Your web content is like an ambassador for your company, and if it’s not on point you’re going to lose out on sales.
Always start with keyword research for SEO. The reason why our content is so successful is keyword research. We don’t always write keyword-based posts, but when we do they tend to rank well.
Keyword stuffing is never okay. Although SEO should always be a focal point, if you stuff keywords into your copy you’ll negatively impact the readability of your content, its conversion rate and how well it ranks in the SERPs.
Always hyperlink to your sources. When you reference another website’s content, make sure you hyperlink back to that site. It’s good internet etiquette, and you’d want the same courtesy.
Make the reader happy. Crafting content that goes viral is every writer’s dream, and tapping into a reader’s emotions is the way to do it. Did you know that social media users are more likely to share content that makes them happy?
Keep the action in your content writing. If you’ve read tips about writing for the web before, you’re probably familiar with the term passive voice – but do you know what it actually means? The passive voice happens when you switch the subject and object in a sentence.
When writing for the web, chop it up. Put simply: keep it short! A five-line paragraph is great, but a three-line paragraph is even better. Some content kings like Derek Halpern even let single sentences fly solo. Don’t worry if an idea doesn’t seem to be fully “complete” before hitting that enter key.
Update your links. Every single page on your website should link to other pages — not only does this help you boost the rankings of the pages you link to, it also gets users hopping around on your site and spending more time there.
Don’t forget the extra SEO juice. If you’re using WordPress or a similar platform to host your content, repeated your targeted keywords a couple times isn’t enough. Remember to place your target keyword in the url, in H2 headers, in the meta description and even in the alt tags of your images.
“Dos and Don’ts” — which is correct? The latter! Nothing drives us crazier than people putting apostrophes in pluralized words. When in doubt about spelling, capitalization or grammar, Google it! Which brings us to…
If you’re not sure, look it up. You’d be surprised at how much you teach yourself when you consistently look up things you aren’t sure about. We learned most of this stuff by double checking the words/grammar/spelling/etc. we weren’t sure about. It takes a little time at first, but if you make a habit of not having to double check the same thing twice you’ll be an expert in no time. Then, you can write your own blogs about web content writing tips!
Dictionary.com is your friend — so visit the site often. You’d be amazed at how many words people misuse on a regular basis.
Provide added value. Your content writing should always offer value to the reader in terms of insightful ideas and actionable tips. But if you really want your content to earn repeat traffic and rise in search engine rankings, give your readers a parting gift.