Content creation is often the most trying part of the web process. Just ask any copywriter, marketing specialist or even a student and you’ll find that unanimously: writing can be overwhelmingly time-consuming. But what makes writing for the web different than writing an essay or letter?

What does it mean to write for the web?

Writing for the web is not just a way to explain and describe your site’s purpose; web content is primarily focused on quickly and effectively getting information across to all types of users. But, this cannot be done without a focused message ( i.e. what you do and how you do it) to your site’s visitors and potential customers. Your web content should be suitable for a child or a grandparent to read, in terms of being apropos, and highly organized by topic.

What should I keep in mind?

The most important thing to consider when writing for the web is understanding how your users will focus on the words you write. The average site visitor will not read a webpage of content from top to bottom, this is why you often see content broken up into small, bite-sized paragraphs with descriptive headings.

Writing content is often the hardest and most important step in completing your new web project. Companies must be actively aware of the message their brand sends forward, and how they want to own it.

How do I own my message?

If you sell used cars, for example, think of the most common concerns and questions that your customers have and begin writing in a way that addresses those topics.

It could be as simple as answering questions like: “Can I get a deal on maintenance?” or “How much financing do you provide?” Or maybe you want to tout your company’s long history of being family-owned and operated, or your awards for quality and service – whatever it is, be ahead of the conversation through your content.

What do I do now?

Begin drafting. Taking your content down in one day will not help you keep your site’s information consistent. Ask others who do and do not work with you to read, re-read and edit your work. It is also very important to give a draft to someone who is not familiar with your industry to see if the information you are conveying is truly universal.

Through the content writing process, you should learn a lot about how others view your business. In creating a new website, you are introducing a new “face” to the internet – and by extension – the world. Writing for the web is going to be the longest part of your new web initiative, but it does not have to be daunting. The sooner you begin brainstorming, and drafting your content the better!

What makes the process of writing for the web unique is how it is organized, and how it helps to lay down the blueprint for a site’s overall design and functionality. So keep calm and happy writing!