Guidelines for writing for the web and writing content for your website

 Guidelines for writing for the web and writing content for your website 

Is writing for the web the same as for print media? The answer is no. There are big differences since visitors to your website are exposed to multiple stimuli and distractions. On the web, attention is a scarce commodity, while content is abundant. Quality content has more possibilities to stand out, but for that to be possible you have to take into account some tips and writing tips for optimizing information for the web. Therefore, if we want our website to have the desired success, we must focus on displaying content as appropriate as possible to the environment in which we are working: the Internet.In this sense, these are some practical tips that can serve as a style guide when content writing service for the website.

When writing for the web always keep in mind that:

The visitor accesses the web in the order that he / she wants: therefore, each page must be independent and understood separately.The text is the first thing you see on a web page, above the design (especially titles and highlights).Reading a text on the web is 25% lower than in a written medium. So we will try to use half of the words that we would use for a printed medium.The user is usually impatient; A word-for-word reading of a page is not performed: it scans, looking for the desired information. This implies that you have to write to be read: short, clear and concise texts.We must write keeping in mind for what audience we do it, facilitating the reading by means of simple phrases. Avoid complex titles, sarcasm, metaphors.Writing style for digital mediaWrite, whenever possible, in informal language. It is closer and understandable.Use direct, brief, simple and concise language.

For example:Constitute => IsAt this time => NowUse half of the words that we would use in printed texts. Short paragraphs (2, 3 sentences).Avoid metaphors or complicated language, which forces you to read word for word.Avoid starting the first paragraph with an introduction to what you see on the rest of the page or with references to other pages or sections. For example, let's avoid expressions like:As we said before and…Later we will see …Not using exaggerated adjectives or expressions like “fantastic”, “incredible”, “extraordinary”, this takes credibility away from your content.Limit advertising messages to the areas enabled for it.Abbreviate the text omitting words that do not provide meaning. For example:as we had previously saidUse the active voice. It has more strength than the passive. In these cases, agent and subject must be exchanged. And better to use infinitives versus nouns. For example:The report was issued by the staff => The staff issued the reportThe objective is development => The objective is to developUse accurate verbs, which eliminate redundancy and reduce text. For example: itserves to explain => explains tomake use of => useAddress the reader personally, if applicable, using words like "you" or "we."The text on the page should always be independent and self-explanatory. We never know where the user is accessing from.(Blog writing services)

Make reading easier. Compose for the scanLeave enough blanks on the page.Do not use italicized text or all in UPPER CASE as it is more difficult to read. To highlight text, use bold.Do not use underlined texts, as they can be confused with links.Use short paragraphs, subtitles and lists. Avoid long blocks of text using bulleted lists (only one sublevel and numbering if the order matters).Highlight the most important elements (keywords and main ideas) with bold or listings: mark the keywords that differentiate the page from the rest or that indicate the essence of a paragraph, avoiding underlining (confused with links).Use graphics and tables of contents with discretion, only when they contribute something since they distract the visitor's attention.Organize content according to the inverted pyramid style: from highest to lowest interest, limiting sentences to one idea per paragraph, with the main idea at the beginning of the first paragraph.Remember that the visitor may not read more than the first sentence of each paragraph (visual sweep), so it is necessary to make clear the synthesis of the page (main idea) at the beginning.Do not write long pages to avoid scrolling: fragment the long articles into several pages or sections related to hyperlinks, trying not to exceed the screen size, and following the inverted pyramid principle for each fragment.Create clear and powerful titlesA good title is 75% of the success of your content, it reads an average of five times more than the rest of the text. You have 3-5 seconds to attract the attention of your visitors before the reader decides to leave your page, that's why headlines are so important and they are located at the top of the page, once your visitor sees it. , will make the first indicator to know if they want to continue on the page or leave.The title of a web page must be understood separately (self-descriptive), be brief and use only meaningful words (neither articles nor prepositions).Remember that the title is what is first loaded from a web page and what is stored in the browser bookmarks. It is also what Google first finds, so the better you describe the article the more they will find us.To convince your target audience, keep in mind that your title must answer these 3 questions.What is the offer here?In many occasions, the target audience of a landing does not answer this question with its title, which does not really meet the expectations that people have from the moment they enter their page.Why does my audience need what I am offering?The target audience always demands what they can do once they get what they are offering, or how they are going to feel once they have it, that is why it is so important to be clear about the benefit that you will get. Once they know your business offer exactly, they will not abandon your landing.Why is this landing page the only place where you can get what you are offering?Your title should describe how unique your product is to your potential customers compared to the rest of the market, if you are not completely sure that your offer is not unique, it is time to add reasons that are to achieve the success of your deal.Keep your target audience's attention with the captionThe second most important thing when writing for the web is the subtitle. This is an excellent option to describe your business ideas that were too long to locate in your title. The headlines and subtitles of a page must clearly indicate the content of the sections they title, directly, briefly and simply (without metaphors or puns).Here are three recommended ways to write your subtitles:Keeping Your Target Audience in Remarkable OrderStatistical numbers are a good way to make your offer unique, as are testimonials and case studies. In order to raise the interest of your visitors in knowing how many people have acquired or benefited from your offer, product or services.Direct your visitors to continue reading your page with premises that people would not expect to find.Use a technique that encourages your target audience to think a bit like “ Hmm… really? Tell me more… ”, so captivate him with the content so that he is not easily distracted and take him to feed his curiosity.Use call to actionThe customer lacks that help that we get, for example, through a call to action and a sense of urgency: expiring offers or products that are out of stock. It is not a matter of doing it for all products, but occasionally for certain products.Set exclusive benefits using bulleted listsProfits are the solution that makes your offer successful and what visitors expect to find in your commercial offer. This is why you have to know the summarized benefits for people to really read it, this is why the benefits add with specific details about what and why of your offerYou can find three methods that are used to correctly establish the benefits:Including a number to your benefitsCaptivates your landing visitors, it does not have to be a large number, it only has to have a notable number to create curiosityCovering a "why" or reason for the benefitTells visitors that you know something important that may be of interest to them. The domain on the subject is exposed and it is alluded to having discovered the cause of something that is of interest to its visitors.Instruction in the BenefitInstructions that describe to landing visitors that they are going to learn a method that can be performed absolutely necessary.It is important to have between three and seven benefits or differentiators for your business.Links and calls to actionVisitors to your page or website must meet one objective and that is to complete an action for your potential customer to make a decision: bring a form, subscribe to a newsletter, buy a product, send an email or make a phone call, between others. So you should develop clear and concise buttons and links.The text of a link or button should help the user to identify where it is going, so the most representative words possible should be used.Avoid using " click here ", " click here ", " follow this link " or the like.Avoid repeating links to the same destination within the same page.Take advantage of the text when positioning on the link (attributes "alt" and "title") to provide more information about it.Links capture attention while scanning the page and invite you to leave it, so it is advisable not to use too many.External links, to reference sites, increase the credibility of the page.Use credible testimonials or success storiesThe opinions of different users who have used a product or experienced service will give great credibility to your offer. It is what is known as testimonials or testimonials. In this sense, the main barrier to overcome is the mistrust that these are not real testimonies. The greater truthfulness we are able to transmit, the better; how to do it? Here are some recommendations:Put the testimonials in quotes.Put the name and, if possible, the position and company of the client.Include a photo of the person or, even better, a video.And don't forget to check its content before publishing itYou should always check the content, once written, to correct possible grammatical or spelling errors.Dedicate a second review to remove words that do not add meaning.To be able to understand ... => To understand ...Finally, it is important that another person (s) review the final version of the text before publishing it. "Four eyes see more than two".