What Exactly is Content Writing?
Imagine you are writing content for a website or a blog. You have done writing in the past, perhaps in an English or creative writing class, but this writing seems somehow different. You are not wrong, this writing is different. In the two previous examples you were likely writing prose (fiction) and trying to weave a story with character development and a plot. Or, you may have had a class in technical writing and wrote material that was based on fact and designed to inform (non-fiction).
Content writing is sort of a combination of both and subset of each. Instead of going deep into a topic, be it fictional or non-fictional, with content writing you are giving a broad overview that is sectioned into easily readable nuggets. Would you like to learn content writing in four easy steps? If yes, this post is for you.
Your roadmap for Your Content Writing Journey
Our journey begins with a stack of blank pages and a pencil or a blank computer screen and a keyboard. If you are experienced in writing, know your subject, or have already done your research, then you are ready to go. However, sometimes at this stage you will experience “blank page syndrome” or the “white screen of bewilderment.” It happens to every writer at some point and generally three things can then happen:
- You continue to stare at the paper or screen hoping the random thought fairy will come along and provide inspiration.
- You step aside and do something else and come back later.
- You step back, take a deep breath, and try to break up the content writing process into smaller chunks by reading this post.
By reading this post, you will be able to accomplish your content writing goals in such a way that you do not end at this theoretical intersection. Our journey divided into four major parts:
- What you do before starting to write the content including:
- Defining the purpose of your content
- Content specific objectives and action you want users to take
- Determing your Target Audience
- Planning for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- The Actual Content Writing including the headline, sub-headline, and body text.
- Editing and added features such as calls-to-action and content writing strategy.
- The future of content writing and using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Let's Begin by Defining your Purpose
Ask yourself, why do you want a website or why do you want to write a blog post? Do you want to educate others, write an opinion, review or sell a product(s), or generate leads. Focusing on your purpose can lead to identifying the primary function of your website or blog post. In general, the purpose of a website is to inform, engage, and to compel the user to take a certain action (Vasilu 2020).
Identify the Primary Function of Your Website
When developing content the first thing you have to do is identify your overall website goal. This goal will drive and be the anchor to all content contained on it. The first question to ask is “What is your website’s primary function?” More specifically, are you building an ecommerce store selling products, a blog to offer industry insights or to educate others, highlight a brick-and-mortar business, or a portfolio showcasing your work?
Going further, are you trying to inform others, persuade them to a particular viewpoint, or generate leads for a business or some combination? Once you answer these questions, you have the basic foundation for the content on your website.
Example 1: An Ecommerce Website
The overall goal of an ecommerce website is to sell products. As such, the purpose of the website is to “inform potential buyers about the features and benefits of the products/services being offered, leading them to add it their shopping cart and a purchase.”
Example 2: Educational Blog
The overall website goal of an educational blog is to educate and provide insights on a specific topic. The content purpose for the website and blog posts within is to “explain a complex topic in a clear and concise way, leaving readers with valuable insights, and a desire to learn more.”
Example 3: Generating Leads or Portfolio Website
The overall website goal here is to show your work and convey how you can help your users/customers solve their problems and pain points. You may have a number of case studies, testimonials, work examples, and social proof showing why people should do business with you or your brand.
Example 4: WebHeads United Website
The overall website goal of the WebHeads United website is to educate and help business owners with their website problems and therefore generate more leads. The content purpose is to advance website knowledge leading to more engagement from users and the solution to their problem by finding a webhead.
For instance, the primary function of this blog post is to educate web designers, website owners, and others interested in writing on the art of developing content in a step-by-step manner. This blog post satisifes the content purpose and is inline with the larger website goal. Remember, do not lose sight of the immediate blog post goal and the larger website goal. They must be aligned.
Content Specific Objectives
Your website may have one goal, but there may be many objectives to reach the goal. Here you need to ask, what are the objectives and what objective will each page of the website or blog post have?
What do you want Visitors to achieve or do on your webpage?
Each page on your website will serve a different purpose. If not, then you need to rethink whether the page should be there or not. Each page objective, should build on the others, achieving and reaching the overall website goal.
Home Page
Your homepage is where you want to make your best first impression. Here you will describe your products/services in a compelling and concise way so users will interact further on your website.
Product/Service Page
A product/service page’s objective might be to drive sales and provide information about a product or service that you offer. On this page you will want to differentiate the product/service from others, spelling out the pros and cons and other information relevant to the buyers of the product/service.
