Writing for blogs or websites is totally different from writing a novel. Online content is not just about words. When you write for the Internet, think “presentation”. Online content is informally written, interactive and dynamic.
Learn how to write the “inverted pyramid” from most important on top to less further on, seen in newspaper articles everywhere. How this works can be found in this article by “Writers Write”. Other requirements are for example: Is your text easy to read? Eye-tracking studies have shown that readers SCAN text (in an F-shaped pattern), rather than to READ it. And: website visitors read more slowly on the screen than in print. So, how do you use this knowledge for your writing?
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Respect the Reader’s Time
Everyone is busy, and most people would rather scan an article first before they decide whether it’s worth reading. Make it easy for your readers to know what your article is all about at a glance. Make it interesting enough for them to want to read all of it. Have a point of view and give an opinion. You want to invite and generate engagement and discussion with people.
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Use Effective Titles for Your Articles
Your title should be able to tell your readers at a glance what your entire article is all about. A good practice is to use not more than eight words when formulating your title, especially if you want it shared on social sites. And don’t promise something in your title that you don’t deliver in your post.
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Grab Your Readers’ Attention With Numbers
Readers are attracted to numbers. Numbers allow them to quickly and easily navigate your content, and they give a structure to your article.
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Use Beautiful Images
Add pictures, infographics, slideshows, and artwork to your written pieces. Images not only break up the text portion of your article but also make the entire article more visually interesting. People are attracted to visuals. Make sure that the visuals you use are your own creations. If not, make sure you get permission to use them from the original owners of the graphics and give credit where it’s due.
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Use Bullet Lists, Such as This One
- Create lots of short paragraphs, and give them all a headline
- Keep sentences short, they should never be longer than one line
- Use spell check and a beta reader or software
- Readers like to interact on the Web, so give them lots of links
- Illustrate your text, use lots of images
- Don’t let your readers scroll on the screen, keep it to one page
- Except for prepositions and the words “and” and “the”, all major words in a headline should be capitalized
People love lists almost as much as they love numbers. And lists are great because they’re not only easy to read but also scannable. Lists will also help you keep your content and thoughts neat and organized. Most blog posts aren’t meant to be long-form essays, so keeping your ideas short and to the point not only appeals to your readers but also keeps your content on point.
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Use Keywords Strategically
Know your keywords (see my earlier comment about doing your homework) and your keyword research. Go into the process knowing what people are searching for in relation to your content, and then use that input to guide the creation of key content areas, such as your headline, first paragraph, meta tags, and meta description. But be careful not to overdo it!
Today more than ever, quality content is really important. Using too many keywords, or repeating the same ones over and over because you’re lazy, compromises the quality of your content and it can get you in trouble with search engines, too.
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Use Subheadings
If your article is longer than 250-400 words, using subheadings is a good idea. Subheads will entice your visitors to continue reading your article and easily find sections of their most interest to them. Subheadings add more fuel for search engines, so use keywords to help craft your subheads. Break up text into short paragraphs to make it more readable on a computer monitor.
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Use Sharing Buttons
Make sure your site includes social sharing buttons for all of the major social media channels. And if you’re crafting a piece such as a press release, include links so people can easily access images and more information. Remember: We’re busy. We’re lazy. And we don’t want to work for information. Give the people what they want!
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Most Important: Tell a Story!
No matter what topic you write about, the best copywriting technique always involves telling a good story. Nothing beats quality content that is written well and contains interesting and relevant information that’s both helpful and entertaining. You can always go back and tweak your content to better optimize it for search results. If, at its core, your content isn’t compelling and interesting, however, all of the optimizations in the world won’t help it get read, shared, and discussed.
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The Demand for Web Content is Higher than Ever
Content is even more valuable than it was in previous years. More and more businesses are looking for web content writers. Many businesses don’t have the time to spend on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook and would rather outsource this part of their marketing. Get paid for Social Media updates and interacting with their following. Self-employed, artists, small companies – they all need a professional biography and they would rather have someone like you collect the facts and make them shine.
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