The whole of internet is being powered by content.
Unlike other forms of writing, web content writing is a challenging one as,
It accompanies the technical and tactical parts as well.
There is no doubt that, internet is amenable to creativity and perspectives,
But, there are some forged rules of do’s and don’ts which can’t be changed and has to be followed in order to play safe and successful.
With this being said, it is also important that you create something innovative and engaging.
The internet is sprawling with content! There is a lot of competition.
You have to compete for some seconds of attention of the viewers. The margin of error is small.
But, no need to crib, Read on this blog to know the top 10 do’s and don’ts of writing web content, which you should live by.
# Do’s of writing web content
Now that we have successfully understood the don’ts,
Its time that we move on to the do’s which demands action.
Action will bring about results. In the light of this, lets discuss the top 5 do’s of web content writing.
- Do mention the purpose.
As I mentioned earlier, you have only few seconds to convince your readers into reading your piece.
Start with a catchy sentence that could capture the attention of the readers.
Then, mention the purpose of writing the content.
Be very clear and, tell your audience about your goals in writing the content and, in what ways the audience can benefit from it.
- Do try different types of content.
Don’t just follow the traditional, paragraph after paragraph style.
Try using videos, slideshows, pdfs and images to enhance your content.
For statistics, try using infographics.
This way, you could engage well with your readers.
- Do your research work.
Before writing content, do research about what your competitors are up to recently and, how successful they are in it.
Also learn about SEO techniques to make your content score well on the search engines.
Try using keywords for which you could rank higher.
Also, with research you’ll come to know about what are the readers liking and how could you do it.
- Do maintain a professional tone.
You should be friendly with your content but, at the same time, don’t get too casual.
Maintain a professional tone in your writing.
You are providing value to the readers which they don’t have.
So you need to show them that you are a professional and you know the information they don’t know and need to know.
- Do update your content.
Don’t keep your website outdated and full with old content.
Regularly update your content so that readers can know whats going on with your business.
Build a relationship with your readers and talk to them daily.
If you won’t update your content, you’ll build a gap between you and your readers, which will result in the termination of the relationship
# Don’ts of writing web content.
Don’ts are more important to remember than the do’s. While you can put all of your efforts in doing good things,
You can certainly fall short if you are doing, even a slightest of the things wrong.
Being said that, the don’ts are easier to apply than the do’s. No extra effort has to be put and, you just have to remember certain things you should avoid.
In the light of this, lets start with the top 5 don’ts of web content writing-
- Don’t write to fill in the blanks!
The goal of creating web content is to provide value and meaning to the readers.
And believe me, there should be no other goals than this.
If you are writing, to just fill your page up with words, then better stop and turn your head away from content writing.
The content you write should fulfil the needs of the readers rather than your own!
Your content should be unique, relevant, valuable and engaging.
If you can’t accomplish these things with your writing, then no doubt you are going to fall short of your goals.
Create content with the audience in mind. Think that, the content you are writing, is the sole base on which your audience will judge you and your brand.
If you have even a slightest of doubt upon your writing abilities, better hire a freelance writer, who can create professional content for you.
But, don’t compromise with the quality of your content.
- Don’t rattle on and make it complicated.
Your readers want the final product, rather than the whole process ranging from brainstorming to preparations!
Don’t just write what comes to your mind. Keep it very specific and topic-based.
The moment you go a bit wayward from your topic, you’ll loose the attention of the reader.
It is always best to go through the content over and over again.
Try trimming unnecessary words and phrases.
Don’t be overly verbose. The extra words in your final content, would feel like unwanted weeds in your farm. Better trim or even uproot them.
Also, don’t be very complicated and use unnecessary industry jargon.
If you do so, there will be two possible reactions by the readers,‘This is too complicated for me. I am very naïve for this. Maybe I should go for something more simple’
‘This is very wayward and unnecessary. It is not up to the mark. Maybe I should go for something more specific and straight.
Either way, you are loosing readers.
- Don’t, for God’s sake, plagiarise!
Plagiarism is the worst thing you can do with your website content.
Your website is your own brand or name.
Never use something which others have produced, in your brand.
Copy pasting content from other websites will never help and,
Google won’t fall short in penalising you.
Write original content and check it for plagiarism before publishing it.
You can check your content plagiarism by through different Free Plagiarism Checker Tools
- Don’t write content, filled with errors.
It is human to err. But, the error should be soon rendered.
After writing the final draft, proofread it several times and see if you are missing any words or phrases.
Catch and improve your mistakes before your audience start doing it.
Use Grammar Checker softwares like ‘Grammarly’ and ‘Ginger’, to check for grammatical errors.
- Don’t present it in a bad way
Presentation is of utmost importance when it comes to better user experience.
Your content shouldn’t be put in an all mashup form.
Write short paragraphs which are easy to digest.
Put images in between so that readers can interpret the content in a better way.
Also, a well presented blog would be easy to crawl upon for the web crawler.
Final thoughts
It is important to write content which play with the rules.
This way, you can achieve staggering amounts of success with your content writing strategy.
Consider using this simple list of do’s and don’ts to keep up with the rules and rise out shine and bright with your content!