Web Writing: The 10 Steps to Writing Quality Content

How to write quality content

Web writing is not your core business, but you have realized the importance of a quality content strategy and want to start writing blog articles. Stop moving, you've come to the right place! In this article, we will walk you through the 10 steps for writing quality web content. As a bonus, you'll even have a list of good practices apply immediately to optimize SEO and readability of your blog articles to boost your traffic!

1. Think about your Audience

An artist never goes on stage without knowing the expectations of his audience. To write the article that will remain in the annals, you must first identify your audience. To do this, analyze the articles that have performed best on your blog using Google Analytics. Click on "Behavior" then on "Detail by URL" to identify the articles that have worked best for your audience.

Ask yourself the right questions. Who do you want to address? What are their needs? What content works best for this audience? These questions will help you identify the needs and pain points of your prospects. If you manage to answer their problems with useful content, you will see the doors to success open.

2. Select the correct keyword

For your article to be seen and especially read, you must choose the right keyword so that your content is well referenced in the search engines. For this, you can use the Google Keywords Planner tool by typing your keyword in the search bar, you will get the volume of monthly searches and the level of competition of the targeted keyword. You can also use SemRush or Google Trends to analyze the trends of a keyword, compare these trends, and position yourself in the best segments.

There are different analysis tools and most of them are of equivalent quality. Be careful however to always compare your data in the same tool. Indeed, the figures can vary from one software to another for the same keyword. This can affect the relevance of your analysis.

In addition, note that in terms of web writing, there are two main factors in the choice of keywords:

  • The search volume which corresponds to the number of monthly searches for this keyword.
  • The level of difficulty or “Keyword Difficulty” which corresponds to an index between 0 and 100 representing the difficulty of the keyword to position itself on search engines in relation to the content already existing on the web. Indeed, this index determines how difficult it will be for a new website to appear or “rank” on the first page of search results.
The choice of your keywords should, therefore, be a subtle balance between these two concepts: finding the balance between a large volume of research and a reasonable level of difficulty. With this in mind, the use of long-tail keywords can be an interesting avenue.

3. Watch

To write the web article that will interest the greatest number, you must also carry out your watch to inspire you and find the idea that no one had ever thought of. Today, several monitoring tools allow you to identify the best performing content on the web and thus determine the pain points and problems of your prospects. The WordPress plugin " easy blog ideas " is a good idea box for your watch because it allows you to find the most shared articles on social networks in your topic (on the model of Buzzsumo ).
Buzzsumo

4. Don't overlook the title

The title of your article is the first element that your readers will see. It is also the one who will encourage them to click on your content. It must be clear, must make your audience want to know more, and above all must respond to a problem. Remember, you need to identify and know your audience to best meet their needs. By answering their questions, you will also build a relationship of trust with them.

Do not hesitate to address your target directly in the title you choose. Search engines value content directly related to the request of Internet users. It is therefore essential to meet their expectations. Attracting a visitor to your site with a fuzzy title can increase your number of visits, but it is of little interest if he leaves the page so early. In addition, if Google or one of its colleagues analyzes that visitors leave your page quickly, it will be penalized.

Some example of the title is as follows:


  • 7 tips to improve your local marketing and attract more store traffic
  • How to generate more customers through digital marketing?
  • The 5 essential approaches of B2B lead generation
  • Not enough traffic? 10 key steps to boost your audience

5. Consider structuring your web copywriting


If you don't want to lose your readers, you need to structure your article. Start by writing your Chapo, which is the introductory text of your article. This should encourage readers to read more. Then write the master content of your article in several paragraphs. You can use "bullets points" or "numbered lists" to clarify and organize your ideas.

Use titles and subtitles respecting the style sheet H1 for the title, H2 for the subtitles to cut your article like a real web editor! The more it is structured, the more it will be readable for your readership. Explicit and clearly visible titles show a clear structure. A reader in a hurry can read your article diagonally and quickly access the information they need.


Namely: The "listicles" get the most shares and traffic (up to 2 times more than other types of blog posts), they are followed by guides and articles "how-to" ("how does for ... ”). Articles with 5 lists for 500 words get 4 times more traffic and up to 2 times more shares than articles without lists.


6. Be clear

Your prospects are looking for information that can answer their questions. If you remain elusive about the concepts they wish to master, you will hardly meet their needs. Try to bring a new idea to each paragraph you add. Be precise by justifying your words with examples and concrete cases by relying on reliable information that will bring real added value to your content.

