5 Key Points to Gain Traction as a Writer
As a content creator, you must be aware of who your audience is, how they access your content, what information they are interested in, and the level of detail that they want. Asking these questions to your prospects is a good way to gather this information. Sometimes though, it takes additional research. There are also basic rules that you need to be aware of for successful Web writing:
1. Write your content to facilitate online reading:
People’s eyes normally sweep content horizontally, from left to right, focusing on a triangular area in the upper-left corner (this area should be content rich). Most visitors only scan the page looking for relevant words of interest. They most likely scan the content appearing in the first few paragraphs. They read headlines, bold text and have a look at images. Use font sizes and text and background colours that are appropriate for your audience.
2. Quickly get to the point:
Your content only has a few seconds to draw visitors to take action so keep your message short and get to the point quickly. Short, simple and front-loaded content are key concepts. Important content goes in the top-left area. Most important content and sentences with keywords are placed at the top of the page. Write in simple, common language presenting only one or two ideas per paragraph.
3. Make your text easy to scan:
When it comes to digital content, less is more. Minimize the number of words needed to convey the message. Use meaningful headlines and sub-headings and where possible, use bulleted lists and pull-quotes.
4. Write to appeal to your audience:
In most cases, your audience will be looking for simple, easy-t0-read informative content. Keep words short and simple. Content should be gender-neutral, non-culture specific (unless that is your target group), and for the most part, non-location specific (unless that is your target group).
5. Clearly orient people to your call-to-action:
Much of the site’s usability depends on its use of effective navigation and design. In many cases, your post will appear in your site and display your look and feel however, there are instances when posts will be displayed externally so ensure that you have the proper direction to what visitors can do next.
