How to Write Web Content – Part 2

Keep it Short, Be Direct

To get your readers attention, you need to tell them what’s on the page within the first 15 seconds.  If you don’t, they’re on to the next webpage.  So what do you do?  You write clearly and directly.  In other words, you keep it short.

Know exactly what message you’re trying to get to your reader.  You can brainstorm or write pages of thoughts to help you find your focus, but on the webpage, the focus needs to be clear, direct and immediate.  Don’t start with a story. Start with your point.

Once you have a strong draft, shorten it.  Then, shorten it again. Throw out at least one third, and as much as two thirds, of what you write.  If you can leave a word out, do it.  If you can shorten a sentence, shorten it. 

Use the right words to add clarity.  Don’t dig in your thesaurus for college level words, instead, use the language we speak, and think about the meaning of every word you use.  When things are shortened down, every word becomes important.  Use the right ones.

Use contractions, slang, sentence fragments, and conjunctions at the beginning of sentences. These common speech patterns keep your reader moving down the page.

White space on the page tells your reader that you’ll get them the information they need quickly without wasting their time. Short paragraphs, made up of two or three sentences, make the writing look short. 

Your word count should be between 300 to 500 words.  Search engines aren’t interested in pages that contain less than 300 words, and 500 words is about the most you can expect your audience to read. 

If you can’t say it in 500 words, don’t scare off your reader with a text-covered page. Instead add additional pages with links from your initial page. 

And whatever you do, make your content clear, concise and direct.  Then you’ll have a chance at getting your reader to the end of your page.

 

Judy Kane is a writer and editor at I Write The Words.  When not working on her novel, she’s working on web content and blogging for her clients.

Copyright 2010 - I Write The Words

How to Write Web Content – Part 1

Know Your Audience and How You Can Benefit Them.

Writing web content requires focus.  You need to get the message across to your audience - fast.   But how?

The first step is to know your audience.  Who are you trying to reach and how will they benefit by connecting with you?  Sure, you’ll benefit too, but your audience isn’t concerned about what you need, they’re concerned with what they need. 

The more clearly you can define your audience – income level, education level, type of business, geographic location, etc. – the better you’ll understand them, and the better you can target your message.

The second step is to explain the benefit of your product or service.  The easiest and best way to do this is to think about the features of your product or service and how this benefits your clients.   

Always focus on the benefits.  If you don’t show your audience the benefits to them, why would they hire you or buy your product? 

For example, I can write web content for you, freeing up your time to focus on your business.  But I can, and should, push this even further.  By hiring me to write web content that is Search Engine Optimized, I can improve your position on search engines, provide your website with more hits, and generate more business for you.

You know how your product or service helps your clients.  But if you can’t focus your message and explain the benefits clearly, how can you expect your audience, your potential future clients, to understand it. 

You need to clearly point out the benefits of what you do.  Show people who visit your site that you can provide them with a service or product that will benefit them.  Connect with them, so that they’ll take the next step.

Give them a reason to pick up the phone or click a button and connect with you.  Then your web content has done its job, and now, it’s up to you to close the deal.


Copyright 2010 by Judy Kane