven't managed to include your product or service in the body of your article yet, subtly incorporate the mention at the end.
In this example from Zendesk, it says, “If you're ready to take the plunge, a CRM can easily transition to remote working.” Zendesk, you might guess, is a CRM provider. (Link to an informational article, not a sales page.)
No. 8. Clear advertising
Of course, you can always make your offer stand out with a big CTA like Spendesk did in this conclusion:
9. Give something away
You can offer your readers something relevant to the topic of your article, handouts, samples, videos, or testimonials that will help or motivate them.
Give away something in the conclusion of your #blog post that will be helpful or motivating to the reader, @cotealexandra said via @CMIContent. Click to Tweet
In this example, readers can access a template related to the article's topic after creating or signing in to their Canva account:
10. Keep them reading
You already know the reader is interested in the topic if they come to a conclusion. You can use that to push them to other relevant content, keeping them on your site longer. Write a blog post that ends while keeping in mind the likelihood of people staying on your site and reading more about a topic.
In the conclusion of this article, Khalil Stemmler simply added a link to the next best read:
You can also do this visually under section headings like “What to Read Next” or “You might also like” at the bottom as Survey Monkey does here:
TIP: Be careful about auto-suggest feeds. Usually it's better select content to best match the article on the page.
You don't need to limit your conclusions when reading text-based content. Redirect readers to a podcast episode or video as ProductPlan did in this example:
You don't need to limit your reading to text-based #content. Redirect readers to podcasts or videos, @cotealexandra says 11 via @CMIContent. #Blogging Click to Tweet
And here's how RingCentral did it:
11. Adapt to the type of content
Like with everything in the world of content, there's no one size fits all. If you have many different types of blog posts, you can draw conclusions that are appropriate for each type.
For case study the most natural process is to highlight how people can contact you or learn more about your solution, as Workday does in this example:
For a technical topic, you can end by directing the reader in a direction to see and learn more about details like Algolia does here:
Intended for Research-based content you can conclude by citing the source, explaining the methodology, or acknowledging contributors as Orbit Media does here:
12. Community Building
Create a sense of belonging by inviting people to join your community on social media or other channels like Slack, Circles, etc. Provide a summary of what your community looks like and its features. rights while there. Identify past achievements and calls that keep your audience interested.
Here's how HelpScout did it:
13. Let people think
The best conclusion is that people will remember it long after. Asking your readers for reflection will encourage them to continue thinking (and remembering your content) after reading.
Here's a simple blog post ending up from MailerLite that does just this:
TIP: Prompting the reader to think doesn't always require a question. An impactful statement at the end can have the same effect.
Remind readers not to always ask a question. @Cotealexandra says: An impactful statement at the end can have the same impact 11 via @CMIContent. #Blogging Click to Tweet
14. Touch the ranking factors
Conclusion is one more way to play a little with Google ranking factors . Comments count as page content. Lead the reader to your comments section with sentences like “Ask a question and give your best or brightest answer below.” Or “Let us know in the comments below.”
Backlinko's Brian Dean places a separate conclusion box for all of his articles. This is one of my favorites, which has garnered almost 400 comments:
Ask readers to expand your list or research as Devaradise does here:
TIP: Remind people to bookmark posts. Not only does it act as a signal to Google that the content is worth saving, but it also prompts the reader to revisit the work.
Prompt readers to bookmark articles to signal to @Google that #content is worth saving, @cotealexandra said via @CMIContent. #SEO Click to Tweet
15. End with FAQ
End with the section for frequently asked Questions. This popular method allows you to add a few keywords and answer people's questions. Here's how Shopify did it for the t-shirt templates:
Buffer has created a FAQ to address frequently asked questions related to the product:
Final Notes on Conclusion
And that's it! The process of signing up for a blog post is longer than one might expect. However, it really ends up where you can say things you can't in the body of the article.
It's important to customize them to fit both your intent and the reader's intent. And the style of your conclusion shouldn't always be a big deal. Slack ends every post with its icon:
So how would you change your post's conclusion?
Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski / Content Marketing Institute
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