(Newswire.net — November 2, 2017) — When you strip away the fat and get down to the meat and bones of search engine optimization, it’s content that will make or break your website.
In order to write great content you must ask yourself who you want to reach and why. While passion certainly plays a part – it’s better to focus on topics that’ll hold your interest – you must always consider the needs and wants of your readers.
If you’re not sure where to start, this guide – produced in association with 720digital.co.uk – will help.
Think Like a Journalist
How did we get information before the Internet? We went to libraries, read books, read magazines, watched the news. Most articles out there today are copied and rehashed over and over again, and more often than not, the truth gets lost along the way. When conducting research remember to look beyond the web and try to find your own legitimate sources.
Trust Your Intuition
Be a confident writer. Don’t be afraid to incorporate your own views and opinions, even if they don’t conform to the norm. Controversy will open a discussion and encourage people to like and share your work. Most successful journalists and writers become respected because of their honesty and beliefs, even though they may not always be liked for it.
Keep Your Language Simple
Be informative, but stay simplistic in your writing style. Read your article out loud to ensure it sounds natural and conversational. When you’re trying to build an accessible reader-base, flowery language won’t help you – unless your ”core” readers are creative writers. In addition, informative articles with no sense of style or humour will make most people lose interest after the first sentence. Keep the language simple and personal and you should have no reason to worry.
Don’t Forget About Presentation
A basic understanding of country-specific grammar and punctuation is highly understated. In addition, you should always double check your spelling and make sure the article is formatted correctly. Remember, it’s not just the words that matter, but also the presentation – a bit of white space is a good thing!
Use Keywords When Needed
While Google doesn’t always need exact-match keywords to rank a website, including a few throughout your article will help, providing they’re completely natural and highly relevant to the topic. Think about phrases that people are most likely to type into the search bar, and try to place the keyword – or a variation of it – in the title and at least one subtitle (H2 tags).
Share your Content
Think about how people will find your work. Link to your page and share it on social media. After all, a well-written article will not get what it deserves if no one knows how to find it. Reach out to family, friends and followers and ask them for a like and share.
Finally, think about who you’re writing for and always ensure they remain your primary focus. Without an understanding of your target reader, you will never produce content that drives results.