What if you could attract a bigger audience to your business, blog or cause just by adapting your writing style? While you might consider yourself a good writer and eventually gain readers, if you are not writing for the web you are fighting with one arm tied behind your back. So, what separates great writing from great web content?
The most obvious answer is search engines. If you are not lucky enough to be the owner of a brand that has instant name recognition among your target audience then it is unlikely you will be receiving a ton of direct traffic (when someone types in your website address directly into the address bar). Instead, you will have to rely upon search engines to deliver your content to the people who are looking for information about your field of expertise, issue or cause. That means that no matter who you are you are at the mercy of search engines. You could think, "Well, I'm a good writer and I'm not changing my approach just because the content is going to be put on a web site instead of a printed page." That is a perfectly acceptable approach, as long as you do not complain when no one finds your content and your competitors are perfectly willing to adapt their style to play the game and gain a bigger audience.
So how do you change your content when it is being created to attract an audience or customers online?
1. Realize you are not writing a marketing brochure.
While you definitely want to incorporate beautiful photos or slick graphics within your website content, you also have to remember your target is not picking up your brochure or having it handed to them. Instead, they have to find it first through search engines. Creating your web site content in a marketing brochure fashion would be equivalent to painting a masterpiece but then hiding it under your mattress and then expecting people to somehow admire the work. Key: Your audience has to be able to find your site and content!
2. Get to the point.
Designers for years have said that visitors judge a site in only 7 seconds. However, research suggests that visitors are forming judgments about a site (and the business behind it) in less than a second. Therefore, do not use text as filler. Hit your key themes early in any articles your writing. This not only lets the reader know that they have found the information they are looking for but it also makes it easier for search engines to know what your page is about. Key: If you do not think your content is compelling within 10 seconds of starting to read it, no one else will either. Keep your writing clear and simple.
3. Be consistent in your wording.
If you have a product and you refer to it by 2 or 3 different names or abbreviations you are not only diluting your brand but hurting your search results. However, using the same language over and over does not just refer to product names but your general content as well. Think about how politicians speak. While we might find it annoying they repeat the same phrases over and over the fact is that talking points work. They find they way into our minds easier and stay there if the words used are simple and consistent. Key: No one will be impressed and this is not a time to make your readers or customers break out a thesaurus.
4. Use bullet points or numbered lists.
Years ago when I was just starting out in my career I tried to do the best job I could at conveying information to my bosses. But, this had one negative side effect - length. I noticed that the executive team was only responding to about half the emails I sent them. Instead of just working harder, I had to work smarter and keep the length to a minimum. People are already slaves to their inbox. The last thing they need is multiple page emails coming to them from their fellow employees. One of the best ways to work smarter is using bullet point lists. Using a bullet point list forces you to convey only the essential information. Key: Make digesting information as easy as possible on your readers and customers.
5. Write good titles that use the keywords you are targeting.
If you already have a web site make sure your titles (those words above the web page in your web browser) are capturing the content of your page. For example, if you are a business that serves a local area such as a car repair shop you would want your home page title to contain your location. You can accomplish this by using the stove pipes (Ted's Auto Repair | New York City, NY) or with a dash followed by the city and state your business serves. The page title should accurately describe the content on your page and you do not want to have the same page titles on multiple pages or just stuff them full of key words. If you do that, search engines will recognize it and your page rank will be lowered. Key: Provide accurate page titles using keywords, keep it under 64 characters long and you will increase your page rank.
The list above is not all inclusive but it may help you change the way you think about writing for the web. Changing how you write for the web is really about understanding the goal of your content. If you are a business or individual who wants to attract a large audience, the content on your site is not just a place for you to say what you want. Instead, it is where you make it as easy as possible for your customer or readers to find the information they have been searching for and consume it.
James Clark has worked in both the consulting and software industries. He is co-founder of Jaroop, a web site design, application development and marketing firm that focuses on helping businesses grow. Jaroop, designs, implements and supports an array of tools to help businesses grow while also becoming more efficient.
For more information or speaking engagements please see http://www.jaroop.com
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