by Kenneth Doyle, 3/30/2006
Always Use Quality Over Quantity.
When it comes to web site content there are some 'dos' and 'don't' here.
When adding content to a specific section on your site set limits on the word count. A web site is NOT a novel. Web site content is mostly scan-read by your visitors who are searching for solutions to their problems, so make your content accessible to them.
Give them what they want... good information that's easily digested (read) by the busy surfer. The easiest way to do this is mimic the structure of a newspaper article. The headline "pulls" you into reading the article, and the sub headers "pull" you into continuing reading a section within that article. If you scan read the article you should know what (in essence) it's all about.
Content which is to long can drive viewers away because they are likely to get bored, and it's just to much hard work to "digest' the information that's being presented to them. With the advent of multimedia technologies you can now very easily "mix it up" for the reader/ visitor as well.
Look at your site through the eyes of a potential visitor. Your purpose (with content) is to give the reader what they're searching for as quickly and as efficiently as possible. When you write to entertain yourself or show how smart you are you will quickly lose your audience. Be direct, to the point and give you reader the core facts.
Good Content Flows Naturally.
The writing style of the web is "conversational". This is good news for the person who is not a natural writer. If you have difficulty writing then don't... TALK into a tape recorder. Then, transpose what you've just spoken into words.
Natural flowing web content is like a good conversation. It flows back and forth between the parties involved in the conversation. When you're writing your content THINK of the visitor and speak to them personally. If you adopt this technique as a writing strategy then your writing with naturally flow, and it will have "you" in it.
This strategy will help you develop content that is more natural. You see, in a faceless place (like the Internet) we Human Beings will always respond more positively to information which has the personality of you (the writer) in it.
And (guess what) you're the only person who can write 'you' . So, if a piece feels unnatural to you when it's being written (it's not you) then most likely it will look uncomfortable to the reader on your web site as well.