5 Steps to Improve Your Writing for Better Web Content

As a small business, supporting a blog as a subset of your company’s website gives you a 434% higher chance of being ranked highly on the search engines that bring readers to your page. 434%!!

Chances are, you put lots of time into creating your site’s content, right? With that in mind, it can be super frustrating to find that your blog’s traffic just isn’t looking so hot.

While there may be tons of reasons for the underwhelming amount of readers you’re experiencing, one tried and true method of boosting your site’s traffic can be to…well, boost your own writing skills!

Think about it–wouldn’t you be more likely to keep visiting a blog that was super fun and well-written than one that feels more “blah” and unpolished?

If you’re hoping to mprove your writing and boost your site’s traffic, keep reading!

1. Read Stuff You Admire

This point may seem like obvious life advice–I mean, why wouldn’t you read stuff you enjoy?! But it’s also super important advice when it comes to upping your writing game, too.

Reading other blogs and similar web content can be a total game-changer as you try to improve your own web presence. Reading content from well-renowned sites that consistently pull loads of traffic can be a great way to pick up tips for improving your own site’s content! Reading other sites’ content gives you a chance to observe an example of a platform that’s working well, and it can provide awesome inspiration for your next posts.

Even beyond blogs and sites that post similar content to yours, it’s a great exercise to read more while working to improve your own writing chops. Surrounding yourself by high-quality writing of any kind–from fiction to nonfiction to scientific articles and business documents–can be the perfect way to kick your brain into gear and write stuff that’s just as killer.

2. Establish a Unique Style

One reason your site may have trouble pulling and keeping readers around is that your content just…isn’t interesting enough. Establishing a unique style that’s fun and works well with your brand can be just the thing you need to really hook readers.

Chances are, your site’s content isn’t 100% original. Chances are, your readers are probably able to find similar information elsewhere. And chances are, those readers who are choosing to get their info from platforms that aren’t yours are doing so because the tone, voice, and overall experience involved with that other content are just a little bit better.

Developing a unique style and voice for your brand can make writing easier for you, since many of the best platforms boast a light, conversational style that’s both easy and effective for online content. It can also keep readers hooked because they’ll trust your voice to be consistent and fun!

3. Stay Focused

One of the coolest parts about spending time developing web content is that it gives you the chance to contribute to the huge wealth of knowledge and information that is the Internet. The other thing about the Internet is that aside from all that knowledge comes…well, distractions!

On average, it takes the human brain 17 minutes to fully refocus on a task after a significant distraction. That means that, if you’re spending every few minutes of your writing time watching a video or checking your messages, it’s really no surprise you aren’t able to buckle down and write great stuff in the midst of that!

Consider drafting a weekly content plan for your site or blog, so you’ll have clearcut goals to tackle before the end of each day. Be sure to remove distractions from the room–maybe even to the extent of shutting your Internet connection down altogether and typing in a word processor until you’ve finished a draft!

Many people think being distracted while writing just means the process will take longer. But the truth is, in a lot of cases, that a distracted writer really does show up in the finished product. Distracted writers write disjointed, messy content! Don’t get distracted, or your writing won’t improve.

4. Treat Writing Like Teamwork

We’ve all been there–you’ve spent the last couple hours working through this piece and you’re just ready to be done with it. Why not post it and call it good?

Well, the problem with this process is that, even if you’re a generally good writer, your work can often suffer from being rushed along. If you’re one of those people who struggle to work on the same project for too long at once, consider treating your writing process like teamwork, and pass that draft along to a coworker for a second opinion!

Often, a second set of eyes can catch small issues like typos or unclear sentences that you’ve been overlooking. Many times, too, a second perspective on a piece of writing can bring along with it any number of fresh ideas and suggestions to make that piece better.

If you’re looking to improve your writing skills, you probably won’t be able to do it all alone. Treat writing like teamwork; make it a goal never to finish a piece without sending it along to a second set of eyes and having a conversation about how it’s shaping up! You’ll be surprised at what a big effect a second opinion can have on your content.

5. Keep at It

You saw this one coming, sure, but we’re gonna say it anyway– Practice makes perfect.

If you’re struggling to put out awesome content, the solution may be… well, to make more content! Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should write 6 blogs in a day and post them all–just that you should spend more time on your content, playing with sentences, forms, and drafts.

If you’re typically a 1-draft-pony, it’s probably a good idea to step out of your comfort zone and get after 2 or 3 drafts instead. Set a goal for yourself to write more than you’re comfortable with. Write and rewrite until you’ve got the best content possible!

Writing more content might also open the possibility for writing a broader range of posts. Try posting a fun Q&A, then the next week, take a shot at writing a persuasive post in the form of “choose your own adventure”! Remember, drafts aren’t permanent.

They say that it’s only with 10,000 hours of deliberate practice that you really come to be an expert at anything. With that in mind, get cracking on those drafts!

Want More on How to Improve Your Writing?

Writing is a powerful tool–and it’s a tool you can never be too good at!

If you’re hoping for more information on how to improve your writing and your web content overall, check out our blog.

Until next time, happy writing!