Writing content for the world wide web web content is different from writing for brochures, magazines, or other print media. Good web copywriters know what web users need (the reasons they use the web, what they are looking for, and their habits), and how to help them get it. Here's what they do. There are five main elements of effective web writing.
1: Keep it web content short and relevant
First, Most web users don't have a lot of time and are doing several things at once - checking their email, updating their Facebook status, browsing newspaper sites, and maybe even working. Your target audience needs to know you're exactly what they're looking for...right away.
So the best thing to do is to write web content in short, punchy sentences. Write directly to the customer, as if you're talking to one person. And cut out anything that's extraneous, any words or phrases you don't need.
2: Lay it out for people who skim
Second, On the web people tend to skim, and they get intimidated by big, uninterrupted blocks of text. Use signposting methods such as
- short paragraphs,
- subheadings and
- bulleted lists
to break up the page and also to make your readers focus on your main points so that they are unmissable.
3: Use keywords strategically
Third, Although you're mainly writing for people, you have another audience: that audience is search engines. To make search engines such as Google love you, it's necessary to use keywords strategically, in web content but preferably without making your text read awkwardly.
4: Use links in web content to help people navigate
Fourth, well-written Web content should make it easier for people to find their way around a website. Use hyper links liberally, and make sure you always think about what's useful to readers when you decide on a label for them.
Finally, you should always try to 5: Include a call to action
Tell readers what you want them to do next. You'll be quite surprised how often they go ahead and do it.
Heya Angus. Just a quick note on the keyword density issue. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s crap. It’s just not what everyone thinks it is. It’s still a useful metric, but only to help you ensure your target keyword phrases are used more often than any other phrases. But it’s crazy to focus on it too much. If your copy is actually helpful, it’ll naturally have a whole lot of words that Google recognises as related. These count in your favour too.
Note, if you want an insight into how meaningless specific keyword density percentages are, check out: http://www.e-marketing-news.co.uk/Mar05/garcia.html.
Cheers.
Posted by Glenn Murray on November 25th, 2008.
Thanks for the comment Glenn. Yes, I’m sure “crap” is an exaggeration!
I might save that article for a rainy day
Posted by Angus Gordon on November 25th, 2008.