The Basics of Writing for the Web

There is plenty to learn when writing for the web, but if you are just starting out then here are some of the basics that can help you learn the industry and the audience.

To start, know that “short and sweet” usually works the best.  Most web surfers will only give you a few moments of their time and read a few chunks of your writing to decide if they want to stay and read more or click away (to the billions of other websites out there!).  This means you have to have something worth writing about, and it has to be presented in a fresh way.

Even if you are an expert on the topic you are discussing, be sure to fact check and do some extra research to verify information.  The next key is to keep it original.  There is nothing wrong with perusing similar websites to see the writing style of your peers, but no one likes reading rehashed information, so keep it new and interesting.  Find a unique “angle” to set you apart from all the other web writers out there.  To find your angle think of what you can offer to your audience.  What special knowledge can you impart?  What skills can you offer?   You may also want to practice finding your own writing style or “voice” which sets you apart.

Once you have mastered the art of keeping it short, current, and unique it is time to get into the more technical part of writing for the web.  Link building, branding, and all sorts of SEO work go into making good writing for the web.  There is a lot to learn, but one of the basics is that of key wording.  Keywords act as little beacons in the crowded World Wide Web.  They help search engines find and catalog your website so that it can be listed in top results when someone types those keywords in a search bar.

Deciding what keywords to use can be as easy as applying common sense to what someone would type in to find your website, or it can be as difficult as studying data and keyword research if you want a top spot that will drive in traffic.  You also have to make those keywords naturally flow in your writing so that they don’t turn off your audience once they find your website.

There is plenty to learn when it comes to writing for the web, but once you get some of the basics down, the rest doesn’t seem so difficult.