How to Improve Your Online Writing
What You Say and How You Say It
When you want to connect with customers with your writing, think of them first. You want to talk to them in their language.
For example, if you are writing for avid photographers, both professional and amateur, they will understand photography terms like f/stop and depth of field. You can go into depth about these terms. But if you are aiming to sell products to beginning photographers, keep your language simple. Adding technical jargon will not only confuse them, but it will also put them off.
Understanding your customer will help you address their needs. Take the time to know the basics about your customers’ needs.
What matters to them?
What are they looking for/what problem are they trying to solve?
What do they most love about your product and the experience?
How would your most passionate consumers describe your brand and the benefits?
Keywords Now
Searching for keywords in your industry helps you understand what terms customers use when they search for something on the web. You can use a tool like Answer The Public to identify search phrases.
Keyword research tells you not only the most frequent search terms but also the terms that are narrow but specific to your business. Use these keywords to find relevant topics to address in your online writing.
But instead of asking how you can use a keyword in your writing, think how you can answer the query. Think of the keyword as identifying the input for your article or web page. Then think of your answer as the outpu
Use the narrow but specific keyword phrases (long-tail keywords) to create answers to specific queries. You’ll build supporting content that is relevant to your main keyword, say camera straps. The more supporting content you have on your website, the better your chances of gaining visibility for your main topic.
Focus on Answering a Question
Focus each web page or article on one topic. Your goal is to answer one question, the question raised by the keyword used in search. Show how your business provides the solution for the search.
You don’t want to overload your site visitor with too much information. Your business may offer a variety of products or services, but focus on one topic at a time. People retain focused information presented in small chunks but get lost in overwhelm if you try to tell them everything.
Distill your article down to one idea.
Be clear on who your audience is.
Write to one person.
Keep the tone conversational.
Identify the problem you are solving.
Illustrate how your product or service solves the problem.
Invite the reader to buy your product or service.
It’s really that simple.
Present Your Material
Make your page look good and easy to read. Break up text into small, easily-read paragraphs. Organize the page with headers. Headers make it easy for a visitor to scan the entire page to see that you are answering their question.
White space is your friend. Website visitors want their information fast. They will skim or skip long text paragraphs. So, get to the point and keep it simple.
Add an image that relates to your topic. People remember images. Be sure to add the alt text to the image so search engines understand the content of the image.
When you provide a solution in your customer’s language and follow these simple guidelines, you’ll reach the customers who are right for your business.
If you’re struggling with website content, I can help. Get in touch.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
