Make your website content web worthy with these 5 points
Unless your website is selling photography, your content will play a key role in delivering your marketing message. Good writing has fundamental rules no matter where it’s going. However, writing for the web is very different than most mediums. Here are some points to keep in mind while you work over your web team.
- Keep it short and swee…
- People on the web have an incredibly short attention span. You can’t really blame them, or you shouldn’t, it’s considered bad practice. Instead, shorten your message until it can’t possibly get any shorter. And make sure your train of thought has a caboose.
- You’re an entertainer, so entertain!
- You must have a passion for what you’re writing, otherwise you wouldn’t be in your business. Find ways to convey that passion in your content. If you can’t, perhaps work in a witty one-liner somewhere to make sure people don’t fall asleep.
- Get to the point, but you’ll need one first
- Avoid writing content for the sake of filling white space. Should you find your pages are too short, maybe they shouldn’t exist at all.
- If it needs an explanation, it’s too complicated
- This is a bit more of a technical piece. If a function of your site requires the user to read instructions, it’s most likely too complicated. Take an iPod, it comes with no documentation, but the average person can play, manage, navigate and sync without a manual.
- Write to whomever is reading
- Making assumptions about your audience is imperative to delivering your marketing message. Don’t use words or sentences on a website that you wouldn’t be caught dead using in person (it’s probably not a great idea to use the word “dead” either). Try reading your content to a person and see if it feels authentic. If they fall asleep, go back to the second point of this article.
In my professional opinion, keeping it short is by far the most important point. Even if you’re describing international tax law to a 5th grader, if it’s short they’re more likely to stick around and see what else you’ll say. Good luck!