Four useful content writing tips learned from dating sites

Jenny C

Anyone running a website can benefit from the experiences of online dating sites, where there are clear guidelines on features that attract interest versus those that put prospective dates off immediately. Here are some of the top issues affecting dating profiles:

1. Poor spelling/grammar. Issues with these can mean that an otherwise interesting profile attracts little or no interest from potential dates, as people tend to interpret spelling or grammatical issues as signs of laziness, carelessness or even lack of intelligence. Attention to detail is just as important on business websites.

2. Lack of photograph. People are suspicious of dating profiles with no photo and these profiles tend to be overlooked. The same applies to commercial sites, where products need to be shown as well as described and the site needs to create a good visual impression.

3. Dull, clichéd writing. Dating websites have certain standard words and phrases. Some of these, such as ‘GSOH’ (good sense of humour) have been so overdone that they tell people nothing about the actual character of the person behind the profile. Because the same thing can apply to websites in general, many business owners hire professional writers for all their copywriting.

4. Too much information. People tend to be put off by overly wordy dating profiles. It’s one thing to put in a lot of colour and detail, but a profile shouldn’t be a life story or a long opinionated rant. Website owners can also learn from this one – writing should be presented in digestible chunks to hold the attention of readers.