No matter the industry you operate in, the online market is a crowded place.
It’s never been more important, therefore, to engage your audience from the first instance. Below, we’ll take a look at how you can ensure you don’t bore your reader to the point of no return with these simple tips:
Weed out weak words
The human attention span is limited in this digital age, so you’ll need to make sure your sentences are snappy.
People want information, and they want it fast. If your content is stuffed full of “filler” words, readers are likely to switch off. Therefore, you’ll need to get straight to the point.
We’ve put together a list of weak, or “filler”, words that can reduce the impact of your writing. While they aren’t limited to this list, it should help to build a picture of the types of phrases you should be avoiding:
Stuff and things
While it’s become socially acceptable to refer to “things” and “stuff” in everyday colloquial speech, allowing these terms to creep into your writing can appear unprofessional. It may even convey the impression that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Aim to be as specific as you can in your writing. If you’re not sure how to replace these common words in a paragraph, you could always look to an online dictionary for some helpful synonyms, such as “possessions”, “goods” and “items”.
Really? Very!
When you’re looking to catch the reader’s attention, it can help to trim the metaphorical fat from your sentences.
A post that uses unnecessary padding words such as “really” and “very” won’t appear dynamic, and instead may produce a rambling effect. This is particularly true for headlines, where sentences need to be short and punchy to catch the reader’s eye.
“Really” and “very” rarely add any weight to the point you’re trying to convey. Go for a more direct approach instead, cutting out any waffle.
I think, and I feel, this way
If you’re writing an article about something, then it’s going to be your opinion. Therefore, there’s no need to refer to yourself in this way. It can also convey a passive tone, when what you’re looking to do is engage the reader.
At Engage Web, we supply our wonderful SEO clients with writing that hits the mark. For websites and content that pack a punch, take a look at our range of web design and digital marketing services.
- What are the four stages in the customer buying journey? - February 4, 2025
- What is DeepSeek – and why is everyone talking about it? - January 31, 2025
- Why it pays to know what your competitors are writing about - January 22, 2025