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Website Secrets: Tips for Great Content

Are you writing new content for your web site? Here are some tips for maximizing content effectiveness.

Write a summary paragraph at the top of the page. Writing effectively for the web is similar to writing newspaper articles. The first paragraph of a well written article includes a summary of what is to follow. This provides readers the meat of the content first, quickly allowing them to decide if this page is useful to them. When written with enticement and allure, readers will be drawn to read the rest and get all the details. This technique also helps earn higher search engine rankings. Search engines weigh the content at the beginning of the page more highly than content at the end of the page. A summary paragraph provides a vehicle for you to use relevant keywords early in your content.

Write concisely. Few viewers read all the content on any one page of a web site. Remove “happy talk”. When you think you’re nearly done with the page, take out the red pen and start hacking. Can you deliver the same message using fewer words?

Make content easy to scan. If viewers aren’t reading the whole page, what are they reading? Typically, they aren’t reading at all. They are scanning your content for words relevant to their question or problem. Putting items in easy-to-read lists, highlighting important words and phrases, and using headings and sub headings for organization all make it easier for your web site visitors to find what they are looking for quickly.

Your visitor’s perspective matters most. The best web sites exist to serve their visitors. Refrain from writing about how great your company is and tooting your own horn. Save that for the “about us” section. Who are your visitors? Make a list. One by one, put yourself in their shoes. What are they searching for? What question are they trying to answer? Address your visitors’ needs first and your own last.

Implementing these tips when writing your web site content will keep people coming back again. Your site will be useful and visitors will appreciate how easy it is to find the information they care about.