Do you want to be hired for web writing jobs? If so, you need to understand a bit about how your content is found and read. “Make a blog and write” is the best advice I can give you. Also, here are three more tips to help you.
1. Keywords count, but so do real human beings
Think about how you read print publications for a moment.
Magazines have tables of contents and books have indexes so readers can find what they are looking for. Unfortunately, there is no table of contents or index for the Internet, is there?
Keywords are how your content will be found online. They are both tables of contents, indexes and much more. Unfortunately, when some new writers hear about keywords, they go crazy and stuff them into every paragraph.
Relax. Search engines are very smart. Write naturally.
Include your chosen keywords (just one or two per page) in these areas:
* In the page title
* In the page description
* In the first paragraph, and
* In the last paragraph.
Now forget about keywords. Focus on writing for humans. People use search engines and when they find your page they want something worth reading.
2. Keep it simple – provide links and context
People read the web on a computer screen, and sometimes on a very small screen, when reading on a mobile device. They do not concentrate, their attention is divided. They quickly scan a web page for what they need.
Most site visitors spend less than three seconds on a page before clicking. Your goal when writing for the web is to get them to stay longer than three seconds. How do you do that?
Start by making your content engaging – use plenty of white space. Try to keep your paragraphs three to five sentences long and contain only one thought.
Use lots of links. Your readers may or may not click the links, but providing them is a courtesy; It’s also essential in many cases, when you want a reader to do something specific.
You must also provide context. Remember that each web page is independent. You have no way of knowing where your readers are coming from: they need context to understand.
3. Keep it active: a website is never finished
Unlike print, a web page is never published forever. You can change a page frequently, and in many cases you should. The more often you can revisit the pages to refresh them, the better. Web search engines love fresh content.
So think of your website as an organization that you need to nurture.