Crucial Guidelines to Writing Quality Web Content	2.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
Christopher Melvin July 12, 2018

The internet is very informative. Most people today do their research over the internet. Shopping is also done online. A lot of things these days are done online. There is therefore a lot of information online. You may find the information useful sometimes. Other times, the information may not make sense to you, but may make sense to your friend. The content also varies from one source to another. When doing research or trying to find something, you may find all types of information. The question is whether the information meets the criteria of what you were looking for. The internet has a plethora of solutions for what you are looking for. Every business has its own way of putting across content. Blog writers & social media writers are examples of online content writers. They invest time in writing articles that are posted on websites or wherever the clients’ desire.

Content writing is aimed at branding products and services through the internet. The writers work according to what the clients want. The client gives information that will guide the writer on what to write. The writer is then obligated to translate the worker's guidelines into informative writing that is intended to be posted on their websites. Content writing is mostly used for marketing under search engine optimization. Therefore, for you to meet the client’s criteria, you need to do a lot of research and have great content. The quality of the content will depend on how informed you are.

Sometimes, the articles may not have the exact content the client wants. Other times, you may have little knowledge about the topic. To be on the safe side, you need to do your research and adhere to the client’s brief. Content will have keywords and authority links. The keywords are used to emphasize purpose. The written project should be appealing and crystal clear. If the content doesn't meet the threshold required, then it will result in poor SEO listings. According to forbes.com quality content increases search engine optimization, which in turn attracts visitors to your website. Every business wants content that will move them a scale higher than they are in terms of revenue and even following.

1.  Keywords

When you are writing web content, it’s your responsibility to understand the keywords. Know what the keywords mean and research on additional information on the keywords. You need to know why and what the client wants to achieve. Failure to do proper research will make the client feel shortchanged. How then do you look up the keywords? Your dictionary should always be your friend if you intend to deliver quality content to the client. Once you have understood the keywords, it's easier to know what you are writing about. It will also guide you on what the best title of your content should be. Keywords will always determine what type of content you will write. Moreover, understanding the keywords will give you more ideas, and a variety of topics for you to write about.

2.  Density of keywords

Under the clients’ guidelines, there will always be keywords to use. It's how you use your keywords that will determine the density of the article. Populating the keywords in the article will only ruin it. You don't have to stuff the keywords so much as this will make your article unreadable. Once you use the keywords more than 5 times, your article will start getting negative attention, where they suspect your information, or even the product being branded. Generally, overusing of the keywords is dubious. It will raise concerns and trust issues. To be on the safe side, it's advisable to use the keyword once or twice depending on the length of the article.

3.  Authority links

Authority links are basically links that have a certain level of trust across search engines. They own websites that always prove resourceful when reading about something. They have earned the trust of many because of the years they have been delivering valid and quality information. When you derive information from another website, it’s necessary for you to hyperlink it. This shows etiquette and respect; you would demand the same if you owned any of these links. This will also help the client understand where you sourced your information. Although most clients demand your content be original and unique, the sites you hyperlink will always get back to you to acknowledge your work and also backlink you. 

4.  Feelings

Quality content will always have the reader feeling something. It will appeal to the reader’s senses and keep them reading to the end. Always have the reader as your priority. Your content must always capture the reader's attention. While you are writing, put yourself in the reader’s shoes. What feelings do you want the content to evoke in the reader? Your content should project a certain feeling. For example, your reader can be amused. Feeling sad is also an emotion that you can capitalize on with your content. Your punchlines should always trigger a certain response from the reader.

5. Structure & Sentences

There are different sentence structures that you can use; you get to decide which one will work for the content you are writing. However, your sentences should always be short and punchy. They should also always make sense. Moreover, you shouldn't use passive voice in your sentences as this will reduce their punchiness, thus they will be blunt. For you to achieve the intensity in your sentences, make them short and in the active voice. Short sentences will always pass the intended message directly. The long sentences tend to throw away the meaning of the sentence.

Have your information in point form or in paragraphs. Structured content will always grab the attention of the reader. Arrange your points and number them, or use bullets to identify them. In the introduction part, avoid long opening information as it creates a barrier between the reader and the information. The reader needs to understand what you’re saying within a few seconds of reading. No reader wants to steer through long paragraphs to understand what your content is about

6.  Phraseology and dictionary

During content writing, one is always free to look up the meaning of certain words in the dictionary. If you are not sure of how to use certain words, feel free to refer to the dictionary or even research online. Words can be used differently to pass different information. To avoid being misquoted or being misinterpreted, it’s always good to use words whose meaning you are sure of. The diction you use will also determine the quality of the article. How then do you achieve good diction? You need to understand what you are writing about, and who you are targeting.

7.  Legibility

How well does the reader relate and understand your article? Your web content should be easy for the reader to read and understand. Avoid huge vocabularies if you can use an easier alternative. Your content should have a low level of reading. The truth is, your readers will vary in education level. Your content should therefore be easy to read for everyone irrespective of their academic level. However, that doesn’t permit you to write substandard content for your readers.

8.  Edited

Your web content should always be free from errors. The errors can be spelling mistakes or punctuation. Imagine reading a sentence that has no comma or even a full stop. Moreover, be versatile and use all forms of punctuation. This enhances the reader's attention. Your work will meet quality standards when it has all the required punctuation. Punctuation marks are necessary because they paint a clear picture for the reader, complete with emotional effects. For example, question marks and exclamation marks will always keep the reader involved in the web content. Spelling mistakes are a put off for readers, and show how conversant you are with what you are writing about. Any content writing company has editors who make sure the articles are well edited.

9.  Flexibility

Web content will not always be about the topics you want or know. When the client gives you briefs on how the article should be done, you should be able to adapt to and write great content. It’s all about quality research, and you will be writing about something you never knew you could. You should always have a tone that will guide you to meet the expectations of the client. Get to learn about new styles; this will enhance your capability to adapt to any form of writing.

10. Originality and uniqueness

Ensure your content is original. It should also be unique. Everyone has their own way of thinking and relating ideas. This is what makes your content unique and original. Research only helps you understand what you will be writing about. While researching, ensure you are focused so that when writing, the information will be flowing and you will not have struggles of having to reread it so as to understand.