Creating web content is hard sometimes. Creating web content for your small business that people will actually read is even harder. When it comes to writing for the
web, you have to create content carefully and intentionally. People on the
internet have short attention spans and with all of the content out there, you
are competing for every second of their attention.
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Grab our free Social Media checklist and content marketing training here
Many web content creators don’t really understand the people
who read content online. This is the major problem that causes web content to
go unread. People don’t read content on the web, they scan. They want to pull
out the important things from the articles without spending a lot of time on
it.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do to make your
content more attractive to those people that scan. Here’s a quick guide to
creating web content people will read.
It is important for you to acknowledge that not
every word that you write will be read by the person who opened your content.
The sooner you accept that fact, the better.
Because not every word will be read, make sure you make the
important parts of your content stand out. Use subheadings, bold font, and
lists to capture the reader’s attention and draw them in. The more confident
they are that your content has what they are looking for, the more likely they
are to actually read it.
Most important things first
A lot of people only read the first few lines
of an article or blog. Because of this, you need to put your most important
facts and points first. Do not bury the lead. People want to know what they are
reading and if they should keep going right away. This is exactly how most newspaper articles are written.
When you put the important things first, readers are more
likely to continue reading to learn the specifics. The more important
information you can get in the first few sentences and paragraphs, the better.
Don’t over-complicate language
As tempting as it is to use diverse and
sometimes complicated language, do not do it. Use common words that are
familiar to the reader. Web content should not seek to expand the vocabulary of
the reader. Web content is there to drive a point home in the simplest manner
possible.
If you use language that is too complicated, people are not
going to read it. Using simple language makes the content easier to get through
making it more attractive to people on the internet. Bottom line, keep it
simple. You readers will thank you.
Write a little lazily
People on the internet are generally lazy. They
want short sentences in short paragraphs that don’t have unnecessary words or jargon.
In short, write for lazy people. More often than not, people reading web
content don’t want to work hard to read it. The easier it is to read, the
better.
Keep articles to one topic
When you are creating an article for your
website, keep that article to one topic. People who are looking at your
articles are looking for specific answers and insights. For each article talk
about one product, one service, or one question that a lot of customers ask
you.
Articles that have too much information on too many topics
are unattractive to readers. When you keep articles focused and succinct,
people are more likely to read it in its entirety.
Keep design in mind
Your written content needs to work with
visually with your website. Font choices, photo choices, and colours are all
important. Articles are an extension of your brand and consistent branding is
important for success.
When you are writing your article, think about how it fits
into your brand look. Consider where you want to places images, what the size of
the font will be, and if you will use italics or boldface type. Design is just
as important as the words.
By Martin Goldthorpe 2017
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