Blog Page
Your blog page will contain posts that delve in deeper on specific topics related to your website’s overall goal. Your blog posts will convey news and information about your company and establish your expertise in your field, advancing the authority of the website.
About Page
The about page contains information about you, your company, and the people associated with it. This page is the place to make a personal connection with your audience and can also include a founder’s letter welcoming people into your “universe.”
Contact Page
The contact page exists to entice visitors to reach out to you for inquiries or services. On this page, it is helpful to not only include the fillable form, but to also include links to your social media. When the form is submitted, be sure to include a personal statement thanking them for taking the time to reach out and maybe also include a link to subscribe to your newsletter.
What is the outcome or Actions you want users to take?
During and at the end of your user’s visit to your website, you undoubtedly want them to take some kind of action. All of the objectives should lead to the action, which begs thw question, “What action do you want users to take after consuming your content?”
Possible Actions that Users can Take
- Subscribe to your newsletter
- Download a white paper
- Schedule a consultation
- Make a purchase
- Share your content on social media
Target Audience
Once your have your purpose, goals, and objective figured out, it is time to determine your target audience. Understanding who your audience is fundamental to achieving the goal and purpose of your website and fulfilling the objectives. Remember, you want to have a conversation with your users, but you need to know who they are in order to connect with them. How do you achieve this? Continue reading to find out.
Who are you Writing for?
If you have an established website, you may already know who your audience is or at least have a good head start. However, if you do not know, looking at competitors, knowledge of the field or industry, and focus groups can help in determining the audience. Some factors to look at are below.
Demographics
Ask yourself, how old is your audience, their gender(s), income level, location, and education. All of these factors combined can give a basic view of the circumstances of your audience. These are the quantitative characteristics.
Psychographics
Beyond the quantitative characterstics, what are the qualitative characteristics? These are their interests, values, lifestyles, values, needs, and pain points. Online behavior is another of which I will describe more.
Online Behavior
This is often a place where designers and writers miss the mark. Where does your audience find information online and what social media channels are they active on? For instance, you do not want to post on Facebook, if your audience is perusing image content on Pinterest. Likewise, you do not want to advertise on websites that do not attract your audience. Knowing where your audience is and hangs out helps you know how to design the content writing for the various channels.
Why Audience Matters
Depending on your industry or area of expertise, your audience matters and where you meet them matters even more as alluded to in online behavior. Hopefully, I will not step on a landmine here, but likely the best example in today’s world is in the political spectrum. Imagine promoting the talking points of the opposition party.
Another example, drawing from my own blog, would be promoting native plantings and butterfly gardens to a group of Homeowners Associations (HOAs), who are interested in well-kept lawns. It probably would not go over too well.
I think you may get what I mean from the above, so it is best to know your audience. Speaking to the correct audience, makes your content more relevant to them, builds your credibility and trust, and is more effective in the long run. Following are some elaboration on the points above.
Content Relevance
Having relevant content leads to more resonance, engagement, and to the right solutions for your audience. On the often hand, the wrong content in the examples above, can lead nowhere, disengagement, or loss of reputation.
Credibility & Trust
When your audience understands your content, you can establish yourself as a source of credible information. Using language they understand and identify with helps in building trust.
Effective Communication
Along with the right language, having the right tone and style allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Effective content writing communicated right ensures that your users will continue coming back for more information leading to more and more engagement and loyalty.
How to Define your Target Audience
Now that know how important it is to have the right audience coming to your website and blog, how do you define the audience? Well, there are three main ways:
- Developing a customer persona
- Website Analytics
- Competitor Analysis
Customer Personas
Using the quantitative and qualitative characteristics gathered looking at demographic, physochographics, and online behavior, you can then develop a persona of your ideal customers and users. This will bring them to life and allow for more interaction. Personas can be very nuanced depending on the individuals relationship to the product (Murray 2010). Additional information such as surveys, focus groups, and market research can further refine them.
Website Analytics
If you have an established website, you can look at the analytics to see who has been visiting your website. Look for commonalities regarding demographics, interests, referring websites, and social media.
Competitor Analysis
Another place to look is the audience of your competitors, which in part, may include some of your audience. Look closely at their content, who they are targeting, and how they are targeting them. While doing this look at how effective they are, they may be in the same place you are and you do not want to make the same mistakes, which is to say follow the successful competitors.
Examples of Target Audiences in Actual Websites
Below are some examples of target audiences for both the WebHeads United website (Leads Website) and for the McMullen Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop (Educational Blog). Note that while the target audiences seem defined, there may be smaller subsets contained within and it is easy to get distracted by the trees and not see the forest. For instance:
- In the WebHeads United website we target many types of businesses and the particular type of business may constitute a smaller subset audience. However, they all broadly share the same frustrations and pain points.
