Spelling/Grammar
It sounds obvious but millions of pieces of content are published each and every day on the Web with spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical/punctuation-related errors. It’s not so much a problem if you’re not great at spelling, but if this is the case, ensure that a spell checker is used, ensure that any copy is processed using various proofreading tools before making it to publication. There is nothing worse than trying to read content on the Web that is riddled with mistakes; it’s also a conversion killer if you work in a professional service / industry. It only takes a second; always ensure you perform a spell check if you need to.
Be Different
Don’t regurgitate topics that have been written to death already. No one wants to read anything that is the same as hundreds of other articles they’ve read. Offer your insights, opinions and own take on the subject at hand to make it more engaging for your audience.
Think about what is going to appeal about your content to others: why are they going to visit your website/blog and read your content? Grab their attention with catchy headlines/titles, use appropriate imagery or even be controversial if it will get their attention. Be different, be unique, be original.
User-Friendly Formatting
Make your content flows naturally, make sure it is formatted correctly. If it is text-heavy, make use of heading, sub headings, imagery or horizontal rules to break up the content into easily readable chunks. No one wants to read through huge blocks of text; this will just deter readers.
Take pride in your content and give your readers the best possible experience by displaying it neatly. Not only that; a well structured/coded/designed page will also perform significantly better in the search engines, leading many more visitors to your content too.
Understand Your Audience
Know what your target audience wants. What questions are they asking? What’s the current hype? What’s the big news in your field/industry? Learn to carry out the appropriate and necessary research before creating fresh content. Those topics that are widely being discussed at that given time are far more likely to generate a much wider response and entice a higher level of engagement.
Creating content about anything that no one is talking about or wants to know is not going to prove to be effective in helping accomplish whatever goals you have. Ensure you’re writing correctly for the appropriate demographic. If you have an audience composed of professionals, ensure that your Web copy is tailored for their needs. If, meanwhile, your target is teenagers, say, then use of jargon or technicalities to discuss a particular subject will probably not be digested as well as it could be if the tone and use of vocabulary were adjusted to suit the correct audience.
Know What You’re Talking About
Above all, know what you’re saying and make sure it is factual. If it isn’t factual, make sure your audience knows it is your opinion or theory. It can really come back to bite you if you write a piece of content on a subject that is completely incorrect: trust me, it’s highly unlikely they will be revisiting your blog again in the future and can potentially damage your online reputation too.
It should be important to work towards establishing yourself as a leader in your field. This can take a lot of work and time, but creating trustworthy, legitimate and factually correct content is definitely going to play a part in working towards this goal.
If there is anything you are unsure of, look information up at reliable sources. With the Web at your fingertips, it doesn’t take long to research something properly and at least then you can cite your references, if anyone questions the accuracy of your content.
About the author: Dave Mitchell works at a UK SEO agency and deploys copywriting services for a wide range of websites and businesses on the web. He lives in the South West of the UK and is addicted to shopping!