Ten Essential Rules to Follow for Great Website Content

Computers & TechnologyBlogging / Forums

  • Author Tl Kleban
  • Published February 9, 2008
  • Word count 654

Writing quality contents for websites is much more different from that what you see in a newspaper or magazine. This difference comes from the fact that internet users scan through a page looking for the information they were searching rather than reading the entire page word by word. Because of this behavior, certain guidelines are in place for writing for websites.

The smallest piece of advice can be enough to help you write and the best advice is to keep it simple. Content should be written in such a way that is quick to scan and easy to read The copy has to speak to its reader in everyday, uncomplicated language. Here are ten more tips to follow when writing content for a website:

  • Relevant content - Sure, writing about your night at happy hour the night before may be much more interesting and fun but what does that have to do with your website on graphic design? It's is important for you to stay on topic. Visitors are at your site to learn about design not drink specials. If they come to your site and find a topic not on subject, they will leave and you run the risk of them never returning.

  • Grab the readers attention - This is done by writing in the same manner as a newspaper journalist would write a story. They tell their story in an inverted pyramid style and putting the conclusion of the story at the beginning of the piece. You want to get to the main idea of the entire story right from the first paragraph. The rest of the story just expands on it.

  • Keep one paragraph limited to one idea - Like any other writing, website content should be short and to the point. Write concisely. Internet readers don't initially read pages but scan them instead. Short paragraphs full of information are much more popular that long ones.

  • Use active verbs - Readers like to be told what to do. Keep your site's visitors flowing through the content at a steady pace. Never write in a passive voice. It's boring and lacks confidence in what you are talking about.

  • Write lists, not paragraphs - People love to read lists instead of paragraph and paragraph. It allows them to scan through the page fast with a better understanding of what you're trying get across. Keep the lists short too. Lists are easier to scan than paragraphs, especially if you keep them short.

  • Limit list to 7-10 items - It's been proven scientifically that website users usually only remember seven to ten things at one time. A short list in that number range helps your visitors remember their purpose of them being on your site.

  • Keep sentences short - The idea is to keep everything short and to the point. This includes your sentences along with your paragraphs. You want to to use the least amount of words as needed to get your message across. Everything else is just fluff.

  • Write internal sub-headings - Say you have a page on your site that is pretty long. Don't lose those readers to a boring looking page but instead make it more eye-catching by using sub-headings within it. It makes the page much more easier to scan. Your readers will move to the section of the document that is most useful for them, and internal cues make it easier for them to do this.

  • Make use of anchor text in the content - Links stand out from normal text on a page. They also give the site's reader a quick overview of what the page is about. Search engine spiders love them too.

  • Proofread, proofread, proofread - The last thing you want is this greatly thought out page written up only to have no one read it due to spelling errors. You'll instantly lose all your credibility. Proofread everything you write before uploading it to your site.

Anyone who owns a web site will tell you that a good looking, user friendly website is only the first step towards owning a profitable one. This is where the experienced small business website design team of Mystic Liquid comes in. Visit them at www.mysticliquid.com.

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