crafting better web contentTop Tips for Crafting Better Web Content

Content is the single most important element for a website. Whether your goal is to sell a product, sell a service, generate leads, attract newsletter signups, or a combination thereof, you need high-quality content to succeed. Unfortunately, many webmasters overlook the importance of content, tossing up poorly written articles that yield little-to-no benefit. If you want visitors to view your website as an authority figure for its respective niche, you should follow the tips listed below.

 

Avoid the ‘Wall of Text’

What in the world is a “wall of text?”
It’s exactly what it sounds like: a web page consisting solely of unbroken text. While there’s nothing wrong with creating text-based content for your website, it should be broken up into small, easy-to-digest sections. The human brain is hard-wired to read by scanning entire sections of text, rather than word for word, left to right. When a visitor is presented with a large wall of text, he or she may instinctively click the back button in their browser rather than taking the time to read it.

So, what’s the best way to break up your web content and prevent the dreaded wall of text?
Take this blog post, for example. It features several sub-headings that serve as breakers. This allows visitors to scan the content with greater ease, which in turns boosts engagement rates.

 

Cite Statistics and Key Facts

Far too many webmasters make the mistake of crafting filler web content with no real sustenance. If you want visitors to actually benefit from reading your site’s content, you should include relevant statistics and key facts. An excellent source for this type of information is Wikipedia, although it’s important to note that Wikipedia isn’t always accurate. Double-check your sources before citing statistics or facts to ensure it’s correct.

 

Add Media

Another helpful tip to improve the quality of your web content is to add media. Just a single photo embedded into your website’s content will make it more visually appealing while helping to convey information to the reader. Keep in mind, however, that most images found on the web are protected under copyright laws, meaning you can’t copy and paste them to your website. Flickr Creative Commons has millions of free-to-use images, however. As long you as you credit the author and follow his or her guidelines, you can include them in your website’s content.