Writing for The Web

If you want to write content for the web that really gets your message across then the following ideas will help you.

1) Make it Easy To Read

If you are like me and indeed most people you will skim read web pages.  So you need to bear that in mind when you are writing for the web. Your readers are probably visiting dozens of websites, pages and blogs, and with the fast moving world we live in now they can easily get bored and before you know it they have moved onto the next article or page.

So how do you make web content easy to read? You need to use short paragraphs, make good use of:

• bullet points,
• numbered lists,
• subheadings.

This approach makes the page easier to read, but it also gives it some structure which will help you to make sure you stay on point.

2) Write Informative Content

There are some Internet Marketers who claim that you can make money by churning out hundreds of poorly written, non-user friendly articles.  Don't be fooled by this sort of nonsense and you really should not do this if you want to build a sustainable income from your online activity.

As we have seen recently with Google, Search engines are become more aware and increasingly dismissive of keyword stuffed and spun content. What web searchers are looking for are articles and pages that answer their questions in a clear, informative and if appropriate entertaining way. 

3) Get The Length Right

There are lots of different views about how long online articles should be. However, in reality the needs of each and every article are different. The best approach, and this applies to so much of what we do online is to think like the  person who is searching for your content.

If you are able to answer what the searcher needs to know in just 100 words then that 100 words is long enough! However, realistically most questions will need a little more than that and you wil need to a little time writing your article and a few more words in order to really address the question.

4) Writing in a Natural Way

I am sure that, like me, you sometimes struggle to write naturally when you are trying to incorporate your keywords into your articles. There's an easy answer and that is to stop worrying about it!

If your article or page is answering the questions the people searching are looking for answers to then the keywords will come into the content naturally. I am not suggesting that you should stop trying to incorporate keywords into your pages or articles, but this should be a secondary concern to creating an article which is readable, interesting and informative.

5) Be Current

Whilst there are some articles and indeed topics which you might consider “evergreen.”  That is they will be as relevant in a few years as they are at the time you first write them. However, a lot of our online content needs to be updated from time to time.

You may have noticed or read that the large search engines like Google are increasinly placing more emphasis on fresh content. If you can keep on top of your content and keep your answers current then you can take advantage of this development and at the same time keep your readers informed.

In summary, there are no quick and easy shortcuts to when it comes to writing for the web and creating high quality content. However, if you invest the time and effort it takes to write content that engages your readers then success will surely come as they take action on your recommendations.