- In the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop, there may be smaller subset audiences based on interest (insects vs. plants) and region, but they still share a love for gardening and the environment.
Example Target Audience for a Leads Website
Our first example of a target audience is the one for the WebHeads United website. Here we are aiming for business owners who have some technical expertise, or have been disappointed by previous website iterations, and are looking for help with there websites.
Oftentimes these people have had a website completed in the past, but are not satisfied with the results of the site or are not getting leads or enough leads. They may also be just starting out and tried to produce their own website, had problems and need help.
Example Target Audience for an Educational Blog
The second example is a blog that I have on native plants and butterfly gardens at my Bed & Breakfast Garden Shop. My target audience with this blog are gardeners who are interested in helping the environment by planting native plants for their area and giving pollinators a place to thrive. Generally my audience is composed of middle age to older women, who are just starting their gardens, or have some experience and knowledge, but want more.
Incorporated with the blog is an affiliate ecommerce shop, where beginning and experienced gardeners can find plants and seeds for their area, books, and accessories.
Keyword Research
Once you know the purpose of your website and the target audience, it is time to start doing keyword research. Keep in mind that you will do this for your website and for each blog post. Researching and utilizing the best keywords will help your content rank higher in search engines and get noticed more.
What to Know about Keyword Research
- Understanding Search Intent: When searching for keywords in your content writing do not just search for an individual word, but instead go further and try to figure out how the user will search for it. Ask yourself, are they looking for information (informational intent), trying to compare products (Comparison or Transitional Intent), or are they ready to make a purchase (Purchasing Intent)?
- Types of Keywords: In general there are two types of keywords, Head terms and long-tail keywords.
- Head Terms: These are mostly single to two word phrases that are broad, have high search volume and high competition. An example would be the subject of the this post, “Content Writing,” or at least I thought. See below.
- Long-tail Keywords: This is likely the type you have heard the most about as they are used on most websites. These are more specific phrases that are usually longer than 2 words, though not always, have less competition and target users further along in their search journey. An example would be “content writing for medical websites.”
- Keyword Research Tools: There are many free and paid tools that can help with your keyword research. In my experience, if you put some effort into it and use common sense, you can get most of what you need with the free tools. This is to say using the free tools, I have been able to get #1 Google ranking posts. Some of the tools include:
- Google Keyword Planner (Free): Get information straight from the source. This tool, which is a part of Google Ads, shows the competition, trends, and number of searches each month for keyword or combination entered. Note you have to have an account with Google Ads, but you can use the tool for free.
- Answer the Public (Free and Paid): shows questions that people are asking online realted to your topic. This tool is free for up to 3 free searches a day if you register.
- Answer Socrates (Free): this service is similar to Answer the Public and is totally free for all searches.
- Searchvolume.io: a free tool that does bulk searches of keywords and shows monthly searches.
- Free Keyword Research Tool: this tool is part of the Ryan Robinson blogging site and is free.
- SEMrush and Ahrefs: paid tools that offer in-depth keyword research features, competitor analysis, and search volume data.
How to Make the Most of Keyword Research
- Integrate your Keywords: incorporate your identified keywords naturally throughout your content and include them in headings, sub-headings, and body text. However, do not over use them to avoid keyword stuffing.
- Focus on Long-tail Keywords: these keywords are best for new websites or websites having little domain authority. You stand a better chance at ranking higher and attracting targeted traffic.
- Incorporate the “Local” if possible: If you can incorporate a local focus with your product or service, you have a better chance at ranking. Just be aware of commiting duplication errors and include more information than just changing the geographic location names. I have used this strategy in my own blog to great effect, since each place has different plant and butterfly species.
- Analyze competitors: look at the keywords your competitors are using and incorporate them into your content while throwing in your own unique perspective.
Actual Keyword Research for this post, The Curious Case of "Content"
When I first started working on this post I thought for sure that “content writing” would be a head term with competition so high that I would have to use a long-tail keyword combination to have a chance at ranking in Google. However, much to my surprise, the keywords and keyword combinations associated, all had “low” competition, when looking at Google Keyword Planner. This goes to show that it pays to do your research, even if you think you are sure of what you will find. Following are some examples.
Keyword Research for "Website Content"
When researching “Website Content” using Google Keyword Planner it was found that this term gets 1,000 to 10,000 searches a month and has low competition (Indexed Value = 6/100). This was surprising since I though every web designer would be writing about something so fundamental to websites and would have extremely high competition. Searchvolume.io shows this keyword to have 1,300 searches a month.
