The X-Factor Blog

Many factors go into writing web content that really gets people to take action. Writing for the web is different than writing for print. It is shorter, simpler and to the point. Writing content for your website is brief and to the point with shorter paragraphs, shorter sentences and fewer words.

1. They need something: People are looking for solutions and answers rather than to learn about your company. Focus on the benefits and answer your visitor’s questions “So, what’s in it for me?” “What am I doing here,” “How do I do it,” and “Where can I go next?”
2. First Impressions: Make your headline eye-catching. When they first arrive, they need to immediately see your sales pitch, your offering and even your order button. Don’t make them scroll down or switch pages.
3. It’s about them: Spend less time writing about your company and answer how you will solve their problem. Remember, your primary duty is to give them what they need.
4. Be brief! Use shorter sentences, words and paragraphs. Use one idea per paragraph and use about half the words than you would use in writing for print.
5. You have just 3 seconds! Internet users are active, not passive. If they don’t immediately see what they are looking for, they are gone within 3 seconds. First impressions are critical.
6. How will you impact their life? Write about the benefits. Benefits are what sell. Benefits are what features mean. Features are what products do.
7. Scannable: Your reader wants to scan down your web page and get the gist of it before reading. The main points should stand out in sub-headlines, lists, images, colors, italics and indented text.

Good content writing entertains, educates and convinces your audience. By skillfully weaving in keywords, content writing also gets the attention of the search engines.