Writing content for your website can take up a lot of time, and there’s nothing worse than to realise you’ve spent that time creating something you’re not happy with.
Before you start, remind yourself of what you’re trying to achieve with your content, and the pitfalls you want to avoid. With that in mind, here are some do’s and don’ts that will make content creation a breeze.
DO
DO know your audience
This might sound obvious but it’s one of the biggest issues many writers face. It’s not just knowing who the audience is, but also what they want, and how to put it in a way that will be relevant, interesting and informative.
A middle aged, self-employed man will almost certainly have different needs to a young female business manager. Identify your target audience and give them a persona, including not just their age, sex and occupation, but even details like their hobbies and favourite TV show. Make sure that whatever you write is tailored to that person, and you’re well on your way.
DO keep it simple
Nobody wants to read pages and pages full of long words and technical mumbo jumbo. It’s off-putting and boring, not to mention patronising. It’ll be far easier to read if you write it for the average person.
A pretty good rule of thumb is to write for people ages 16 to 18. That way, any prospective customers who might be looking at your content should be able to understand it without much trouble.
DO be short and sweet
There’s no point writing for hours. Most people on the internet scan through everything they see, so they won’t get to see how great your product is if they get scared off at first sight.
Try to make sure that everything you write sticks to the point, and that every word is important. Writing for the sake of writing won’t make you many friends, but it may just cost you customers.
DON’T
DON’T plagiarise
Obviously, there are all kinds of legal reasons why this is a bad idea, not to mention moral ones. Moreover, it will also make your content harder to find.
Google makes no secret of the fact that it penalises duplicate content, and at Engage Web, we run all content through a copy check to ensure its originality. Plagiarism might sound like the easiest way to get quality content, but really, it’s just shooting yourself in the foot.
DON’T oversell
This is a big one. Of course, it’s really important to make it clear what a great product you’re selling, or how much your service can help the customer, and to offer them the opportunity. You can get this message across without putting a “buy now” link in every other word, however, which can come across as desperate and disrespectful.
Good content is all about telling your viewers who you are and what you can do for them. Instead of taking a hard-sell approach, provide them with something that shows just how unique and useful the product you’re offering is, and make sure that the content itself has value.
DON’T be robotic
It’s really important to breathe some life into your content. It doesn’t have to be a laugh a minute, but a bit of carefully judged humour and personality usually bodes well. Not only will it make your article, video or podcast a lot easier to sit through, but you’ll probably enjoy creating it more too.
The good news is at here at Engage Web, we have the knowledge, resources and experience to create the best content, tailored to the needs of you and your customers. Feel free to get in touch or give us a call to discuss how we can help you get the most out of your content.
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