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Content Creation: How to Approach Writing Content for Your Website

The content for your web site should be written with the site visitor in mind. Creating valuable content that addresses your customers’ needs and expectations is as crucial to your business as are your branding and products. Try to get inside of the mind of the person you want to attract to your site, and ask, “What information are they looking for? What would they like to read?” Your business may be stellar, but if you aren’t addressing the needs of those visiting your web site, it doesn’t matter how great your company is.

Weather you decide to write your web site content yourself or hire a web development firm such as CodeGeek to write the content, you will need to participate in the process. If you are writing the content yourself, here are some ideas to help inspire and direct you.

A blank page can be daunting. If you have writer’s block, start with an outline of ideas to be communicated on each page of your site. You know your business best, so once you have an outline of topics, add a few sentences that pertain to each topic to build it up.And again, keep in mind what the viewer needs and wants to glean by viewing your site.

Conversely, if you’re the type who has a lot to communicate but can’t seem to narrow it down, begin by just writing everything and anything related to your various web page topics. Once you have all your pages of copy complete, you’ll need to narrow it down. Be honest with yourself when answering, “What are the main points the viewer needs to know about this particular subject/item?” Capture those sentences and eliminate the rest, particularly the fluff.

It is important to keep in mind that people rarely read an entire web page. Web viewers scan each page quickly for the information they are seeking. Keep your content concise. If there is a lot of text on a page, the content should be structured for quick scanibility. Draw attention to the important text in some fashion. Techniques include using a summary sentence at the beginning of each paragraph, bulleted lists, a bold font weight for important phrases, and pull quotes.

It is also helpful to use links in your text that take the user to other pages within your website. These links can help to direct users to the precise information they are seeking, or help answer their questions about related topics.

Building your reader’s trust in your thoughts, products, or advice is important in order to grow your client base. You want to ensure that you don’t come off as though you’re trying to sell them something or manipulate them. You can develop your credibility by writing solid content that is based in truth. You can demonstrate that truth by allowing your personality to come through the content, posting your company bio/expertise, citing references, or linking to quality external content.

In sum, writing solid content by keeping your customer’s expectations and needs in mind is important. When drafting content yourself, keep it concise and structured so that it’s easy to scan. Gain your readers’ trust by writing honestly and back up you claims with proof by referencing company accomplishments, expertise, competencies and outside resources.