Keyword Research for "Content Writing"
The term “Content Writing” was similar to “Website Content” and equally surprising. The monthly search volume in Google Keyword Planner is 1,000 to 10,000 searches a month and has low competition (Indexed Value = 19/100). Searchvolume.io shows this keyword to have 5,400 searches a month.
Keyword Research for "Content"
The term of “content” was very interesting. The monthly search volume in Google Keyword Planner is 100,000 to 1,000,000 searches a month and has low competition (Indexed Value = 1/100). Searchvolume.io shows this keyword to have 135,000 searches a month. Be aware this word is subject to search intent since it can refer to content (writing) and the feeling of being content.
Keyword Research for "Blog Content"
To make sure I covered everything, I then researched the keyword “blog content.” In Google Keyword Planner the monthly search volume is 100 to 1,000 searches a month and has low competition (Indexed value = 11/100).
Meta Descriptions & Title Tags
No discussion of SEO would be complete without mentioning meta descriptions and title tags. Generall meta descriptions are added within whatever SEO software or plugin you are using such as Rank Math, Yoast, All-in-One SEO or others. Each webpage or blog post should have a unique meta description and title tag. But what exactly are meta descriptions and title tags? Read on the find out.
Meta Descriptions in a Nutshell
A meta description is an engaging summary of a page appearing as a snippet of text below the title of a website in search engine result pages (SERPs). They function as a mini-sales pitch, enticing users to click and visit your webpage.
How to Produce an Effective Meta Description
- Target your user’s attention: Keep your summary concise (we will discuss this in content). Ideally it should be around 155-160 characters. Your software will guide you through this step and often lets you know how well you are doing.
- Focus on the benefits: Highlight the value of your content. Think of what users will gain if they click on your content.
- Include keywords: Helps to improve the search result relevancy.
An Example of Unoptimized vs. Optimized Descriptions
- Here is an example of two meta descriptions describing the same store.
- Unoptimized: “Running shoe store offering a wide variety of brands for all types runners” (100 characters)
- Optimized: “Find the perfect running shoes for your feet! We offer top brands for all running styles. Shop Now!” (153 characters)
Title Tags
Title tags act as a headline for your webpage in the search results. The title, like the actual headline on your page, should be clear, concise, and accurately reflect the webpage or blog post content. The title tag figures prominently in SEO and help to boost click-through rates (CTRs).
How to Write an Effective Title Tag
- Keep it short: Try to have 50-60 characters to ensure the entire title shows in the search results.
- Prioritize Keywords: Have a keyword at the beginning for optimal exposure.
- Brand Recognition: Incorporate your brand name, if you have space.
- Urgency or Curiosity: Spark user interest with a question or create a sense of urgency.
An Example of an Unoptimized vs. Optimized Title Tag
- Using our shoe store again, here are two title tag examples.
- Unoptimized: “Running Shoe Store” (17 characters)
- Optimized: “Best Running Shoes for Women | Comfortable & Stylish | [Your Brand Name]” (59 characters)
Content Formatting
Later in this post we will cover the finer points of content formatting including clarity, conciseness, and structure including headings, all of which are important for SEO. However, there are some additional points beyond these that help with SEO including:
- Image Optimization: Include relevant images and optimize them for SEO by using descriptive file names and alternative text (Alt Text) that contains keywords. Alt text is required for accessibility under the WCAG 2.2 guidelines and also helps Google understand the image as well. Think of alt text as your image in words.
- Include a Short Introduction and Conclusion: Be sure to have an interesting introduction that accurately summarizes the content to be presented. At the end, summarize the key takeways in a clearly written conclusion.
- Mobile-Responsive Design: Be sure that your website is formatted correctly for mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, as this is a big factor in SEO ranking.
- Answering Search Queries: Answering the search queries found at the bottom of Google and other social media can help SEO and encourage users to click your article (Conway 2021).
Website and Blog Post Headlines, Time to Start Content Writing
Now is the time to put a pencil or pen to paper or to start tapping the keyboard. With your data in hand from the above, let’s begin. Your headline and/or the arrangement of the hero section constitutes the first and sometimes only impression of your website. This is your make or break moment to grab the reader’s attention and lure them to explore more about your website or blog post. How do you do this? Read on to find out.
Components of a Well-Written Headline
As stated above, when writing a headline you have to get it right. Added to this is the sub-headline or “hook” that is further used to get the reader’s interest. Below are some guidelines/suggestions on writing a great headline and sub-headline.
