Content Writing Tips for Beginners

A rapidly growing industry today is that of web content authoring and development. As the Internet grows and more companies join the virtual world, the demand for usable, comprehensive and even interactive content is rapidly growing.

At first glance, it may seem easy to write and design content for web sites, yet those who actually attempt it often find it much harder than they anticipate. Preparing web content can be by comparison as simple as designing a quick product or service flier for physical distribution or as difficult as designing a twenty-volume set of encyclopedia.

Typical web content projects require not only the writing of the actual content, but also the design of the web page layouts, selection and acquisition of graphic resources, and sometimes the creation of menu buttons, banners and website logos. Additionally, web content authors may be called upon to design the website itself, defining what information should be included on the website and how the individual web pages relate and link to one another. As a part of this, the content authors may also have to consider what web services will be required to implement the website.

Make the web work for you

Serious business today cannot afford to treat the Internet lightly when it comes to marketing content. Too many companies and organizations do little more than regurgitate their printed content (reports, brochures, etc) or simply allow staff to add whatever seems to fit without any real design consideration. Content is developed on two levels; the individual web page and the combined website message.

When adding content to a website, the overall message of the organization must be delivered while the strength and user-friendliness of the site is maintained. Online communication, either static as in information web pages, or dynamic in the form of interactive forms or shopping, is now a core business tool, allowing businesses and organizations to reach a worldwide audience at relatively low costs. Companies seeking to create a web presence must understand what it wants to achieve with this new power and then create web content towards that goal.

The Potential of Web Development

The dynamic nature of the Internet allows a greater level of flexibility in creating the actual content of the website. This flexibility requires a total rethinking of how the information is delivered via the Internet. Printed books, for instance, follow a set design, dictated by the nature of the book in question. Commonly the key elements of a book are the title page, the printing and copyright information, acknowledgements and credits, a table of contents, the guts of the book, and finally an index. On occasion appendix material can also be found between the guts and the index.

Many companies attempt to maintain this format by posting their content as Adobe or “pdf” files, totally failing to utilize the incredible potential of the Internet. Posting content as an Adobe file typically interferes with or blocks Internet links to other files. Adobe files also do not normally contain interactive links other than general bookmarks to access the information contained. Essentially, Adobe files make it much harder to access the materials of the book, compromising the traditional strengths books have without adding the powerful alternatives available on the Internet.

With the Internet, the sky is virtually the limit. Content can be dynamically linked through website menus, website sitemaps (the Internet’s version of a table of contents), and even through in-text keyword links that lead to related materials. Another potential that is not commonly used is a website index; a web page that would contain a list all keywords used on the website with links to the web pages upon which the keyword appears.

These are just a few of the benefits that can be incorporated into a website during web content development. Additional benefits can be developed using JavaScript, PHP, ASP or Perl interactivity scripts. Organizations that are seeking to integrate their site with other marketing campaign tools need to make sure their website can meet the added demand of new readers who will be drawn to the site by the campaign

To meet this challenge, two things are essential. The first thing is the need for a coherent site structure that allows easy navigation between pages. Using a specific design for your pages and menus should allow the reader to easily locate his or her desired materials, constructing an easy to understand flow from one area to another. The second thing that is needed is desirable content that will lure readers to your site and then keep them on the site, encouraging them to interact with the website and with your organization. Information regarding your company and specific content information are two absolute musts for virtually any website.

Great SEO Articles For Great Rankings In The SERPS

Whether you have a commercial site that sells products or a free web service optimized for Google Adsense, one thing you definitely want to accomplish as a webmaster is attract new visitors to your service. Article writing and submission is just one of the ways to accomplish that. A SEO article is a short 1-2 page (250-500 words long) article about your website, product, service feature, etc. 

A good SEO article will have a certain keyword density to attain good rankings in the SERPS because it is meant to be indexed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. and generate traffic to your website. Writing SEO articles is not an easy task. For that reason, most webmasters go to a writing company to get that work done.

Duplicate Content Issues

It is believed that duplicate content is easy found and penalized by Google and other search engines. For that reason, you cannot just take articles off some site and upload them to your site - that way you will achieve nothing. The best way to take your web project all the way to the top is write original, interesting and unique articles.