What makes effective web content?

[ciarac]

Hi to all,

For anyone that is struggling with writing web content, here is an article which I composed in the hopes of helping some of you guys out.
If you disagree or have any ideas, I'm open to criticism...so long as it's with a smile...


Ever since the 'Dot Com Boom', people have been diving onto the internet, hoping to profit from it's rapid spread.
Although many Dot Com companies crashed, due to insufficient planning or too much desire to make money ASAP, the word is still not fully out that the internet is NOT a place for get rich schemes.
The schemes exist, yes, but they don't work.

In truth, making money on the internet, in any which way, takes time and effort.
People may fail and fail again on the internet, before they 'make it'.
This is a truth that any logical person must accept.

The good news though, is that although it is not easy to make money on the internet, the equation of HOW to make money is very simple.
To profit from the internet, one simply needs a high traffic website. A website that brings in new visitors and also produces repeat visits.
In order to achieve this, the simple equation is:
[Effective web content] + [Many quality inbound links] = A high traffic site

Fortunately, the first component begets the second.
Effective web content will make the growth of inbound links simple.
The topic of inbound links is an interesting discussion onto itself and will be covered in anther article.
Here and now, we shall cover the points that make for excellent content.

* Write Effective Web Content - Aim to benefit your audience

The number one pointer to remember is that you are at the mercy of your visitor.
You want to please him or her.
This should be your main aim.
Don't write to make money.
If you first think of your visitor, the possibilities of monetization will come.
You simply MUST offer value to your audience.
This will make them come, stay, return and recommend your site to friends.

* Write Effective Web Content - Make excellent use of the English language

Assure that your English, or whatever language you are writing in, is grammatically correct.
Use a spell checking program.
Ask friends to review your article before you publish it online.
There truly is nothing less professional than obvious grammatical mistakes.

* Write Effective Web Content - Be short and concise

If you can illustrate something in one paragraph instead of two, do so.
Interesting adjectives make an article more enjoyable to read, but unless you are writing a novel, steer clear of being too flowery with your prose.
Internet surfers don't have a lot of time to spend on any one site and they do not like having their time wasted by authors taking too long to make their point.

* Write Effective Web Content - Do not try to replicate other authors

This means two things.
A. Never steal other peoples content. It benefits nobody, as Google actually penalizes websites with duplicate content.
B. Do not try to imitate a favorite author of yours.
By all means take pointers from his or her style that you like, but write in your own style and voice.
It will come across.
Much like in person you can tell when somebody is not being themselves, so too in writing can you tell.

* Write Effective Web Content - Research your facts

If you need facts to support your article, assure that they are just that; facts.
Do not try to pass your opinion off as fact.
If a reader realizes that you have misinformed them, they will not return and there is a possibility that they will even speak badly of you to friends, both online and off.

* Write Effective Web Content - Content is absolute king on the internet...don't stop at one article

Once you are pleased with one article you have written, move on and write another.
As long as you can think of good subjects, don't stop the production of information.
Google and other search engines love quality content, and plenty of it.
Slot yourself into the small percentage of success stories on the net by becoming a 'Quality Content Production Machine'!

[gsmart]

Audio and video content can definitely make a good impression.

Good Luck!