Tips for Producing Good Content

Here are a few tips to remember in regards to content:

1. Be concise.  Research shows that reading from a computer screen is about 25% slower than reading from paper or other print medium. To that end, you will want to edit your writing to say the exact same thing in half the words it would take if you were writing on paper. Also, think back to the last time you came to one of those really long-winded Web sites where the content may have been great, but you still had to scroll and scroll and scroll to get to the end. It can be a nuisance. So, keep your pages short.
2. Make your content scannable.  When people use the Internet, they are looking at mass amounts of information. Help them get to the core of what they want by using bulleted items, short paragraphs, and subheadings to make it easier for them to find what they are looking for.
3. Write without error.  There is no excuse for poor grammar, typographical errors, and misspellings. If you own a computer, you have access to spell-checking and grammar-checking technologies. Use them. These small details will reflect upon your site and your professionalism. Before uploading any new content, proofread it. If possible, turn it over to someone else for their input.
4. Know your audience.  Since most audiences vary in terms of experience level with both your product/service and their experience level with the internet, you will want to simplify things. You want to ensure that potential clients understand your product/service. The best way to do this is to create content that is informative, yet easy to understand for even the newest of the newbies.
5. Write as if you were a Public Relations pro.  You may not be a PR exec, but you should know how to market your business. Use the terminology that is most appropriate for your business. While you want to provide information, your main goal is still one thing: to sell your product or service. So, write to sell.
6. Maximize your keywords.  Using keywords and phrases that are most appropriate for your business whenever possible (without being overtly redundant) in your content, is an important part of the search engine optimization process.
7. Refresh, refresh, refresh.  Web sites should be updated on a regular basis -- don't let them go stale. Add new products/services, update users with new information and tools, do what you can to change your content and keep users coming back for more.