Internet browsers come to websites for their content, not to stare at the layout or appreciate the different icons and elements used in the design. They want a solution to a problem, information or entertainment. If you own a website of any kind, you need to know how to write website content that delivers what the visitors want. At the same time, this content also needs to inspire them to do what you want such as sign up for a newsletter or buy a product.
These goals are not difficult to achieve as long as you understand the rules of creating killer content that converts.
1. Avoid Fancy Website Distractions
Attractive, colorful websites grab the eye and give visitors an indication about what type of business you’re running. Add too much flash and fancy and you risk overpowering the content instead. The articles you write or the videos you create are only as powerful as the notice they attract. If they get buried in the website template or formatting, they cannot perform their primary duty.
If you choose to add videos, stock photography or more complex infographics, be sure they are neatly arranged and do not compete with each other for site visitor attention. Organizing content for easy viewing is as important as creating quality content to begin with.
2. Write for People, Not Search Engines
The best content is created with the reader in mind. No matter what your industry or niche, there are people who have questions or concerns about some aspect of it. These can be determined with some research on answer websites, related forums and social media or by asking your customers or clients directly. Killer content solves problems. In fact, the best content provides the only true solution to a painful, unpleasant or embarrassing thing your intended audience is experiencing.
All articles should be written in conversational English with correct spelling and grammar. Avoid using excessive industry-specific jargon unless your intended audience is familiar with it. Writing website content is not the time to show off your extensive vocabulary or esoteric knowledge.
3. Don’t Forget the Search Engines Entirely
Although the days of keyword stuffing and writing to percentages are long gone, you still have to focus some attention on what the search engines are looking for. Intelligent keyword research still makes logical sense because organic traffic is still the most common way people find websites.
Brainstorm various words and phrases that people interested in your topic may search for. You can use a keyword research tool to check their popularity against competition, although some general terms should be included even if there are 10 million other websites that use them. Google’s algorithms are changing all the time, but are increasingly logic-based and expect keywords and phrases to be used naturally in a topical post.
4. Build Relationship With Your Content
The public’s interaction with companies is more personal than ever. This means that they want to develop a trusting, long-term relationship with the people they buy things from and hire to provide services. Whenever possible, make your content interactive. This does not mean you should gamify articles so users have to click icons to make more words load. Instead, ask questions, conduct polls and otherwise invite contact from your readers.
When they respond or ask a question, be sure to back up the original content with an answer delivered in a friendly and professional manner. Some of the most effective content consists of answers or explanations that members of the public specifically ask for.
5. Always Use Eye-Catching Structure
Interspersing textual content with graphics, stock photography and video clips is an excellent way to attract attention and engage site visitors. Even if you are just posting an article, you need to learn how to write content appropriately for rating on the Internet.
Use headings, subheadings, bulleted or ordered lists and plenty of white space so the readers eye flows smoothly from one point to the next. People online have short attention spans and tend to scanned pages rather than start at the top and work their way down. You need to grab their attention as quickly as possible with a bold or colored heading for a block quote set off with an eye catching graphic.
Inspire Readers to Take Action
The ultimate goal of all content on a website is to convince visitors to take some sort of action. This could include signing up for a newsletter, clicking on an advertisement or buying a product.
Avoid sales talk or marketing speech on your website. Too many “Buy Now!” come-ons will give the impression of a used car lot instead of a reputable company. In order to convert readers to customers, you need to convince them that taking the next action is worth their while. It is the difference between asking someone to buy from you and convincing someone that your product will improve their life in such a way that they would be a fool to pass it up.
The proper method of determining how to write website content is mainly a matter of perspective. Writing the articles and blog posts and deciding which pictures and videos to include requires more than just getting an idea and throwing in some keywords. Since the majority of people online are looking for solution to a problem or an answer to a question, it is your job as a website owner or content creator to figure out what they want and then deliver.
