Writing Web Site Content

If you were planning to build a site about the town or city you live in you may include pages such as:

town history
current events
business directory
town leaders
personal stories from residents
town organizations and churches

Web Site Content Guide

a) Purpose

Each page of your web site should have a clearly defined purpose. Try to think like the customer that visits your page and ask yourself

“What’s in it for me?”

This will help you define what content to place on your web pages.

b) Keywords

Write the content based on the keywords visitors would enter into the search engines. Create web content that contains
spiderable keywords. This helps attract search engine traffic.

c) Use titles and subtitles

This will help break up the content into sections making it easier to read. Most visitors scan web content first then dig in deeper if they find the content interesting.

d) Use hyperlinks

Include hyperlinks to lead visitors to more in-depth information. Newspapers use this style also….the headlines on the front page usually include page numbers at the end of the article which then leads to the full article text located inside the newspaper. Do the same for your web pages.

e) Write short paragraphs/include bullet points

This helps the reader to quickly decide what to read. Make sure your headlines capture the visitors attention first then use the bullet points to further describe the headlines. The paragraphs should only be 5 to 10 lines in length. Sentences should be short so the reader doesn’t get eyestrain.

f) Include images

Images should only be used if it compliments the web content. Too many images will make the page heavier and distract the reader from the content.

e) Updating content

If you want to update the content on a regular basis, create a content management site or use macromedia contribute Contribute allows you to publish to the web in three simple steps: browse to the page that needs updating, edit it, click ‘publish,’ and it’s done.

These two methods allow you to update the content without having to use FTP software for uploading your site files. This will save you a lot of time.

f) Check content before publishing

Check the spelling and grammar of your web page before it goes live. Have someone else besides yourself do the checking. Other people can often see what you missed. Small mistakes give the impression that your web site is not part of a professional business.

Careful planning of your web site content will not only attract the search engine spiders but also keep your visitors interested. It informs them more deeply about what you have to offer making it easier for them to purchase your products or subscribe to your services.

Speak Your Mind

*