46 Tips for Creating Killer Web Content

matt@matthewlbrennan.com

A Little About Me…

Matt Brennan is a Chicago area marketing writer and the author of Write Right – Sell Now: How to Create Content that Grows Your Business. He regularly writes about blogging and content marketing at matthewlbrennan.com.

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matt@matthewlbrennan.com

Killer Web Content Means…

Providing value and building trust, instead of aiming for the hard sell…

1. Understand Your Audience – The more you know about the people you write for, the easier it is to market to them.

2. Make a Promise –

• Promise something great in your headline and lead.

• Deliver.

3. Showcase Your Benefits – Features are nothing more than product specs. Benefits are all the ways your product improves your customer’s life.

4. Answer Customer Questions – Your reader has a short attention span. Give them the information they came looking for, and they are more likely to stay.

5. Focus on Headlines – Headlines are the single most important factor in determining whether someone will click on your content or not.

6. Tell Readers What You Want Them to Do – Learn how to write clear calls to action that will help you sell.

7. Provide Value – Your readers need to know, like and trust you. The easiest way to get there is to give them lots of great information.

8. Consider Your Navigation – Make sure your menu caters to ALL types of readers, and information is available in an intuitive manner.

9. Write for Short Attention Spans – Your readers may only give you a few seconds of their time. Get to your point.

10. Consider Taking Dates off Posts – If you write infrequently it might be worth taking dates off posts. Inactivity is grounds for readers to question your business.

11. Update your content – Your company information, sales inventory, and any other basic information should be current.

12. Experiment with Different Mediums – Experiment with video, infographics, audio, and blogging. People like information in various ways.

13. At Least One Compelling Image Per Post –Make sure your images are compelling, and add to the story.

14. Shorter Paragraphs – Huge blocks of text are a pain to work through. Break up your thoughts accordingly.

15. Bullet Points, Lists and Subheads – These are more great ways to break up your writing into manageable chunks.

16. Develop Your Writing Voice – Write with a little personality. It will help set your web content apart.

17. Avoid Acronyms and Jargon – Your industry geek speak causes stopping points for your reader. It becomes hard to plod through.

18. Include All Relevant Information – If someone wants to contact you or give you money, they shouldn’t have to work real hard to do it. Include your contact info!

19. Consider Infographics – These can help set your website apart by telling your story in a visual way.

20. A/B Test– Consider your website and blog content a series of experiments. Find out what content works to draw people in. Repeat.

VS.

21. Provide Social Proof – Testimonials move readers to buy. People want to know about your previous successes.

22. Tell A Great Story – Stories make you memorable. Stories make you likeable. Stories are what they remember. Tell stories.

23. Carry a Notebook – Inspiration strikes outside the 9 to 5. Carry a notebook. Write those ideas down.

24. Set Goals – Make writing goals and set deadlines. It can help you prioritize as life and business become hectic.

25. Take Breaks – Stop pounding your head against the wall. Don’t force it. Empty the dishwasher. Take out the garbage. Go for a walk. It’s OK.

26. Study the Greats – Who are the leaders in your industry? Read about new innovation, and read about the classics.

27. Write and Edit Separately – If you try to edit as you write, your best ideas may never hit paper (or screen).

28. Use an Editorial Calendar – This will help you keep your content organized. It helps you plan, and it can motivate you to set deadlines.

29. Close out of your social media and email – Diverting your attention elsewhere every two minutes is impeding the quality of your work. It just is.

30. Set Aside Writing Time – It can help to assign blocks of uninterrupted time for your writing efforts.

31. Learn Focus – It won’t kill you to let your phone go to voicemail or tell someone you’re busy. It’s time to relearn how to concentrate for longer periods.

32. Read and Consume Everything – Read inside your industry and out. Connect ideas.

33. Study the Competition – Know what the competition did, so you can adopt or steer clear. This is how you stand out.

34. Write Daily – This is the only way to truly improve at the craft. If you want to improve, this is the best way.

35. Give Your Bad Ideas a Shot – Don’t just dismiss and move past bad ideas. Write them down. Try to enhance them.

36. Copy edit– Your marketing might be someone’s first exposure to your business. It better be professional. Eliminate grammar and spelling errors.

37. Omit the Unnecessary Words – Make your writing tight. If something can be deleted without changing the meaning, do it. Don’t leave any slack.

38. Convey Your Message Clearly – Tell your readers what they can expect, and then deliver. Every time. Talk to them like you’re out for coffee.

39. Read Your Work Out Loud – Your family and coworkers may wonder about you. But you will catch mistakes that otherwise slip through.

40. Show, Don’t Tell – It’s always better to illustrate your point than to simply state it. Paint a picture with words.

41. Improve Your Word Choice – Strong verbs pop, and a conversational tone sings. Make sure you’re not boring people to death one word at a time.

42. Don’t Crowd Your Layout – Too many choices make it tempting for the reader to simply do nothing.

43. Keep Your Forms Simple – Don’t give your reader so many choices that they do nothing. If they got this far, they really do want to reach out.

44. Guide Your Reader to that Call to Action – With web programs such as Canva, you can create visual calls to action. Let your readers know what you want them to do.

45. Consider Minimalism – Making your call to action the ONLY thing your customer can do will increase your results.

46. Make it Easy to Share – Social buttons at the end of your web content or blogs make it easy for them to share the content they love.

One Other Thing…

• Did you find these tips helpful? My book Write Right – Sell Now can help you create content that sells. Available on Amazon!

matt@matthewlbrennan.com