- Think of your headline as a billboard: Your headline needs to be clear, concise, and instantly grab the readers attention, similar to a billboard on the road. Also similar to a roadside billboard, you only have a few seconds to make the impression.
- Keep the headline short and sweet: Optimally it should be between 6-12 words.
- Use strong verbs and an active voice: this creates more engaging content with a sense of urgency.
- Incorporate keywords in the headline: ranks your content higher in the search engine results and lets Google know what your site is about.
- Two Types of headlines:
- Benefit-driven (Traditional): Highlights the value your content offers to the reader, answering the question “What will the reader gain by reading it? As an example, instead of “5 Website Content Tips,” write instead “5 Website Content Tips to Boost Traffic and Conversions.” These headlines have more percieved quality and are shared more (Pengnate 2021).
- Curiosity-driven (Click-bait): Pique the reader’s interest by posing a question or presenting a surprising fact. For instance, “Is your website Content Actually Hurting Your Business?” These tend to have less percieved quality to readers, but are read more often (Pengnate 2021). They may also lead to more frustration and a negative experience (Pujahari and Sisodia 2021).
Components of a Sub-Headline
The sub-headline serves to further captivate the reader, expands the headline, and justifies why the reader should continue to read on. Things you might want to include in the sub-headline are:
- Ask a question: Write a thought-provoking question directly related to your content’s topic.
- Tell a story: Add a relatable anecdote or mini-story that initiates or sets the stage for your content.
- Present a surprising fact or statistic: Use a shocking statistic that grabs attention and highlights the main points of your topic.
- Quote an expert: The credibility of an authority figure can pique the reader’s interest.
- Use vivid language and imagery: Paint a picture with words and draw the reader into your content.
Writing the Body Text
You have your reader interested. Now the rubber hits the road and here you provide the value and information for your readers. When writing in today’s world, it is best to write with clarity and precision, keeping in mind short-attention spans that require information that is east to understand and can be consumed at a quick pace. There are many facets to writing the body text of your website or blog post. Following are some of the main points to consider, a lot of which are also important for SEO, as mentioned earlier.
Clarity of Expression
As stated in the introduction, you will want to write content that is clear, easily consumable, and precise to the topic, catering to short attention spans. Ask yourself, Do I make myself clear? If unsure, you might not be writing clearly. The writers of the Articles of Confederation and later the Constitution had to be clear, you need to be as well. To expand on the need for clarity, below some of the main points to think about.
Why Clarity Matters
- Enhanced User Experience: Clear content writing allows readers to easily grasp and understand the message leading to a positive experience. You do not want any potholes or obstacles to knock them off-track.
- Improves Credibility: Writing clearly can establish you as a credible source of information.
- Better SEO Performance: Clearly written and well-structured content, helps not only your readers, but it also helps search engines understand what exactly is in your content.
How to Make Yourself Clear
- Use Plain Language: Do not use jargon, technical terms, or complex sentence structures. Instead try to have a conversation that broadly resonates with your audience.
- While your targeted audience may understand the jargon and technical terms, they also may not and why take the risk. Do not sacrifice your clarity with jargon or the technical. SPELL IT OUT.
- The author, Thomas Wolfe, who wrote “Look Homeward, Angel,” was known for complex sentences and his readers expected it. However, Wolfe, wrote before TVs and other distractions, and not all of your readers are into complex sentences. KEEP IT SIMPLE.
- Define key terms: Sometimes you cannot avoid technical terms and when you cannot be sure to define them clearly, and in the right context.
- For example, my blog on native plants and butterfly gardening necessitates the use of Latin names in order to clearly identify the organisms, be they plants, insects or other organisms. This is just the way they are named and I explain how they got these names and provide plenty of common names so readers can relate wherever they are in scientific knowledge.
- Focus on the Benefit of the Information: Explain how the information helps your reader.
Content Writing Must Not Only be Clear, but Concise
- Attention Spans are Limited: Given that there is a lot of competition and information available for readers, it is best to get to the point, and not lose them somewhere else. Remember, we are not content writing during Thomas Wolfe’s time.
- Prioritize Essential Information: Focus on what you want readers to remember.
- The Shorter the Sentence, the Better: Break-up long sentences into shorter ones.
- Eliminate Redundancies: Don’t repeat previously presented information unless to make a point. This point follows the “negative cues” in the experience-design principles of Pine and Gilmore (1998).
