Writing for Online Readers

Writing for an online audience is different from other types of writing that you might do. It’s important that you understand these differences so that you are able to write to your online readers and get your message across properly.

Do you feel like no one reads your content? Are you getting little page views? Are you wondering what the point even is of putting that content out there? Your problem might be that you don’t know how to write for online readers. The good news is that this is a really simple problem to solve.

Here are some basic tips on writing for online readers that will help you get started today:

Less is more: When writing to an online audience, you don’t want to write too much. People are in a hurry these days, are often reading from mobile devices and are already getting flooded with information from every direction. You want to keep your message simple and to the point to have it well received.

Reverse pyramid: Similar to newspaper style, you want to put the bulk of your info at the start. Tell them your point in the beginning. Then spend the rest of your article explaining those points or backing them up with facts. The reverse pyramid method will ensure readers can get what your writing is about right from the start, encouraging them to stay.

Scannable format: You also want to present your content in a clean, scannable format. Numbers and bullet lists help break up the text and make it easier to scan. Subheadings and bold where necessary further complete this point. Line breaks and shorter sentences also make the piece of content more scannable.

If you include links, you should be sure they are quality links and that they are directly related to your content. With these simple tips, you can write better to online readers and increase your coverage and readership.