The reality is most website owners, bloggers and even IT specialists struggle with creating relevant and appropriate content for sites, that which attracts readers and encourages further exploration on your pages. Indeed, even for seasoned writers it can sometimes be difficult to determine exactly what works and what doesn’t, and as such there’s always a good deal of fine-tuning that needs to happen.
But creating the ideal content for site doesn’t have to be such an onerous task. Check out these five tips that not only make the process quicker and easier but perhaps even fun.
- Writing and editing takes a lot of time and often doesn’t show a quick return on investment, hence the frustration. So it’s important to put a priority on creating new content. Consider it just as important as designing the perfect banner ad, but as a more long-term strategy. In short, buckle down and don’t keep pushing it off.
- If you’re blogging or updating website content, do it at the time of day when you’re at your very best. Slogging through a post when you’re stressed or tired shows in the finished product. If the morning is your choice to write, start before you check email for voicemail, which has the potential to get your sidetracked. Additionally, as much as we’d all like to think we can multitask effectively, that’s not always the reality. In our tech driven world, every beep or buzz from a smartphone or computer forces our brain to shift its thinking. Writing is all about getting a flow going, so eliminate all possible distractions before you begin.
- We’ve all had our minds go completely blank when we sit down to write, so it’s important to have topics and ideas ready in advance. Get organized by keeping a blog or website update schedule handy. And any time an idea or topic springs to mind—whether you’re in a restaurant or in the shower—jot it down somewhere and add it to the schedule. Then when it comes time to write, focus on the day’s topic and watch the words flow much easier.
- Seasoned bloggers and website content creators will tell you that one of the keys to creating consistently great writing is outlining your work before you begin. Create a series of general bullet points that you’d like to get into the piece, and add sub-bullet points that describe the details. Then, work your way down the list as you write. This strategy saves time and makes going back and editing for proper transitions and flow much easier.
- Lastly, don’t view content creation as a chore: you know the subject material which is why you have a blog or website in the first place. So strive to keep the process light and fun—add relevant video or audio, experiment with your writing’s tone and perhaps add a bit of humor—and it will show in the quality of the finished product.
