If you’re just starting up your website, you’ll soon realize that one of the essential elements in achieving a good Google ranking is to write content and publish it regularly. However, it’s not a question of publishing just anything in any old way, but rather of knowing what you want to put forward. Here’s a short list of best practices that will not only bring you visitors, but above all, visitors who will come back regularly to see what you have to say.
Careful form, an indispensable element
The first thing to do when you want to write content for your site is, of course, to take care of the form. What could be more unpleasant than reading a text riddled with spelling mistakes, or cumbersome turns of phrase that are difficult to read? It’s not a question of writing an essay, but it would be a mistake to think that you can set out to write a text without knowing in advance what you’re going to talk about and how you’re going to talk about it. I’m not talking about the Goncourt, either, but simply about knowing how to align correctly written sentences, then form coherent paragraphs. This takes a bit of practice, especially if you’re not used to writing on a daily basis, but in the end it’s what will make reading more enjoyable and therefore what will capture your readers’ attention!
A writing style or styles?
Writing styles, of course! Depending on the type of text you’re writing (blog article, product sheet, news for your showcase site), it’s not advisable to write everything in the same style. For a blog post, you’ll need to adapt your style to your readership, whereas a product sheet needs to get straight to the point. Opt for short sentences or descriptions, accompanied by images and visuals wherever possible. As with a Powerpoint presentation or diagram, think about the visual impact you want to make! It would be inappropriate to launch into ultra-detailed descriptions when the objective is simply to communicate the general idea. For example, if you want to communicate your services, don’t hesitate to use bullet points as you would on a CV.
And how do you go about it?
For the moment, we’re more interested in form, which is indeed important, but much less so than content. Writing content is all about conveying ideas, so how do you choose, organize and prioritize them? This will obviously depend on what you have to say. For a relatively simple showcase site, it’s best to concentrate on the essentials: talk about your business, detail your services and perhaps expand on this by highlighting your customers or suppliers. On the other hand, if you’re publishing news in the form of articles, these should not only be structured and easily identifiable, but also more substantial and detailed. We often hear about the 300-word rule, but forget Google for a moment and let your ideas flow.
How to start writing content
It’s all very well having an article or photos to publish, but that’s not what will give you an effective content strategy. Search engines want regular content, which means having an editorial line… And an editorial line also means a strategy defined over time. To define your strategy, you need to be perfectly clear about your objectives, and not just react to opportunities and current events. Of course, your site must be able to accommodate these types of publications, but they must not become the backbone on which all your future publications are built. It’s vital to know in advance where you want to take your site, otherwise it’s doomed to fall into oblivion fairly quickly. Indeed, if you don’t get the traffic you’re aiming for, it will quickly become impossible to know what themes to devote yourself to, because you’ll no longer have the motivation to write on a regular basis.
Writing content to generate traffic?
The quality of your content is the first criterion that will attract your readers: it’s interesting content that will keep your readers coming back. Don’t forget to include relevant photos with your content, and if you’re uninspired in your choice of photo: opt for pictures of kittens, they’ll be just a drop in the ocean. To please the search engines, there are many criteria to keep in mind. One of the first things to do when you start writing content is to choose a key expression. This phrase shouldn’t weigh you down, but keep it in mind as you write. Above all, you need to write for your readers, but bear in mind that your readers are largely driven by Google. In addition to keywords, it’s important to make your content easy to share on social networks, blogs and forums dedicated to your industry. That’s where you’ll find potential new readers, so don’t hesitate to distribute information directly where your target audience is! For this type of distribution, your tagline needs to be simple and effective, whether in terms of visuals, headlines or other elements immediately identifiable in a news feed.
Writing content is complicated, isn’t it?
Here, the only honest answer is yes. Writing quality content means spending time, making mistakes and learning as you go. Not only will you need to spend time writing your first articles, but also analyzing your page traffic statistics, taking into account feedback from your readers and questioning yourself when necessary. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a quality website. So before you get started, think carefully about your target audience and what interests them. Finally, once you’ve taken the plunge, don’t hesitate to ask an expert for advice on how to improve your content as you go along!
