6 Tips for Writing for the Web

Writing for the web may sometimes take work, especially when consistent social media interaction and collaboration are required. Writing under pressure can be the driving factor for many content strategists; others may find themselves crushed with writing anxiety. The dreaded “writer’s block.”

Not only must you create original copy, but it must be pertinent, valuable, and relevant to your target audience. The purpose of your content should be developing a voice for your brand, as well as being approachable to your users resulting in increased engagement and client retention/loyalty. Below are some quick, easy tips you can incorporate into your business writing to improve your copy.

1. Just Write

Often, we are plagued with needing to come up with the perfect phrasing, obsessing over every word and detail. That’s fine – after you’re finished getting all of your ideas down and elaborated on. Sit down and plug away, as though you were speaking to your client’s face to face, infusing your passion into your words. Then, once all of the points have been made, go back into the doc and edit, fine-tuning it to match your professional impression.

2. Disconnect

If you can, use a computer disconnected from the internet (or better yet, use an old-fashioned notebook and pen). Freeing yourself from distractions will drastically improve your writing; often, we don’t realize how often we check our email and social media without even thinking about it. Being connected has become our habit – break that for an hour or two every day, and focus fully on content creation.

3. Organization is Everything

One of the easiest ways to become overwhelmed and uncertain with your writing is to have a vast, open space in front of you – a vague goal, “Write a blog post.” Writing for the web is difficult as it is, so avoiding generalization will assist greatly. Develop a strategy for your posting, using an editorial calendar or sectioning your notes and files. If you notice that you lack informative posts (focusing instead on promotional articles, for example), switch tactics and write in that area. That directional shift can do wonders in sparking creativity.

4. Outlines

Beginning with grade school, we have been taught how to outline our papers and assignments. That tip hasn’t changed since and has helped many well-known writers immensely in their content strategies. Ensuring focus and keeping you on the train of thought you originally pursued will get you through the last steps of your copywriting (that moment when you suddenly forget your point).

5. Set Goals

You are your own motivator – treat every post or content goal as its important task. And how do you approach a large goal? Break it up into small, manageable pieces. After sectioning them off, tackle every small one and know that you have to finish each one at a specified time. Think of it as small homework assignments with non-negotiable due dates.

6. Ask for Feedback

If you are truly committed to improving your content creation, feel free to ask for feedback from your peers and coworkers. Run your copy by multiple individuals to see which areas need the most development – you may not catch small errors, especially since you’ve been looking at it consistently. And most importantly, don’t take any constructive criticism personally; feedback is necessary for self-improvement.

Keep writing and stay motivated using the above suggestions. Remember – everyone experiences writer’s block and a lack of creative inspiration, and writing for the web is no exception. By asking for feedback and maintaining an editorial calendar with ideas, the process is eased, and content flow is established.