The clarity of your words also requires short and simple sentences. For this aspect, web copywriting is no exception, quite the contrary! For example instead of writing “make a distinction” write rather “distinguish”. The word “believe” is as effective and lighter as the expression “have conviction”. We sometimes try to enrich our writing, but this should not be done at the expense of fluency.

Finally, consider making the effort to popularize the concepts you are addressing, especially if the subject is addressed to an uninitiated audience. We all tend to use professional jargon that our colleagues are used to hearing but which can hinder understanding of what we are saying. So be sure to always adapt your speech to your target!

7. Insert links

By adding internal or external links in your article, you not only provide your prospects with additional information but also increase your chances of ranking in search engines. Internal links are also a guarantee of credibility, you show your prospects that you have written useful content that addresses their issues. They can then find additional resources corresponding to their needs. For your part, this is a new opportunity to demonstrate your expertise.

8. Illustrate your article

Today, people's time is precious. The information is no longer fully absorbed but scanned. To capture the attention of your prospects, illustrate your articles with photos or videos related to your content. This will ventilate the article and thus make it more readable for your readers. It can also be used to clarify a complex concept. As Confucius said, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Going from there, imagine how many words a video is worth today! You can also create your own visuals using tools like Canva, Venngage, or Piktochart.

Canva


Also, remember to distinguish yourself by choosing your images. With the multitude of images available today on the internet, it would be a shame to use one already widely distributed. In addition, the quality of your images is essential, so put away in the closet your team photos from another era or your vacation memories with questionable resolution. Instead, you can use free sites like Pixabay, or invest in paid resources like Adobe Stock or Shutterstock. If you do not master image editing, these resources also offer the advantage of offering images in formats suitable for a blog article or a post on social networks.

9. Be fun

If your content needs to be educational, that doesn't mean it has to be boring. Web writing often allows a lighter tone than traditional writing. Do not hesitate to adopt a fun or humorous tone to convey a message, believe it or not, it will be more easily retained;). It is by being original that you will stand out from the competition, that you will retain your visitors, and above all, generate new qualified prospects. Also, try to question your readers with questions, it strengthens the interactive side, don't you think?

10. Consult your team

You may be the only one thinking about your screen, but your team may also have some good ideas that you could deal with. Ask them questions and collect the answers you get, this will give you a whole new vision of the subject you are tackling. You can also let them read your article to get their opinion, this will allow you to deepen your thinking.

You now know the 10 steps of web writing to follow to build a quality article. Here are now two sections of good practices to ensure the readability of your content and its SEO optimization:

Good readability practices:

  • Use short sentences. Ideally, sentences longer than 20 words should not represent more than 25% of your content.
  • Use transition words to make reading easier.
  • Limit your sections to 300 words when possible; use the subtitles in the “Title 3” format to separate the sections.
  • Always favor the active form, which should represent 90% of your writing.
  • Avoid the present participles which very often lengthen your sentences.
  • Vary your formulations, and avoid repetition as much as possible. 1 sentence = 1 info.
  • Remove unnecessary words like adverbs that weigh down your style.
  • Aerate your text: insert spaces or images, and use new paragraphs when necessary.
  • Use at least 2 or 3 checklists in your article.
  • Give examples, especially on the technical aspects. Feel free to use diagrams or images to simplify a concept.

Best practices for SEO optimization:


  • Use your main keyword in the title, and in the first and last paragraphs. Ideally, the main keyword should appear at the start of the title.
  • Use your primary and secondary keywords in the subtitles.
  • Remember to fill in the meta description when addressing your target. It must be at least 120 words and not exceed 156.
  • Insert images, and remember to fill in their alternative text.
  • Take care of your internal network: your article must contain links to other pages of your site.
  • Also make external links, if possible towards reference sites with a good ranking.
  • Modify the URL of your article, which must contain your main keyword.
  • Do not count your words so to speak because in reality make sure that your article contains enough. If the rule is not set in stone and depends on the subjects, we advise you to aim for at least 1500 words.
Now no more excuses, you are able to get started to write blog articles! But play down, regular practice of quality content will guide you to success. Statue of unity was not built in a day. Follow our 10 steps, and make sure you respect good web writing practices. So, it's a safe bet that your readers will be there. Finally, always keep in mind that if the SEO optimization of your article is important when writing for the web, you are primarily addressing human beings. Stay natural, because behind sometimes complex algorithms, search engines ultimately have the same objective as you: bring the best user experience possible!

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