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April 26, 2013 By Hendrik-Jan Francke

3 web writing strategies to make your content more effective

Making content stand out in a sea of digital media is not always easy. Your work faces a lot of competition, and your audience has very little time. While your insights are valuable, they won’t be received if they don’t grab and maintain the user’s attention. Make your content more effective and persuade readers to take action by implementing these 3 strategies in your writing.

Pack power in the headline

The headline is the first barrier to grabbing the user’s attention and persuading them to read your content. Crafting an effective headline that prompts readers to click and read your content revolves around addressing two important questions: What is this about? and Do I want to keep reading?

Users do not want to, and will not waste their time consuming material that is irrelevant to them. The headline should nail down the reader’s pain points and clearly inform the user of what’s ahead. By reading the first few words, the user will understand the value of investing their time in the web page, service, or article and move forward!

Chunkify! content

Users don’t read web pages, they scan them. This well known (but often ignored) truth behind user reading behavior on the web, often illustrated by F shaped heat maps, has a huge impact on whether or not users will decided to read your content. Think about it—does a huge wall of text on a web page make you eager to read? It probably makes you run for the door.

Encourage users to read by chunkifying content into smaller, more reader-friendly morsels of information. Break up content by using:

  • Short, concise paragraphs
  • Descriptive subheadings
  • Bulleted or numbered lists

Chunkified content is not only more visually appealing than a huge block of text, it is more scannable and effective at communicating your message. To see an interactive example of a wall of text broken down piece by piece, visit Chunkify!.

Clear call to action (CTA)

If you have hooked the reader with a strong headline and engaged their attention with quality, well organized post, don’t leave them in a lurch. Present them with the opportunity to take the next step by including a call-to-action at the end of your piece. An effective CTA helps increase traffic, user engagement, and conversions.

When crafting a CTA, remember: be clear and be concise. Just like the headline, a compelling CTA should explicitly communicate the benefit to the reader in just a few words. But, if you do it right, a few words is all you need.

Conclusion

Effective web writing takes more than quality ideas; it requires an understanding of your specific audience and general user behavior. In order to rise above the competition, writers must tap into their audience’s pain points and create content that addresses these needs. Creative headlines, chunkified content, and strategic CTAs will scratch the surface of your audience’s attention. But consistently implementing these strategies will make them return and take action.

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