Writing Website Content

Excellent content makes an excellent site...

It is easy to get distracted by all sorts of weird and wonderful things when creating or maintaining a website. With so many new technologies coming in all the time that are waiting to be explored and manipulated, it is easy to lose sight of the basics. It is easy to lose sight of why the internet is so incredibly popular and looks to have revolutionised the way that we communicate, do business, and find out about the world around us.

That key is summed up in one word: information.

At heart, the internet is all about exchange of information. People visit a website looking for some specific information: perhaps it is how much money they have in their bank account, or how to change a car tyre. Whatever it is though, they don't come to a site looking for that fancy animated logo you just commissioned or to marvel at the fantastic Flash video you must made (as nice as it is). They come, first and foremost for information. The link?

Information is conveyed by content

And, in most instances, it is conveyed by textual content - though images and diagrams do also have their place. Therefore if you want to have a successful, thriving site, you need to ensure that you offer your audience the information they think they will get when reaching your site, and that you present it in a clear and understandable way.

The best way is not to start with the content of the page but the purpose, as this will give you great guidance as to what the content should be. Focus each page on one specific subject or topic and you will find the page much easier to write; in fact sometimes it may write itself.

Try to work out a logical flow for each page. Therefore if your website tells you everything you ever wanted to know about brushing teeth and more, then think out how the content should reflect the process. It should follow the same order. In other words, you should start with 'what you need to brush your teeth' and then discuss wetting the brush, putting on the toothpaste and then that perfect brushing technique and so on.

Most processes can naturally be broken down into steps like this, and it makes sense to reflect this in your structure. On the web, short paragraphs broken up with sub-headings works well.

Try to keep paragraphs clear and to the point. Don't use unnecessary jargon. If you want to communicate some key points concisely, try using a bullet point list.

At the end of a page of content, it is useful to provide a summary of what you have just said so the person scan reading gets the gist of what you wrote.

Summary

- Decide on the purpose of the page before writing a word
- Use clear titles and sub-headings to help the reader get the most from the page
- Try to work out the logical flow of content on the page and stick to that order
- Do not stray from the purpose of the page
- Keep content in short paragraphs, clear and to the point
- Bullet point lists can help communicate key points or facts clearly
- The more you practice at writing online content, the better you become

Author: Dan

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Last Updated: Aug 31st 2006

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