Do you know how much active the internet is?
Well, according to Internet Live Stats, at the moment, there are more than 4.2 billion internet users in the world. Amongst that, there are more than 1.6 billion websites, 4 billion Google searches in a day, and 1.5 billion emails sent daily.
Woah, that’s a lot.
With this much content being published daily, capturing the attention of readers is quite a difficult thing to achieve.
So, if you own a website and your goal is to grab the attention of your audience, don’t you think your web content should be top-notch?
The very first thing that you need to do before you start writing any content is to – plan and strategize. I know this may be a daunting task, but I assure you that if you have a planned set of goals ahead, then your writing process will go in a smooth and efficient manner.
Well, to help you further, here are the top 7 tips and tricks you can apply to enhance your website content with quality and effective writing.
Ready to get started?
1. Start with a proper keyword research
If you want your web content to rank top in the search engines, then keywords are the way to go.
You should always know what and for whom you are writing. A proper keyword research will not only help you find Google approved content, but will also tell you what your target audience (more on that in the next section) is searching for. It will be highly beneficial for you if you know the right keywords beforehand.
And how do you know the right keywords?
Well, there are a few online keyword tools that will help you find the optimal keywords.
With the help of these tools, you will not only be able to find the relevant keywords but will also know about what your competitors are using. This will help you to plan and create your content accordingly.
2. Note down your target audience
Do you know who your targeted readers are? And do you know what they are searching for? Once you have the answer to these two questions, you can prepare your content according to it.
Firstly, list down your primary and secondary audience. The primary audience will be your main target, the users who are looking for solutions that you may already provide. Your secondary audience will be a much broader and spread out range who might need your service in the future or may influence your existing customers.
Once you are aware of your audience, make sure that your content is suitable and appealing to them. The content that you write must subtly answer your reader’s questions. Give them real and valuable facts.
3. Write simple and easily scannable content
Using hard-to-understand terms on the web is probably not a good idea. This is mostly relevant if you are an expert in the tech field, but your target audience are non-experts. Your use of complicated words is not the way to impress them. Furthermore, if a viewer needs to open a dictionary or do a separate Google search to understand what you have written, then that viewer is most probably not going to return back to your site.
Use the following tips to make your content easy to understand:
- Don’t write lengthy paragraphs. Just break them into smaller chunks
- Divide your content into headings and subheadings
- Use bullet points or numbering to highlight your main content
- Use images whenever possible to get right to the point
- Explain the acronyms on its first presence
- Use active voice
- Make your content simple and universally understood
- Place your valued information at the top where the reader will firstly land their sight.
- Include white space to avoid a cluttered design
- In case you have to use not-so-common words or phrases, then make sure to add hyperlinks to them so that they can redirect to an external link to learn about the topic.
4. Provide hyperlinks to your sources
If you think that citing your references to an external link will make you lose your website’s traffic, then you are absolutely wrong.
Wouldn’t want some external link to add your web page as a reference on their site?
It’s a great courtesy that you do the same for them. And, it is not just about returning the favor, this small step will actually increase your backlink and enhance your website traffic.
So, that’s a win-win case for your site.
A reader will always appreciate if you provide as much information as possible and providing external links is an excellent way to do so without cluttering your website with the specific content.
5. Make your audience want more aka Call-to-Action (CTA)
I am sure somewhere along with the web you have heard the CTA a one too many times.
So, what is Call to Action?
This is simply a button or an image or a line of text that urges readers to take a particular action – like further explore the website.
Now, there are two main benefits of using CTAs in your site:
- Increase your click-through rate
- Lead conversion, meaning converting prospects into valued customers
Your click-through rate is not going to increase if a visitor just lands on your home page and then immediately closes the web page. It will only increase if they explore your site, click a few buttons, open new pages, and leaves some contact information.
So, make your CTAs attractive, captivating text and easily noticeable with beautiful colors and fonts. A few examples would be: “Share Now,” “Learn More”, “Hurry up and join now,” “Sign Up” and “Download Now.”
Other than this, there are various types of CTAs that you can use in your website according to the requirement of the page type.
6. Answer your audiences’ queries
Your main objective when writing for the web is to write clear and concise content; content that a reader will understand without having to look for any further explanation. So, when you write something, you need to keep your end reader in mind.
This is the place to show your expertise. Once you have listed down your target audience, you also need to foretell what your target audiences’ questions might be. Once you have it, you can then create content that incorporates the answers to these queries. This not only provides relevant and valuable information but also shows your readers that you take notice of their concerns and are willing to be of service.
Now, isn’t that a great way to make your web pages engaging and full of action?
7. Give your content a review
Write your first draft.
Take a break.
Come back.
And reread it.
Did you find any errors? Or, did you miss out on some information?
I am sure you will always find something that you missed out before.
Going over your content will help you refine your own writing, cancel out a few words, add in something extra or just fix a grammar mistake.
Clear your mind and view your content from an end-readers point of view. This will give you a concept of how your writing is perceived and then edit it accordingly.
Bonus tip: Read it out loud. Does it sound the way you wanted to? If yes, then “Yay, your content is done!”.
The Final Step:
As said many times, “Practice makes perfect”.
So, the first content that you write may not win the hearts of hundreds but still it is a way to start.
Content writing is not that difficult once you get the gist of it. It’s like making soup – a little bit of preparation, add some well-put words, stir in a bit of keywords and light it with some action. Taste before you garnishing and a top-class soup is ready to be served.
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