- Quality is more Important: It is more important to focus on quality content writing than the quantity of the writing (Pophal 2024 and Matthews 2020).
How to Write Concisely
- Continually Edit your Work: When you have a draft of your work, go back and cut unnecessary words or phrases without losing the meaning or context.
- Use Bullet Points and Numbered Lists: Like I am doing here. It makes your content scannable and easier for those who are looking for a particular piece of information.
- Vary Sentence Length: Include some sentence variation to allow the content to be more natural. You do not want it to read like an SAT exam.
How to Structure Your Content for Scannability
Similar to this post, your content should be broken up using headings, bullet points, and images to make it easier to scan and more digestable for readers. The goal is to make your site easy to navigate so users find the information they seek. Joshua Lamothe covers headings and website structure in this blog post.
Why Structure Matters
- Enhanced User Experience: If users are able to find the information they seek without much effort they are more likely to take a look at what else you offer.
- Easier Comprehension of the Content: Structured content writing is easier for users to understand. It allows for a clear and logical train of thought and aids in the retention of the key information you want them to recall.
How to Produce a Structured Website/Blog
- Logical Hierarchy: Organize your content in a clear hierarchy using ascending headings.
- Inverted Pyramid Approach: Put the most important information at the top and then progress to the finer points. This helps readers who skim or scan content. For a blog post, put a summary of information to be covered at the top.
- Use Short Paragraphs: Break-up large blocks of text into small paragraphs with about 3-4 sentences per paragraph.
- Use Internal Linking: Link to relevant content on your website and blog, which allows users to navigate deeper and find related topics.
How to Make Your Content Scannable
- Use Whitespace to Your Advantage: Use whitespace to create visual breathing room. This will make the content less intimidating and more scannable.
- Bold Important Text: Highlight important points (keywords, phrases, or statistics) in bold so readers will notice them.
- Images and Visuals: Use visuals (images, infographics, videos) to break up large text segments and add additional interest.
Incorporate a Variety of Content
While you may have your target audience nailed down, they may still have different learning styles. Having a variety of content helps ensure that there is something for everyone.
Why Content Variety Matters
- Appeals to Different Learning Styles: People have different learning preferences and gain their information in different ways. For example, some people will enjoy reading the text of this post, but others will absorb the images, or may prefer video, if available.
- Maintains User Interest: Using large blocks of text tends to become monotonous and overwhelming. Using a variety of formats helps to break things up and keeps the reader interested.
- Helps Engagement: Having a variety of information sources allows you to delve deeper into topics. Infographics can be used to provide a quick summary and videos can provide more details and examples than a textual explanation.
- Long-form vs. Short-form Content: Long-form content should be used if a target audience does have much knowledge of the subject being presented or if you are looking to create sharable content. Short-form content should be used for increased audience engagement and for younger audiences (Matthews 2020), or for short attention spans.
What are Some Examples of Content on Webpages?
- Blog Posts: A format for sharing in-depth information, news, and insights.
- Landing Pages: Targeted pages designed to capture leads and convert visitors into customers.
- Product Descriptions: Clearly written descriptions that entice users to purchase your products or services.
- Infographics: Visual respresentations of data and information that are easy to understand.
- Videos: Used for demonstrations, content explorations, and testimonials.
- Case Studies: Shows the value proposition of your services or products through real-world examples.
- Ebooks and Whitepapers: Offers in-depth information and establishes your expertise on a specific topic.
- Other Ways to Use Existing Content
- Repurpose Existing Content: Transform a blog post into an infographic or a video to engage other users that you may have not reached with the original post.
- Curate Content: Show relevant content from other sources to help boost your own content.
- Use Interactive Elements: Use things such as polls and quizzes to make the learning more engaging and fun.
Additional Things to Consider in Content Writing
- Make sure your information is accurate: verify facts, statistics and quotes before incorporating them. Cross-reference reputable sources, such as peer-review literature, governmental sources, and published material and cite these sources. Try to avoid including misinformation and unverified claims that can damage your credibility.
- Explore subjects in Depth: Try to delve into the details of your subject and include diverse viewpoints. Comprehensively covering your subject will showcase your knowledge, but will also elevate you as a thought leader, and encourage repeat visits by users.
- Try to add information not covered by others: Contribute novel ideas, perspectives, and insights that are not covered by others. Endeavour to bridge gaps in knowledge by bringing together concepts into cohesive narratives. This can be done by writing practical guides, tutorials, templates, and checklists.
Engaging Your Audience
You have your content writing completed. However, after users read your content most websites or writers want their visitors to do something or otherwise engage. Continue reading to find out ways to engage your audience after they have read the content.
