Ever wonder why your web site isn’t getting the kind of traffic you think it should be getting? Well, it could be due to several problems, but the one area that most people overlook is the part that has to do with the writing. Writing is an essential part of any web site’s success. If you’re trying to market something on the Internet, sure your web page should look a little flashy- but once a person gets beyond the looks, it’s all about what’s actually written.

Some Helpful Tips

Some of us are fantastic writers. However, you could be the greatest writer in the world and have a ton of interesting ideas; but if you don’t know how to properly convey that to readers, no one will notice how talented you are nor will they care what you have to say. So, here are some helpful tips to assist you into becoming a better writer:

1. Have a Headline: Spend some time working on a catchy headline. A really great headline will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read on to see what your content has to say. For example, many people who read newspapers only tend to read the headlines. The will usually scan the headlines until they find something that grabs their attention. Then, and only then, will they read the article.
2. Know Your Audience: If you are writing for a particular web site, or if you have your own web site, it helps to know who your audience is. Who are you trying to market your information to? This will make a difference in how you write as well as what you’re writing about.
3. Give Examples: Providing examples when you are writing content can help a reader to better understand what you are trying to say because it adds clarification. However, be careful not to overdo it with too many examples because then all you’re doing is breaking up the text, making it more difficult to absorb what is being said. Take the example of some books and articles that have the footnotes right in the text.
4. Avoid Being Verbose: No one likes to read a piece of content that is too wordy. Avoid the wordiness if you can and keep things as succinct as possible while still providing the necessary information that readers will be looking for.
5. Don’t Play the Guessing Game: Readers shouldn’t have to guess at what you are trying to say. Rather, it should be fairly obvious.
6. Keep it Short: No one likes to read content that goes on and on. Keep your sentences and paragraphs relatively short. Remember that if someone comes across a page of entire text, they are less likely to read it. Create some white space in there by shortening sentences and paragraphs down so that it will look and read better.
7. Use Active vs. Passive Voice: Whenever possible, avoid using passive voice. Content that is written in passive voice is a lot weaker than content that is written in active voice. An example of this would be: passive: My shoes have been completely destroyed by rain VERSUS active: The rain completely destroyed my shoes.
8. Be Specific: Readers love details and hate generalizations. When you are writing content, always try to be as specific as possible. Being specific also makes you seem a heck of a lot more credible because it shows that you know what you’re talking about.
9. Don’t Stop Writing: When you are writing content, just write what you what you feel. After you’ve finished writing, then you can go back and correct your mistakes and/or change it as you please.
10. Pretend to Be the Reader: When you are finished writing your first draft of content, take a minute to step outside of the box and into the shoes of a total stranger who would happen to come across your content. Does it seem appealing? Is everything explained well and in a way that can be easily understood by the average reader, or are there still questions that you might have?

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