Whether you’ve fallen into the trap of stale tropes or just want to challenge yourself to write better, you may be wondering how to improve the quality of your web content. Fortunately, it can be as simple as making some basic changes to the way you read, write, and research. By moving out of your comfort zone, you’ll gain some holistic insights into the writing process.
Read on for three unique and unconventional tips on improving the way you produce web content.
Give Your Work the Skim-Edit
Today’s readers don’t have the patience or the attention span to wade through dense paragraphs in search of an ultimate point. Ensuring that your content can be easily skimmed is one of the keys to gaining and growing readership.
In fact, a recent study showed that the majority of web content readers scan writing in an F-shaped pattern, initially focusing on the first few words of every line and later going back to re-read eye-catching passages in greater detail.
Researchers surmised some important points for content providers, including:
- The need to include relevant information within the first paragraph or two on a page, and
- The need to begin subheadings, paragraphs, and bullet points with search-engine optimized or information-carrying words
In addition to editing your web content writing for style and clarity, you’ll want to give your final product a good once-over to ensure that no paragraphs are too long or bulky to fit into a general F-shape; for many readers, the mere sight of multi-line sentences or paragraphs can inspire an instant “TL;DR” response.
Expand Your Reading Horizons
Content creators agree that great writing just isn’t possible without reading. If you find yourself unable to muster up the energy to consume anything longer than a three-line Facebook post, your web content will likely suffer as a result.
To change this, you may need to break out of your comfort zone entirely. If you’re normally a fan of short fiction, pick up a lengthy biography; if you have trouble absorbing information aurally, try listening to an audiobook while driving or cooking dinner.
By not only changing the way you consume content, but the type of content you consume, you’ll be able to find some new tips and techniques you can apply to your own writing while activating parts of your creative mind that may have long laid dormant.
Immerse Yourself In Your Subject Matter
Although “write what you know” isn’t always possible in the business of blog content writing, personal experience with a topic can help you conceptualize it (and express this conceptualization) in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
This can mean taking a field trip to a local dairy farm if you’re writing a piece on the impact of factory farming, or even shadowing a heating and cooling contractor for background research on some HVAC blogs.
Many business owners and employees will be happy to educate you on some of the nuances of a common topic, helping your writing stand out among a stream of more formulaic posts.
About the author
Mary D is a content writer of more than 2,500 backlinked 400+ word blogs, press releases, articles, and how-tos on a variety of topics from commercial heating and air conditioning to personal injury law. She has the ability to turn around well-researched, accurate, and concise articles on just about any topic in a short period of time.
