How to write great content for the internet

Studies have shown that most people only spend 10 – 20 seconds viewing individual websites, which is hardly any time at all. So how do you get people to spend more time on your website and actually read your content?

The answer is to write valuable content that will appeal to your target audience and is presented in a clear format. People will spend up to two minutes looking at a website with content that is useful to them.

The way that we read internet content is different to how we read print text. People read slower on the internet and tend to scan the page skimming over large chunks of content and focusing on subheadings and summaries. This means that you need to adapt your content for the internet to make it easier for people to read on a computer screen.

Here are some tips for writing great content for the internet:

• Make it brief: People read text slower on a computer screen when compared with reading text in print. This means you need to cut down your print content by half if you want to display it on the internet. Make your internet content short and brief.
• Break up the text: Make your content easy to read by breaking it up into small paragraphs of 40 – 70 words in length. Use subheadings, bullet points and empty space. This will make it easier for people to scan the article and receive your message quickly.
• Use links: The great advantage of the internet is that it allows you to link your content to other websites. Use hyperlinks to draw your reader’s attention to other articles that support your research or main points. Make sure that hyperlinks open in a new window so that readers can remain on your page.
• Use inclusive language: Write content that will engage your reader by using the word ‘you’ instead of impersonal words such as ‘users’ or ‘consumers’.
• Create a catchy headline: Write a headline that will grab the reader’s attention and quickly convey the articles main point. Keep the headline to eight words or less to make it easier for people to read.
• Great content: Write informative content that your target audience will be interested in. If you content is irrelevant or badly written then people will be less likely to read it.
• Edit: Always edit your content! You should ask another person to read over your content because they will notice mistakes that you have missed.

By following these simple tips you can make your internet content easy to read and appealing to your target audience. This means that they will spend longer on your website, reading most of your content and engaging with it.

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Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more PR tips see www.PublicRelationsSydney.com.au.