Preparing your web : Writing Page Content

Writing content for a web page involves many considerations. I explore issues and offer tips here.

Before you attempt to write the content of a web page, you should first understand the purpose of your page. Don't make people guess what it's about. Conveying its purpose in a descriptive title at the start of the page is a good idea.

Decide what you want on the page and then write a draft copy. It might help if you act like you are writing for a speech or as if you were talking to somebody about what's on your page. Don't worry too much at this stage what and how much text you write as you'll likely need to edit later to keep only relevant text and discard anything non-essential. You should aim for 200 to 500 words in your web page.

You have to ensure the document is clear so that it may be more easily understood. Using clear and simple language promotes effective communication and benefits people whose native language differs from your own.
You should also appreciate your web page document is a standalone page on the web (but within the context of you website). People may search for information exactly what your page is about. A web surfer might enter your site through this page but we have to use specific keywords within your text to match with a related search query.

By keeping your page focused on one topic and using the selected keyword or key-phrase within your text, your page stands a better chance of being ranked higher in search engines for that specific query. There are lots of theories and opinions regarding 'page optimization' through use of keywords. We will likely explore this important area elsewhere but you have to understand its importance. We are however writing principally for our human readers so we must still produce a well written, well edited web page document.

You should also understand the web page's relationship with the rest of your site. How does this page relate with other pages if somebody enters your site through any page other than your home page? You may have to consider some page navigation links within the pages if it forms a series etc (like much this planning tutorial you are reading here).

The visitor entering via a web page within your site will not first see your home page. Commonly only your home page will convey the meaning of your website so you should add some context within your pages to address the theme of your web site in general.

Some of the many considerations in writing quality and effective content for your web pages are:

• Simplicity - always strive for simplicity in your content. Readers should grasp your message immediately through use of easy to understand wording. Web readers scan pages so provide easily digestible chunks (sentences/paragraphs) of text.
• Benefits - always focus on the benefits for your reader. People are only interested in what's in it for them so you must clearly convey the reader's benefits through use of lists and well constructed bolded headlines.
• Linkage - support your text with links to other pages (within your own site or elsewhere) for further details.
• Personality - try and write in a friendly manner while maintaining a professional appearance. Convey empathy in your writing by making you text less impersonal. By making your content interesting and 'connecting' with your reader, you visitor will better understand, enjoy and respond to your content.

Writing quality and effective web content is a skilled job. You can ably do this yourself by reading more on the web, learning by common mistakes and practicing writing yourself. You can read more web content writing tips here to further your understanding of good web writing principles.