Important tips to remember to create easy to read, reliable web content that will increase the number of visitors to your site.

When writing for the web, it is important to remember that people do not read online the same way they read on paper. Because the screen makes words fuzzier than those on printed paper, people are more likely to scan. You must create content that can be read quickly and still prove useful to your reader.

In order to create great web content, observe these ten tips:

1. Always write for your audience. Do not forget who the article is aimed at and what they want to read. Do not write for yourself or your boss only. Remember who will be reading the information.
2. Keep it simple. It is important to always keep in mind the message you are trying to convey. Do not let anything detract from your main message.
3. Use effective hyperlinks. Rather than writing wordy explanations for everything, use links to send people to other pages where the information can be found. Also, do not simply write “click here” and turn it into the link, give an accurate description of the information linked.
4. Use headlines and sub headlines. Readers do not want to search your site for information. By providing accurate headings and subheadings, they will be able to quickly locate information when scanning the page.
5. Gain trust with citations. By providing valuable information and links to other useful sites, people will consider you the “go to” site when seeking answers. It will continually bring them back if they know they can always find answers or find out where they need to go to get answers whenever they visit your site.
6. Keep it short. Utilize bullet points. By writing short intros and following them with bulleted or numbered lists, users will spend less time searching for information.
7. Do not copy directly from Word. Word processing programs add undesirable formatting information. Paste articles into Notepad or TextEdit to remove unwanted formatting.
8. Edit your writing. Cut your words down by about 50 percent. Eliminate all redundant words to simplify your text for readers.
9. Use Active Voice. Make sure your wording clearly identifies who is performing an activity. It makes writing more clear and direct and helps eliminate the possibility of sounding dull.
10. Create downloadable files. When a document exceeds 10 pages, contains complex graphics or layouts, or is short and non-graphical it is better to upload a document for users to download.

Remember these tips when creating web content to generate more web traffic and develop customer loyalty.