Saying that the Internet is saturated with content is like saying there are a lot of stars in the sky! An evidence ! According to a study by Internet Live Stat , there are more than 900 million Internet sites on the web, more than 3.5 billion Google searches every day and around 350,000 tweets sent every minute! Tons of content flows through DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Yandex, Ecosia and not to mention all the data on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok, and Instagram.
Capturing the reader’s attention in this torrent of content is becoming more and more difficult and at the same time constitutes a major stake. Another study by best easy writing formatting services analytics service found that 55% of visitors spend 15 seconds or less on a single web page. Writing well on the Internet is the only key to beating these statistics and keeping the visitor on your site. Well-written, internet-optimized content will both stand out in search engine results and also grab readers’ attention once on your page. MLA essay format will help you multiple time to seek audience attention.
There are a few writing tips that can be applied regardless of the medium: screen, paper or carved in rock. And there are others, on the other hand, that are particularly suited to internet writing. Here are 11 principles to follow to make sure your online content gets the attention it deserves:
1 – Know your audience
It may sound simple and logical, but many writers take a pen before questioning who their targets are and how to reach them.
Before starting your draft, ask yourself this basic question: Who is my primary audience? Who would be my secondary audience, and how could this second influence and serve to reach my primary?
Say you want to create a website for a law firm. Your primary audience could be your existing customers. However, your secondary audience is much larger, and could include other lawyers, specialist journalists, or anyone who may need your services in the future – in other words, your prospects. So you need to make sure that your content is both accessible and interesting to all of these audiences. What kind of questions can these targets ask? What kind of information are you going to be able to give them?
2 – Apply the inverted pyramid method
Readers have very impulsive attention. They judge the interest of your site in just a few seconds. For immediate clarity and impact, structure your content along the lines of an inverted pyramid or cone. The most important information should appear at the top of your page. Then, gradually, you integrate the secondary elements and end with the details.
Imagine this time that you are creating a web page for a conference. The most relevant information – like the description of the event, the themes, the date and the location – will naturally be visible at the top of the page. Then there will be secondary information such as the presentation of the speakers and the order of the conferences. And finally, lastly, you can name the organizers, the various partners of the event or the quotes from the press articles published during the previous edition.
3. Write short, simple sentences.
Long sentences have no place on the Internet. The average length to respect for an online sentence is 35 words maximum. Mainly made up of words and verbs. Don’t use words like “placid” or “nebulous” when you can just write “calm” or “confused”.
Find in this blog post Einstein’s advice to adapt to your audience.
4. Prefer the active voice
Use active verbs rather than passive ones, making it clear who is the subject of the sentence. Rather than writing “A coffee has been ordered”, always prefer “The customer has ordered a coffee. Or instead of saying “The products can be ordered on our website”, preferably write “You can order these products on our site. “
The active voice simplifies reading and makes your speech more direct and therefore more impactful.
This advice also applies when you need to speak directly to your audience. A “You can order now” will serve your cause more than “the order can be placed”.
5. Nothing beats the concrete
Don’t limit your prose to generalities and high-level statements. Examples from your daily life help readers better understand and visualize your messages. See instead with these two descriptions:
“This is the best dog toy you can find! “
Or :
“We made this dog toy from 100% natural and durable rubber, designed to withstand punctures and the toughest of jaws. “
Which version has the most impact on you and gives you the clearest view of the product offered? The details provided in the second description are a concrete sales argument therefore effective and will allow you, moreover, to be better referenced on the Internet.
6. Complete the jargon
The Web must be accessible to everyone, by experts as well as by everyone. So make sure that the information you provide is understandable also to non-specialists. Avoid acronyms from the first use on your page or insider language. And if you have no choice, feed your comments with links to other articles where readers can get more background information on the topic in question.
Concrete example with this sentence:
Following a road accident, the OPD intervened quickly on site and the victims transported to AR were all saved.
These terms are especially understandable for medical trades or firefighters. A more accessible review would be:
Following a road accident, the departmental duty officer quickly intervened on the spot and the victims transported in a resuscitation ambulance were all saved.
This advice is particularly important if you work in a technical sector but still want your site to reach non-expert customers. Remember that you need to write for your audience (see point # 1) and not for your colleagues. Using accessible language will help you expand your customer base.
7. Make the text readable
In addition to ordering the information in order of importance, make sure the text is easy to navigate. Most readers will scan the page very quickly with their eyes to find the specific item they are looking for and if they cannot find it easily, they will leave the page without looking further.
Hard to believe ? Try to be careful the next time you browse a new site. Are you reading every word from start to finish or are your eyes jumping from paragraph to paragraph to analyze the content and see if it’s really worth the time? in their reading?
Some basics as a reminder:
feel free to use bulleted lists to lighten up your paragraphs.
do not be afraid of heights . Place spaces on your pages to separate texts, images. Reading comfort will be much greater.
the titles and subtitles are necessary to structure your content.
Headings and captions not only help your readers easily find the information they’re looking for, but also help search engines index your content the right way.
Discover the 6 golden rules to follow when writing on the Internet!
8. Incorporate multimedia.
Sometimes a photo, infographic, or video is better than hundreds of words.
Research shows that 90% of the information sent to the brain is visual, and people pick up visuals 60,000 times faster than texts.
An easy-to-read map or graphic can also help you explain a more complicated idea or concept than just text. If you are not a certified designer, there are many free and very intuitive tools that can help you achieve these different visuals easily. Canva or Piktochart are two of these tools.
Images also help break up text, making your ensemble more digestible to read. We recommend that you have at least one image on each page of your site.
9. Think like a search engine.
Internet users find the web content they want through many channels such as social networks, links from other sites, e-mail signatures, and of course search engines . This last source of traffic needs attention. To get a place on the search engines, your texts must be extremely well written, relevant and above all optimized. Think again about your audience: what are the terms and keywords likely to be entered in the Google search bar? Make sure these terms are included in your content, especially in your headlines and subheadings .
FAQ
What is the pyramid method in writing?
Readers have very impulsive attention. They judge the interest of your site in just a few seconds. For immediate clarity and impact, structure your content along the lines of an inverted pyramid or cone. The most important information should appear at the top of your page. Then, gradually, you integrate the secondary elements and end with the details. Imagine this time that you are creating a web page for a conference. The most relevant information – like the description of the event, the themes, the date and the location – will naturally be visible at the top of the page. Then there will be secondary information such as the presentation of the speakers and the order of the conferences. And finally, lastly, you can name the organizers, the various partners of the event or the quotes from the press articles published during the previous edition.
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