It is way easier to train a dragon than to write a persuasive web content that will drive a massive amount of traffic to your website. Web content is entirely different from print content. It is not read. It is scanned at. And within that fraction of a second the eye is supposed to meet something attractive enough to get the reader hooked onto your content and thereby your website. Now I know it sounds next to impossible. But there are a few magic tricks which you should have up your sleeve to make this work. Try following the instructions given here, and you will be good to go. Following are few ways in which you should never write content if you want website traffic:

• Putting irrelevant information in the beginning- Unlike in print copy, where you insert a series of information which builds up to the original context of your writing, web copy follows the “get to the point” ideology. The most important point of your content should be right at the beginning so that your readers are informed about the context of your content. A common name for this type of writing is “inverted pyramid.” The primary context is introduced at first, and then you build your content, giving descriptions and details on it. No reader would have the patience to sit through your explanations till the end of your content to get to the main point. Therefore beating around the bush is a big no-no if you want to acquire traffic to your website.

• Being extraordinarily creative- Web content needs to be catchy but lucid at the same time. The reader does not have enough time to read through and decipher the clever phrases. The content must be attractive and compelling but simple at the same time so that it is easily understood and the reader does not have to work through it. Give them a break from all the pressures which they already deal with in their lives. Also while compiling jokes, make sure that your target audience gets them. Or else including jokes might turn out to be offensive and reduce traffic to your site, and you certainly do not want that to happen.

• Writing for readers- Yes, it is a bit confusing to understand. If you are not writing for readers then whom are you writing for? The answer is scanners. Always remember, web copy has scanners, unlike print copy which has readers. The people coming to your website do not always have time to read the entire length of your content. Instead, they will scan through the material and will only read it intently if they catch something interesting on their radar. The chances are that they will be hooked to your content if they find the introduction intriguing enough. Hence compose your content keeping this in mind.

• Using bombastic words- Any content, embellished and bedazzled with the sparkle of pompous words may sound exotic but would be of very little interest to your readers. They are looking for something which they relate to. Using familiar terms may instead draw their attention to you. For example, if they want to search for travel destinations they might love they would search using the words “travel destinations to love” instead of searching “exotic places I am enamored of.” Try keeping it real and simple, and you will connect with them instantly.

• Structuring your content like that of a book- In case of a book, the reader usually starts from the first chapter and continues until the end. However, for the website content, the reader may not land on the home page always. He/She may find the link to some other pages of your website. Structuring only your homepage for the efficiency of your readers is not going to help much. Hence make sure each page of your website has all the criteria necessary to be an entry page. Make sure that all the pages can be scanned easily, should present a summary of your site and the benefits which the reader can get and should contain a call-to-action button directing the reader about his next action on your site.

• Complicating instructions- Modern life has enough complications without having to add one more in the form of your website. Therefore confusing your readers with complicated and extremely elaborate guidelines is going to have the opposite effect on your site’s traffic. Keep it short and simple. Provide useful information, answer questions from potential customers, use phrases which the targeted audience might relate to and include relevant links to other pages of your site or other websites. In other words try being helpful and not complicate matters instead.

• Using words, words and only words- What if you are a teacher burdened with the task of correcting homework. After hours of reading through volumes of plain text, you come across a write-up, neatly structured with bullet points, paragraphs and keywords underlined. Now isn’t that a sight for sore eyes?! That is precisely how the readers would feel about your content if you make it visually impressive. While the relevant text is essential, you also need to use pictures and videos, relevant quotes, different font sizes, using bold, italicised or underlined highlighted words and breaking your content into paragraphs. A visually attractive content is more likely to gain you traffic than a relevant but plain content.

• Keyword stuffing- Yes it is universally acknowledged that using keywords is one of the best ways to optimise your content. However, too much of something isn’t healthy at all. Therefore keyword stuffing is bound to have an opposite effect on the traffic flow to your website than what you desire.

• Making it too long or too short- Web content is neither a research paper that you have to construct nor is it an anecdote that you share with your friends. Therefore having an optimum length for your content might just work for the best. Do not strip down your content to its outline and neither stuff it to the extent of a novel. Balance it out properly and encounter an increase in your website traffic.

• Stating things blankly- Okay I know I have previously asked you to be on point with your content. While that was excellent advice, you also need to keep in mind the appealing factor of your content. Simple and direct statement of facts may sometimes be too dull. So spice it up by providing a hint about the context of your content rather than revealing it all at once. Once you have gotten the reader hooked, build up the whole context slowly through the entire length. This technique is called “foreshadowing, ” and it is much like creating a trailer for a movie. Give a hint of the main points of your content and attract the readers at first, and then build the entire context when they get hooked.

• Sudden transition of topics- If you suddenly switch over from one topic to another, its going to confuse your readers and your content may start to look like a product of schizophrenia. Make sure that your readers don’t get lost while reading your content. Give a clear signal about your transition in the content like using header tags, headlines, numbered list, etc.

• Making it extremely official- Unless your website demands so, create your content as personal and relatable as possible for your readers. If your content is too formal and uptight, the readers may quickly lose interest in it. It will just be like another forgotten set of instructions. Instead, make it personal by writing in the first person. That is usually how people talk to each other. The reader will feel much closer and comfortable to you, and it will not be awkward and dry as is the case with using the third person in writing.

Some of the best writers of the world are famous because of their capability of getting essential messages and feelings across the masses through clear, warm and relatable writings. You do not have to showcase the Shakespeare inside you always. Web content is for regular people who relate to reading simple stuff. You may be wondering that writing web content is much like writing an assignment with all the rules that you need to keep in mind. You might need an assignment help for this as well. But it is always just the little things that count. It is not difficult to grasp the concept of writing website content. Just read through the instructions mentioned above and you will be good to go. And yeah, you can thank me later after you create a successful content which drives incredible traffic to your site. Good Luck!