Write For The Web: What You Need To Know

You may think that offering web writing services is a simple matter. After all, web writing is as simple as talking, right? However, you'll be doing your clients a favor if you ensure their content gets traffic and readers.

My experience with web writing started some 15 years ago, when everything was much simpler. You could get traffic just because you had a website. Nowadays however, you need a lot more than a site to get traffic, readers, and customers. Here's what you need to know.

1. Keep it simple. Why use a long word when a short word means exactly the same thing? Why take three lines to explain something when you can do it in one?

2. Get attention with the headline. Take a look at the headline for this article. You kept reading because you wanted to be sure you were providing the best service for your client, didn't you?

3. Add eye appeal. Admit it: long paragraphs make your eyes glaze over. We're all lazy, so use bullets, lists, subheads -- anything that will make your content seem short and easy to read. That way, readers will quickly scan it, find the information they need and move on.

4. Forget about adding jokes. The Web is truly world wide. Remember that your reader may likely be from a different part of the world, so skip references that may not be clear, like jokes and pop culture references. Also, if you must use industry-specific acronyms and terms, explain them so a novice will understand what you mean.

5. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Never assume your spellchecker will catch your typos or grammar mistakes. Always set your web content aside for several hours and proofread it again when your mind is fresh. Then give it to someone else to proofread it before it is published. You'll be amazed at what you missed.

6. Use keywords correctly. While keywords are important for search engines to sort web content, don't stuff your content with keywords in order to get better rankings.

Web writing is not difficult. Write simply and clearly and content will be found -- and your readers will enjoy it.