Great website content is more of an art than a science. And it is certainly required if you want to engage your visitors. If you want to inspire action. And especially if you want them to visit more than one time.
Content must be easy to read. And not just through the use of photos. Sure, photos help break up text, but there’s more to making an article easy to read. Take it from someone who simply does not like to read a lot.
For readers like me, less is more. So you have to find a balance when it comes to word count. Too little and the reader is left asking, “what did I learn?” And too much and the reader is simply left asking “what!” So you have to find balance. And you have to step out of your frame of reference. Maybe you love to read. Great for you. But just because you read a lot, doesn’t mean I do. I don’t. And I’m not alone. So find balance.
Use H2 Tags
Break up text with h2 tags, in other words standard HTML tags that make reading easier. Like a conclusion section, etc. It makes a lot of text look less overwhelming. Rather than having to read “everything” people like me (the non-readers) can focus more on sections to read. It makes my mind a lot happier (thank you).
When you write, please don’t use exclamation points all the time. I believe I used one earlier but beyond this post, I can’t remember the last time I used an exclamation point. There are other ways to emphasize a point. Being grammatically incorrect is not advised.
I Told A Funny
Humor, use humor. Jokes make us smile (even bad ones). And write as if you are speaking to someone directly. Use phrases that are common verbiage and simply talk to the reader. Don’t lecture the reader.
Keep paragraphs short, like the one before this. It breaks up text. Remember, you are writing to an audience, trying to captivate them. Not an English teacher trying to pass an exam. So be light, use humor, and write less.
Articulate And Spelling
Be succinct, on point with a call to action. Spell check. Even if something on spell check comes up correct but looks wrong, double check it. Even though I hate to read a lot (I like reading, just not a lot of reading), I like many others also hate spelling errors. To me (and others) it implies the author does not care. Now I have to proofread this article so I don’t look like a hypocrite.
Conclusion
Writing to an audience takes time. It takes confidence building. I’ve written online for years now. Before pretty big audiences. I have learned from my audience. What they like and do not like. Not content or what to say. I speak (write) what I want to say. But I am influenced in how I say it to get the message across. My audience has molded me in that way.
Take your time. Be creative. And find those times of day that you are more creative than others. You cannot force content. It either flows or does not. If you force it, your readers will know. Force your jokes, but not your content.
Follow these steps and you will be on your way to writing great website content.