Getting ready to write web content
Don't start writing a piece without thinking about it first. A lot of the time, if you don't plan ahead, you'll quickly lose the plot, get lost, or just get stuck in the middle of the story and not know what to write next.To prevent this, do three things before you start.
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Define the Task
Avoid goals like "inform users," "convey information," or "introduce services" at this stage. The best objective for website text is to help the reader or answer their question.
For instance, if you are writing an advertisement about the benefits of car insurance, your goal should be to give the reader a total plan for how to buy insurance. It should not just be an informative endeavor about the new product in your online store but also how this product will help them.
Create a Plan for Your Article
If you're writing an article longer than a few paragraphs, you can't do without a plan. A plan, structure, or outline helps you write clear and understandable material that is logically sound and sticks to the topic. What to include in the plan:
- The topic of the future article;
- An introduction designed to immediately "hook" the reader's attention and engage them;
- The main idea;
- Key points you plan to explore;
- Examples that illustrate these points;
- Answers to the reader's unspoken questions;
- A conclusion that summarizes the material;
- If necessary, a call to action.
- Once you roughly know what you'll be writing about, it's time to gather material.
Gather and Study Information on the Topic
If you're not writing fiction, familiarize yourself with other materials on the same topic. Even for novice writers, it would be useful to first read classic literature to avoid repetition.
So, if you are writing text for a website, first read what has already been written. This will help you learn something new and find authoritative sources you can reference in your article. For example, if you're writing about the reliability of different types of car tires, include information from authoritative studies on this topic.
Sources can vary depending on the topic. These might be online encyclopedias and manuals if you're writing about something well-known. For expert opinions, turn to specialized forums or social media groups. Materials published by competitors can also be useful—you can gather ideas for articles and learn from others' mistakes.
Collect all the information in a separate file to keep it organized.
WRITING THE ARTICLE FOR THE WEBSITE
Follow these four principles when working on the material:
- Use more examples. Even if you're writing about something simple, it's easier for the reader to grasp the idea when it's demonstrated with a specific example. Returning to the car tire article example, don’t just state that one model is "X% more wear-resistant;" illustrate it by saying, "other models wear out after 30,000 km, but this model lasts up to 45,000 km."
- Write informatively. This means the article should not contain information that is uninteresting to the reader.
- Maintain structure: introduction, body of the article, subheadings, conclusion, call to action.
- Speak the reader's language. If your audience is teenagers, it makes no sense to use complex terms and a dry style in your article. If you're writing for the B2B sector, it's better to leave slang and casual tones aside.
Introduction
Right after the headline, you need to interest the reader and convince them to continue reading. This can be done in various ways, individually or even combined.
- The first method is to highlight the benefit the person will gain from reading. For example, "In this article, I'll tell you how to save 5,000 rubles monthly on groceries."
- The second method is to pique curiosity, interest the person, and make them want to know what happens next. For example, "After this incident, I never wanted to do sports again."
- The third method is to establish trust, so the visitor understands that the author's article is trustworthy. For example, "I own a shoe repair shop, where I repair up to 10 pairs of sneakers daily, and now I'll tell you how to care for your sneakers so you never need to visit me."
Body of the Article
In the body of the article, expand on the main points outlined in your plan. Stick to the principle of informativeness—be concise, minimize personal opinion, maximize facts and evidence. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. Why are you reading this? What do you want to learn from it? What style of presentation do you find most comfortable and pleasant? The answers to these questions will help you create a truly useful text for the website.
Conclusion
At the end of the website text, reiterate the main points, summarize the information presented, and make a reasoned conclusion. After reading, the person should have no questions or doubts about your point of view.
Also, consider that some users do not read articles in full but only skim them, stopping only at the last paragraph. Therefore, consider this when writing the conclusion—the text for this section should be self-sufficient and understandable even out of context.
If you have a "selling" text for the website, add a call to action after the conclusion. This could be an "Order" or "Buy" button, a registration form, an invitation to subscribe to a newsletter, or to join a community. If the website functionality allows, you can invite users to discuss the material and express their opinions in the comments.