Six Tips for Writing Quality Content

We’ve all had the experience of searching for something and landing on web pages where the content was obviously written with a focus on keywords and maybe length, and not much else. While that tactic obviously worked well enough to get you there, it certainly doesn’t mean you will stay. So how do you make sure that your own web content is meaty enough to get people to keep reading, and hopefully coming back? Here are some pointers for writing quality content that is free of fluff and filler.

1. Start With an Outline

An outline will not only help you keep your information organized and easy to find, it will also ensure that you are actually talking about something, instead of just rambling on and on and taking irrelevant and boring wrong turns. A good outline is the skeletal structure of your article. Come up with all of the salient points of your topic or your argument and arrange them in the order you want to present them, and then all you have to do is flesh it all out.

2. Do Your Research

Doing your research will make sure you aren’t missing anything important in the article you want to write. It will inform you and it may just increase your interest in your topic, helping you to write a better piece. Through your research, you should also be able to find out whether or how much your topic has been covered before. The more your subject has already been written about, the more time you’re going to want to devote to item #3:

3. Find a New Angle

Especially if your chosen topic has been borderline blogged to death, you are going to want to think of fresh and creative ways of presenting your information. Come up with a funny metaphor, or think of a good story that has parallels to what you are writing about. And if your topic is really overdone and you are about to go through the motions of beating a dead horse without saying anything new or at least saying it in a new way, then you might want to reconsider your topic altogether and find something else to write about.

4. Care

As hinted at in #2, your writing is much, much stronger when you can stand behind it with your convictions. And unless you’re really good at faking it, it’s going to be pretty weak if you don’t believe what you are saying. If you don’t care naturally, you can try to manufacture caring by learning more about your subject. Otherwise consider writing about something else or maybe outsourcing this one.

5. Use Headings

This suggestion is specific to the Internet. You are dealing with people who are experts at scanning and skimming; make sure that you post the signposts to let them know that they will find what they are looking for in your article. The easy part about this is that usually your headings can come straight out of your outline, and they can actually help you stay focused as you write your piece.

6. Weed Your Writing

Most people use too many words to make their point, and it is one hallmark of bad writing. Once you have written your first draft, go over your article to see where you can cut unnecessary asides and where you can consolidate to make your writing more concise. Pay attention to spelling and grammar mistakes, and try not to mix your metaphors.

Some people are born with a talent for writing and others have to work a little harder at it, but everyone’s writing has room for improvement. Following these six tips will prevent your readers from finding nothing but an empty bun on your blog, with no hamburger in sight.