What is content writing all about?
Exactly what is content anyway? We hear that word ‘content’ thrown around so much and it adds so much mystery that is not needed! Of course, this is my humble opinion.
In layman terms, CONTENT is simply writing about something you know – end of story. It is all about compiling an essay (which, by the way, does not have to be long-winded nor disappearing with two puffs of smoke after reading two sentences) that describes whatever your subject matter is all about!
The key to writing great content for your website or for any journalistic process is simply adhering to some of the tips that I will outline below. Let’s take a look.
A FEW TIPS TO WRITE GREAT CONTENT:
- Know your topic
- Do your research
- Engage your audience with easy, simple, to understand vocabulary
- Use images when necessary
- Keep your paragraphs short and sweet – easy on the eyes
- Use a nice font and size that makes reading easy
- Make it fun, even sometimes when the theme might be technical
- Have a conversation with the reader – make it flow naturally
Know your topic
This might sound simple and guess what – it is! When you are familiar with the topic which you are writing about, it makes your ‘job’ easier. For starters, it keeps your interest so that you won’t think of the article as a chore; and secondly, it makes your reader want to agree with you or disagree with you because now, you are using your experience to get your point across to others. Readers KNOW when you KNOW what you are writing about – it shows!
Do your research
Ok, you might be wondering, you know your topic, isn’t this enough? Yes and no. Everyone, yourself included, can always benefit from a little research aka more information. Information that can also be more updated since the last time you reviewed it. In our world today, there is so much going on – technology does not seem to sleep and you don’t want your audience to sleep either, especially on your watch! Things become obsolete, fast.
Engage your audience with easy, simple, to understand vocabulary
Absolutely, a point that we always need to keep in the forefront. Not everybody is like me and ‘reads the dictionary’ during their school break (this was me when I was younger). A few incomprehensive words will shut out your reader and not only will he go looking for a dictionary to find the meaning, he might get lost coming back to finish your article as well. Keep it simple.
Use images when necessary
Everyone loves a little picture now and again. Our eyes get tired from reading too much text. Not only will an occasional image ‘spice up‘ the article, but it will also help to convey your thoughts as well. Of course, be careful of overkill – that’s the other end of the spectrum.
Keep your paragraphs short and sweet – easy on the eyes
As you write your content, remember that spacing and writing short sentences are great. Group your thoughts in ‘bite-sized’ chunks of text. You will find that you are better able to get your ideas out and easier to understand.
Use a nice font and size that makes reading easy
Naturally, we all love the variety available to us as a writing tool. There are so many fonts to choose from and the temptation is great to use all those fancy ones – be careful. What good is your content if we can hardly make out if it is an ‘S’ of a ‘5’?
Make it fun, even sometimes when the theme might be technical
You will not always be writing content about things you like – yes, we all have our serious moments. It is my opinion, that even when you have to write an article about something along the lines of specifications and other technical jargon, a little fun interspersed will help alleviate the ‘boredom’ that might be associated with the content. Of course, do not be too flippant, we do not want to stray from the chosen path.
Have a conversation with the reader – make it flow naturally
And of course, communicate or connect wit your reader – have a cyber conversation! As you write your article, just imagine that you are sitting down with a friend and are simply telling a story. This should help with the sentence flow. And before you know, your content is ready for public consumption!
I hope you enjoyed reading this content as much as I enjoyed preparing it. I welcome your feedback and comments in the comments section. Of course, I would love any additional tips that you have found helpful.
Reading Ideas:
1/Creating Ridiculously Good Content
2/The Content Strategy Toolkit
3/Creating Compelling Web Content
Hello there, I am 
8 thoughts to “How To Write Great Content For Your Website?”
Hello Michelle
thanks for sharing your opinion in ways to write content the right way.Writing content especially when just getting started is hard, I know when I just got started online and was struggling to put together 300 words lol.
But as you pointed out, if one is organized and does some research, know the subject then it gets easier.Another thing many bloggers miss is conversing with the readers, there are blogs I go to where I feel things have been written in a technical way that I do not understand.
Luckily there are materials out there to help us learn how to write in a way that anyone coming to our site can enjoy what we write.
Hello there Roamy,
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your taking the time to visit and to leave your thoughts.
Yes, just starting out can be a struggle, but as with anything else, practice and perseverance will get the job done. I remember when I wrote my first 1000+ word article, I was on the moon. After that, the words just seemed to show up.
Yes, it is very important to converse with the audience, to treat the whole article like a conversation, even though it might appear one-sided until the reader leaves a comment.
And yes, thankfully, we have tools to help us present ‘the case’ worthy to be read.
Thanks again,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for sharing your opinion on this never ending topic of creating content. It’s amazing how even though one has been writing for years you still end up sometimes just not having an idea on where or how to start creating a content. But what i love about your article is the fact that you highlighted and explained 8 simple steps that can help one look at creating content in an organised way.
Thanks for sharing. Great insight.
Hello Aisha,
Thank you for visiting my site. Most importantly, thanks for your comment. Yes, without a doubt, creating content is something that we can never get enough tips on doing. In our world of technology today, where changes abound a mile a minute, one needs to be on one’s toes.
I am happy to know that you found the article informative and useful. Come back and visit anytime.
Michelle
I just started blogging not long ago and have great difficulty writing one content on a weekly basis. I suspect it’s probably because my niche require a lot of research and comparison before I could actually come up with a comprehensive article.
That process takes a lot of my time and at most, I could only come up with 2 articles/week. Do you have any tips for writing good content in a shorter period of time? Thanks.
Hello Cathy,
Thanks so much for stopping by my cyber space.
Yes, ‘teething pains’ of being a content writer. It can be a challenge at times. Yes, it can also be time consuming, however, you are right, it can also leave you ‘dry’ from thinking up topics! BUT, you can do it!! As long as you remember your source of motivation, or as they say, ‘your why’.
If you find some time on your hands, please check out this article I wrote and see if those tips can be helpful for you as a start in the right direction.
LINK:https://my.wealthyaffiliate.co…
Much success,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
You make a lot of good points when it comes to writing great content for your website. I think the first , knowing your topic, is especially important. When you take the time to understand your topic it’s easier to communicate in the most effective way to your audience. For example, years ago I tutored first year college students on writing college level essays. I remember one particular student who was a computer whiz but kept getting C’s in English because she just couldn’t understand the concept of ” modifying a sentence”.
Here is what I did. My solution was to have her go to the computer and draw me a box. I then told her to make the box bigger. I next instructed her to put different types of borders on the box. Sometimes she put thin borders and then she followed that with very thick borders.
Here is what happened next. I then told her she had just finishing” modifying the box” in the same way that when you run “faster” you are modifying the word run. Her face lit up. She got it. She never had another problem with modifying sentences again. I used a similar technique when it came to teaching her the importance of transitions in paragraphs. I told her to imagine a train. I then asked her to think about the couplers that hold the railroad cars together. Without the couplers the cars would go all over the place. She understood. Well, transitions between sentences act the same way, I told her. Without transitions it makes hard for people to connect one idea to the other. She got it.
The result is that this student overcame her problems when it came to writing college level essays to the point that she improved by one letter grade in a short time. I believe this was possible because I knew the topic well enough to communicate in a way that was the easiest for my student to understand.
Hello Thabo,
Thanks for your visit!
What a great story and analogy. Yes, it is important to convey information in the best way possible and of course, to have the best and expected outcome based on your communication.
The key to writing is to ‘think conversation’ – yes, think like you are ‘talking to someone’. It should help make it easier for you to get from point A to point B, and to the end.
Thanks for your words of wisdom, Thabo.
Michelle