Content is meant to educate, inspire and solve problems, but only a handful of visitors tend to consume at least a few hundred words of what your write most times. Writing successful content implies more than providing figures and data.
What can you do to make visitors stay on your page, convert to loyal readers and even return to engage with your content? These are the things you need to consider when writing. But, unfortunately, many do not focus on these critical areas. If you are one of those, this post will help you change your mindset and know how to write killer web content.
1. Write with Your Target Audience in Mind
You need to place yourself in your visitors’ shoes when writing your web copy. What information do they want? How can you get them to stay and consume your content? Here is what you need to do.
Place important information first
Web content writing is different from essay writing. When writing an essay, vital details might come at the end of the paper without causing problems. But when writing web content, placing relevant information at the last part of your article could be dangerous.
There are few things that visitors are going to pick from your website. Once they find them, next action is to move to another page or different site. They are always in a hurry and believe they can find different solutions to their problems visiting other places. So when they land on a website, what they look for is what you do and figure out other vital details. Some might spend some time to check on some background information before going elsewhere.
It has a name – journalists call this writing pattern “inverted pyramid.”That is why when you read most newspapers; newsworthy information appears on the pages first before background information and other details. In fact, from reading the first few paragraphs or lines alone, you can tell where the story is heading.
That said, you need to use this idea for your website. Include the most vital information in the first few lines. Do not worry about letting the cat out of the bag too soon in the content. Remember, visitors are after the following;
- What do you do?
- What can you offer them?
Make your web copy simple
You need to make your web copy as simple as ABC. Desist from using phrases that will make them spend the time to think. They do not have much time to start thinking while reading through. Make your copy simple that even an eight-year-old child can read and understand. You should also know when to write using professional or friendly tone. Including jokes in a copy that demands you to write in a professional tone can be disastrous.
Lastly, use bullet list for points. Remember, most visitors prefer to scan through rather than read word for word. So they might miss out on your points.
- Make your copy simple to read
- Use bullet list for points
- Use smaller paragraphs of 3 – 4 lines
- Avoid passive voices
- Avoid repetition or unnecessary words
- Edit your article ruthlessly before posting
2. Make Your Introduction Compelling
The first impression matters as far as web copy is concerned. If your opening is not inviting, visitors will not feel the urge to read further. So make your presentation compelling. You can leverage the APP formula (Agree – Promise – Preview) to make both Google and visitors fall in love with your web copy.
Indicate you understand their problems and know they need a solution to it. Then, proceed to make them know that there is a solution to their problems and offer it. Visitors are on your page because they are looking for a solution to their problems. So make everything about your web copy sound about their issue. Show good understands their dilemmas and resolution.
Besides the intro, you need to work on your headlines. Make your headlines catchy and emotionally appealing so that visitors will love to read the proceeding content. Take out time to check their emotional value as you write.
- Make the introduction concise but captivating
- Write captivating headlines
- Make sure the headline and proceeding texts correspond; that does not deviate from what was stated in the headline
3. Use Bucket Brigades and Powerful Call to Actions
These two ingredients can make your web content writing journey a successful one. Even skimmers sometimes fall for them. Brigade is old school tactics used by copywriters that still works till this very moment. They are used by professionals to keep visitors longer on their web pages to increase dwell time – an important ranking factor to Google.
Google believes that the longer people stay on a page, the higher the quality. It is evident that no one would be interested in spending time reading a weak article.
Bucket brigades can appear anywhere on the content but use them wisely. You need to make them sound convincing and flow with your writing tone.
Here are a couple of examples:
- Here is the main point
- This is why I love sleeping early
- This is the perfect solution to the problem
You can coin your brigades, but make it blend well with the content you are writing. Next is CTAs. A great call to action might make you stay in the web content business for more years.#
Of course, managing a website involves money, so you need conversions. Calls to action will persuade your visitors to take actions that you want. It could be to click on a link, sign up for an email newsletter or purchase a product.
Tips for Writing Effective CTAs
- Mention the benefits visitors would receive. For example, sign up for a free guide on weight loss
- Make it bold and easy to spot
- Make your copy compelling
Conclusion
The bottom line is for webmasters to treat their blogs and websites as a business. When you do, your mindset will be not just to produce tons of contents, but target them at your audience. Consider your visitors when writing.
You can even put yourself in their shoes to make it easier for you to read their minds. The above steps are on ways to produce contents that will make your online business successful.