The Call-To-Action (CTA)
No website would be complete without a call-to-action (CTA). A CTA is a concise prompt that tells readers what you want them to do after reading your content. You want to make it compelling enough that they take a specific action.
Why CTAs Matter
- Drive conversions: A well done CTA can increase conversions on your website by enticing users to become your next lead, sale, or newsletter subscriber.
- Enhanced User Experience: A CTA gives users a clear direction and eliminates confusion as to what you want them to do. The resulting lack of confusion improves the overall user experience and an action that benefits you and them.
- You can Measure the Results of Your Efforts: Using a CTA, you can track user behavior and measure content effectiveness at getting the result you want. Using this data, you can refine your CTAs and optimize the website.
How to Craft an Effective CTA
- Clarity is paramount: Like your content, your CTA should be clear as to what it does. This is important to reduce confusion and for the accessibility of users who might misunderstand the intent or destination. Examples include “Download Now,” “Subscribe Today,” or “Contact Us.” Experiment with different versions to see what works.
- Benefit Oriented: Focus on the benefit of the action such as “Get Your Free Ebook Now.”
- Sense of Urgency: Create a sense of urgency by using “Limited Time Offer,” or “Don’t Miss Out.”
- Placement of the CTA: Place the CTA throughout the content, but especially at the end where the users will have engaged with your content and will be most receptive. It should also be directly related to the content around it.
- Visual Appeal: Make you CTA button visually appealing to attract attention.
CTA Use Case Examples
- Ecommerce Website: “Add to cart,” “Shop Now,” or “Learn More About This Product.”
- Blog Post: “Download Our Free Guide,” “Subscribe to Our Newsletter,” or “Leave a Comment Below.”
- Landing Page: “Get Started Today,” Contact Us for a Free Consultation,” “Watch the Demo.”
Let's Tell a Story
When you have a website or blog post that is full of dry facts, technical, or contains tough concepts, a little bit of storytelling can help. Beyond evoking emotion, stroytelling can capturre the imagination, and lead to a deeper connection. Be sure to keep it authentic and make sure the storytelling aligns with your audience. One study (Cassar, et al 2022) using text based content found that story based content writing has the most impact on believability and the ultimate purchase intention.
The Power of Storytelling
- Enhanced Engagement: Sometimes you have to use dry facts and figures, but a little bit of storytelling can spice up your content and make it more palatable.
- Improved Memorability: People are more likely to remember things when it is presented as a narrative. Complex ideas become more relatable and leave an impression.
- Builds Trust: Sharing stories about your brand, mission, and the challenges your customers overcome, helps connect on a human level. This can lead to increased trust and credibility as long as the material and approach is authentic and not artificial or deceptive.
How to Tell Your Story
- Humanize Your Brand: Show the human element behind your brand; that is, show what makes you, you. Share stories about stories about your team, your company’s history, and/or the inspiration behind your products or services. This especially helps for those with social causes that people can identify with.
- Customer Testimonials: Feature real-life stories from customers as social proof of the value you offer.
- Case Studies: Showcase successful projects or how you have helped clients overcome challenges.
- Give a Human Touch to Data: Remember those dry facts and figures, mix them with relatable stories to make it less bland.
The Emotional Touch of Stories
- Emotional Connection: Having content that brings about feelings of happiness, inspiration, humor, or frustration can resonate on a deeper level. This creates a stronger connection, builds brand loyalty, and keeps them coming back for more.
- Triggering Action: Touching users emotions motivates them to take action including clicking your CTA, inspiring them to pursue a goal, or to learn more about your products or services.
The Art of Evoking Emotion
- Use Vivid Language: Descriptive language helps to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and engages the senses.
- Have a Character (a hero or villain): Create a relatable character that users can associate with the strengthen the emotional connection to your brand.
- Conflct and Resolution: Show challenges and how they have been overcome to create suspense and the relief of the resolution.
- Problem-Solution Approach: Position your brand as the solution to a user’s problem thereby evoking an emotional response.
Social Proof of Your Content
Social proof of what you offer can go a long way to convincing others that your brand is credible and trustworthy. Having good reviews and testimonials can convey to others that you are not as much of a risk.
Why Social Proof Matters
- Reduces the Perception of Risk: Are you reluctant to try something new? So are others and being able to show the positive experiences of others reduces the perceived risk of your product or service and shows it is worthwhile.
- Credibility: A brand endorsement serves as a virtual stamp of approval.
- Influences Decisions: Seeing the results of others can push leads to decide on selecting your product or service.
