Tactics For Writing Articles For Your Web Site

Remember the key mantra. You are trying to get a message over. Do it quickly, simply and elegantly. That’s all that counts. You don’t want to be known as a beautiful prose writer, you simply want to be known as the best source of doovelackies in Australia

Reading a web page is not like reading a book or newspaper. People don’t read every work on a screen…in fact itis somewhat difficult to read from a computer monitor.

People therefore scan the page, rather than read it. You need to understand how people read your material, to be able to construct it in a way that will encourage the site visitor to read and delve more deeply into your site.

Web pages with little or no content on may get put into Googles supplementary results which is not good for you. If you are serious about your website and you want to improve your ranking and position you must be prepared to commit to the creation of carefully worded, and uniquely written content.

It's not about you...  its about them!.

Now, here's something that is sure to get your hackles up!    Guess what? People don’t care about you, your business, your web site, your products or your services, because you are not the only business in the same sphere. They want to know how it will benefit them.

So, with those points in mind, here are a few general tips regarding content and how it should be written..

1. Make it relevant.

If it isn't immediately relevant to them, your visitors will move away...  and that's the last thing you want.....  

2. Make it accurate.

If it is a factual, or information delivery, as opposed to a blog, or opinion piece, make sure it is accurate. Do your research......  

3. Spelling, grammar and general quality is important..

Mitsales in ure spelling and also too in your grammer as well, make the whole thing, either unprofessional, or simply not to be read-able by ure visitores to your web site.

You don't have to be a Chaucer or a Shapespeare, but do please, try to check your content. You have put a lot of effort into your site, bad grammar and spelling will reflect poorly on the whole site.    

When you have written it, do over it again as if you were a visitor to the site. Be very critical......   because you can be sure that even if they dont mention it....  your visitors will be critical!

4. Reading from a computer screen is not second nature for most people.

The combination of the screen glare, the font size and the colours all conspire to make reading a tiresome task. People read a screen more slowly that other media, and often have to re-read sections. How often have you had to go back over screen text one or two times?

For this reason, the text carrying your message needs to be shorter than otherwise, and more striking in the message being conveyed.

Get the message across in the first few lines if possible, then don’t spend too much time fleshing it out.

If the message is written properly, it shouldn’t take too many word to get your point across..

5. Use screen features to assist the reader

Put the most important message at the top. Be clear and concise.

People scan screen text rather than read it word-for-word. Because of this fact, use bolding or colours to highlight relevant key words or facts in your article.

Use bullet points, numbered lists, hypertext links, anything that will avoid the need to read every word to understand the message.

This said, don’t overdo the highlighting.

6. Don’t make your readers interpret everything

This isn’t a PHD thesis you are writing, and your readers aren’t all tertiary educated university graduates. Nor are you attempting to win the Nobel Prize for Literature!

It is a message you are trying to get across in as few words as possible. Write in a language that the majority of your readers can understand. Avoid jargon, and acronyms where you have to use jargon, explain it immediately.t

7. Readers are already overloaded with information – don’t add to it

Emails, memos, reports, meetings, news, radio, internet, TV, in the car, in the office, in the coffee shop, everywhere!. We are being bombarded with information; it becomes difficult to sort the relevant from the irrelevant.

Don’t add to this confusion. Remember the key mantra. You are trying to get a message over. Do it quickly, simply and elegantly. That’s all that counts. You don’t want to be known as a beautiful prose writer, you simply want to be known as the best source of doovelackies in Australia.

Use short sentences, short paragraphs, and one idea per paragraph.

8. Scan it yourself

Put your article on the screen and take a few seconds (not minutes!!!!) to quickly scan the page, or better still, get someone else to do it.

Did the message come through on the first take?

• If so, then you are done. Publish it.
• If not, you have work to do. Revise it!

Don’t agonise over the thing. If it is clear, then it is finished..