“Content is king.”

This simple sentence is at the start of this article. And it really is good advice. All the beautiful, flashy graphics in the world can’t help a site with poor content.

Merry Bruns states there are six rules to follow when writing on the web.

-Create content for readers. They are coming to read original content, not something nicked from another site.
-Show them the benefits. Why is coming to this particular site a good idea? What do you have that they don't?
-Write to reach them. Using buzzwords that only make sense to a select few alienate everyone else…leading them to search for a simpler site.
-Write more concisely, and format for scanning. While these two were listed seperately before, they go hand-in-hand. Very few people read articles word-for-word, choosing instead to skim through. Since the majority will be skimming, by keeping it short they will still get the same things out of the article.
-Become interactive. By adding a level of interaction between you and your viewers, they will feel like they are actively participating in your site.

FURTHER READING:

This blog post contains links to over a dozen helpful articles.