The Basics of Content Writing:

Quality content for the Net is all about providing hardcore information as well as generating search engine traffic to it. The idea is to convert more people to your or your client’s website.

By adding unique, plagiarism-free and informative content, a website becomes more ‘findable’ for Internet searches. The more visits a website gets, the more its popularity increases. However, if the website features copy-paste content obtained from other websites or if the content is amateurish and trite, the website loses visits and ranking.

Rule #1 on website content writing is that the content must provide real value. People who browse the Internet do so to find quick and valuable information, not lengthy essays that have no point to make. Include comprehensive and comprehensible information in your content, and avoid wordiness.

Rule #2 is that the content must be of value to the client. Where required, the content writer must depict the client’s services or product in a favorable light. However, confirm with your client whether you should advertise his/her products and services directly or indirectly. The client may merely wish to add value and direct traffic to the website without being too obvious. Even in such a case, the content should excite peripheral interest for the client’s product or services in the reader.

Rule #3 states that pirated (or plagiarized) content kills a website, or drastically reduces its market standing. Internet readers are usually quick to notice if a website uses plagiarized content and avoid visiting it in the future.

Rule #4 To direct traffic to a website, the featured content must contain keywords and meta key tags (keyword combinations) in sufficient numbers. However, the content writer must not overuse these to avoid becoming obvious and looking amateurish. A rule of thumb on this – use at least five keywords and/or metas in the first paragraph. The article’s title must contain the strongest of these. Use at least three of them in the second paragraph, and at least two in all successive paragraphs.

 Finally, ensure that your content makes for interesting reading. Holding the reader’s attention is extremely important. Using humor is acceptable in many instances – however, you must not use it for serious corporate or marketing websites.

Arun Chitnis