How To Write Website Content Readers Will Love

None of us were born writers. Fortunately the rules for the web are a lot different and in some way easier than regular rules of writing.

Because of the short attention span, the users on the web don’t have time to read long winding sentences. They also don’t care about the prose or other technical writing elements you need to adhere to when writing for the web.

The content you read online has to be short, clear and easy to scan. People want to come to your page, scan the article, get the main points, obtain the necessary information and move on. Yes it’s important to keep them on the page, but you can do this by making your content more interactive, for example, by adding video and infographics. Writing tons of text will not attract readers, no matter how good your writing is.

So how do you write for the web? Take a look at following content writing tips for the web to help you create better blog posts.

If you follow any of the popular SEO and content marketing blogs by Brian Dean or Neil Patel you will notice similarities in their writings.

All the sentences and paragraphs in their blog posts are short and concise. There are many visuals and the sentences are short with no more than a few sentences each.

You will also notice that they get hundreds if not thousands of shares. So they’re doing something right. The best way to learn is by studying the most popular blogs and imitate their style.

To help you get your web writing in shape, you need to follow these time tested content writing rules.

#1 Use subheadings

Break up your blog post into small, easy to digest sections. Use subheadings to provide cues for readers, so they know what is in each section.

Bonus Point: Find tools such as Ubersuggest or SEMRush to find the best keywords to use in your titles to help search engines find your content.

#2 Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and simple

You only have a few seconds to catch a reader’s attention. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Also, you don’t want to use paragraphs that have too many sentences. Big blocks of text tend to intimidate web users.

#3 Put your most important content first

In addition to keeping your content short, you also need to present your most important information first. Unlike writing for print where you want to create a sense of suspense and build the tension, when you write for web you must not waste time and quickly present your main points or risk losing the audience.

#4 Write in active voice

Speak directly to the audience it makes content more reader-friendly. Your content becomes more approachable if you address readers directly as you were speaking to them directly.

#5 Use lists

Breaking up your content into lists can help readers quickly skim your content and find valuable information quickly. Buy using lists you’re not forcing the reader to read through your content to figure out important points of your post.

#6 Add visuals

But using images, infographics, charts and other visual elements you’re not only making your content more interesting but also help readers quickly grasp what your content is about. Whenever you use visual elements, make sure they support the content they meant to represent. Here is a helpful guide on how to embed visuals from popular social media sites

#7 Highlight and bold important points.

By balding and italicizing text you will bring users attention to points you want to emphasize. Make sure you bold only the important text and not large chunks of the article so not to confuse the reader.

#8 Stick with large, easy-to-read fonts

It’s always better to use larger fonts for the body text. You should use at least 16px or larger. Using larger fonts is easier on the eyes and makes the article look more attractive. You also want to make sure that your titles and sub-headings are much bigger than your regular text. Establish visual hierarchy where titles are bigger than sub-headings, and sub-headings being bigger than body text. If you’re looking to find great examples of fonts on the web, check out typography sites Typewolf, Canva font pairing guide, and FontPair to get inspired.

#9 Don’t use technical language or jargon.

It’s important to know your audience. Use the language they can understand. Don’t use any technical words or jargon your readers might not be familiar with. Used to such as Hemingway app to help in your writing.

#10 Use plenty of whitespace

Whitespace is another helpful tool for formatting and organizing your content it makes it easier to consume content on the web. Eating space around different sections you reduce the Clutter on the page, which helps users visually break your content.

#11 Reference online dictionary and thesaurus.

Use variation of keywords in your content. You need to use thesaurus and dictionary to find variations of words so you article doesn’t sound repetitious. Repetition of the same words might might result in Google flagging your content for keyword stuffing. So do yourself a favor and use tools such as Online Thesaurus or Chrome Power Thesaurus plugin to quickly find keyword variations to use in your articles.

Don’t forget to proofread your content. Ask someone to proofread your article before you publish, since we tend to overlook our own mistakes.

So these are top rules you should follow if you want your content be read and shared. Remember to always keep it short and snappy. Use videos and visual elements and get to the point quickly. Nice thing about writing for the web is that you can always come back and update and improve your text at later time. Periodically review your articles and see what improvements you can make in order to make your content even better.