Types of Social Proof
- Customer Testimonials and Reviews: Show positive feedback from satisfied customers on your website and social media platforms.
- Customer Case Studies: Detail in-depth case studies showing how you helped a client achieve specific goals. This helps to demonstrate your expertise and value, and builds trust.
- User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage users to share their experiences with your brand through various forms of media. This makes your brand feel more authentic.
- Influencer Marketing: Partner with relevant influencers to promote your brand thereby reaching a wider audience.
- Media Mentions and Awards: Highlight positive mentions in credibile publications or industry awards you have recieved. This helps reinforce your credibility.
Artificial Intelligence and Content Writing
Numerous studies have been done regarding the use of artificial intelligence for content writing. A few studies have found that artificial intelligence (AI) helps factual based disciplines such as science, marketing, and business. However, other studies have found that it can stifle creativity and lead the homogenization of content overall (Niloy, et al 2023).
It is projected in the future that it will be hard to tell human generated research versus AI generated research. This can be remediated somewhat by having editors knowledgeable in the research fields review the research (Hammad 2023). However, AI can be used to great affect in literature reviews and to identify gaps in current knowledge (Salvagno, et al 2023).
The best use of AI has been found as an idea generator, since the algorithms are not geared to fact-checking but rather producing credible content (Baquero 2022).
Affects on User Experience
The use of AI has resulted in an increase of made-for-advertising (MFAs) websites, also click-bait sites (Kirkpatrick 2024). These are an offshoot of the previous click-bait headlines, but now entire websites in this same format are easier to accomplish.
In the future, artificial intelligence may bring more personalized content to users, similar to how RSS feeds have worked in the past, but with more precision (Lim, et al 2023).
Conclusion
To produce great content, be sure to do your research into your purpose, goals, target audience, and keywords before writing the content. When writing the content, you want to write with clarity and conciseness to ensure that your message is understood and to achieve your objectives.
Within the writing include images related to the content and have a calls-to-action placed in prominent places in the content. In the future, artificial intelligence will become more of a factor in content writing.
References
- Bacquero, Carlos. 2022. Is Having AI Generate Text Cheating? Communications of the ACM 65(1): 6-7.
- Cassar, Mario L., Albert Caruana, and Jirka Konietzny. 2022. Facts or Story? The impact of website content on narrative believability and purchase intention. Journal of Marketing Communications 28(6): 637-656.
- Conway, Richard. 2021. How to Create Winning Blog Content. nzbusiness.co.nz.
- Matthews, Kayla. 2020. Is Long-Form or Short-Form Content More Effective? Information Today 37(2): 39.
- Hammad, Mohamed. 2023. The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programs on Writing Scientific Research. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 51(3): 459-460.
- Kirkpatrick, Keith. 2024. Abusing AI for Advertising — Will generative artificial intelligence accelerate the growth of made-for-advertising sites? Communications of the ACM 67(4): 14-17.
- Lim, Joon Soo, Donghee Shin, Jun Zhang, Stephen Masiclat, Regina Luttrell, and Dennis Kinsey. 2023. News Audiences in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Perceptions and Behaviors of Optimizers, Mainstreamers, and Skeptics. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 67(3): 353-375.
- Murray, Paul. 2010. Who are they? Developing personas can give you a clear picture of your customer. chiefmarketer.com.
- Niloy, Ahnaf Chowdhury, Salma Akter, Nayeema Sultana, Sayed Imran, and Ur Rahman. 2023. Is ChatGPT a menace for creative writing ability? An experiment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 40(2): 919-930.
- Pengnate, Supavich, Jeffrey Chen, and Alex Young. 2021. Effects of Clickbait Headlines on User Responses: An Empirical Investigation. Journal of International Technology and Information Management 30(3): 1-18.
- Pine, B.J. and J.H. Gilmore. 1998. Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review.
- Pophal, Linda. 2024. Tips and Best Practices for Monetizing Your Website. Information Today 41(3): 31-32.
- Pujahari, Abinash and Dilip Singh Sisodia. 2021. Clickbait detention using multiple categorisation techniques. Journal of Information Science 47(1): 118-128.
- Salvagno, Michele, ChatGPT, Fabio Silvio Taccone, and Alberto Giovanni Gerli. 2023. Can aritificial intelligence help for scientific writing? Critical Care 27(1): 1-5.
- Vasilu, Elena, 2020. Website Design for Effective Digital Audience Engagement: A Conceptual Framework, Journal of Media Research 13(3): 70-94.
