Writing for the Web: 7 Tips for Getting Read and Shared Online
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The document outlines seven essential tips for writing effective web content that engages readers and increases shares. Key strategies include conducting keyword research, focusing on strong opinions and original research, using attention-grabbing headlines, and optimizing formatting for skimming. Ultimately, it emphasizes the importance of creating long, well-researched content that resonates with the target audience and encourages collaboration for broader reach.
![@crestodina
Words that get
clicked in Google
1.How to
2.[List-related numbers]
3.Free
4.You
5.Tips
6.Blog post
7.Why
8.Best
9.Tricks
10.Great
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/writingforweb-161114122556/85/Writing-for-the-Web-7-Tips-for-Getting-Read-and-Shared-Online-97-320.jpg)
Writing for the Web: 7 Tips for Getting Read and Shared Online
- 1. Writing for the Web 7 Tips for Getting Read and Shared Andy Crestodina Strategic Director | @crestodina
- 4. TOPICS
- 5. @crestodina Sources of topics 1. Keyword research 2. Q&A websites 3. Listening to your audience
- 12. @crestodina Google Analytics: Queries Report
- 13. @crestodina Google Analytics: Site Search Report
- 15. @crestodina Listening 1. Sales team 2. Customer service team 3. Customer stories
- 16. @crestodina Your outbox is filled with content
- 17. The 2 Power Topics
- 19. @crestodina source: Moz, BuzzSumo Most content gets no links and few shares
- 20. ...if you want to create content that achieves a high level of both shares and links then you should concentrate on opinion forming, authoritative content... or well researched and evidenced content.
- 21. ...if you want to create content that achieves a high level of both shares and links then you should concentrate on strong opinions original research
- 22. The Power of Research
- 23. @crestodina Three ways to produce research 1. Observation: Pick a data set. Gather data. 2. Aggregation: Combine data from existing sources 3. Survey: Mass outreach and analysis
- 24. @crestodina Three ways to produce research 1. Observation: Pick a data set. Gather data. 2. Aggregation: Combine data from existing sources 3. Survey: Mass outreach and analysis
- 25. @crestodina Three ways to produce research 1. Observation: Pick a data set. Gather data. 2. Aggregation: Combine data from existing sources 3. Survey: Mass outreach and analysis
- 26. observation
- 27. @crestodina
- 28. @crestodina
- 29. @crestodina
- 30. @crestodina
- 31. @crestodina
- 32. @crestodina
- 33. aggregation
- 34. @crestodina
- 35. @crestodina
- 36. @crestodina
- 37. survey
- 38. @crestodina
- 39. @crestodina source: 2016 Blogger Survey, Orbit Media @crestodina
- 40. @crestodina
- 41. “What do people in our industry often say but rarely support?”
- 42. Find the missing stat It is frequently asserted, but rarely supported
- 43. Sonia Simone CCO, Copyblogger Media Don’t take shortcuts; they take too long.
- 44. The Power of Strong Opinion
- 45. @crestodina
- 46. @crestodina The power of strong opinion
- 47. @crestodina The power of strong opinion
- 48. @crestodina The power of strong opinion
- 49. @crestodina The power of strong opinion
- 50. @crestodina
- 51. @crestodina
- 52. @crestodina
- 53. @crestodina
- 54. @crestodina
- 55. @crestodina
- 56. @crestodina The power of strong opinion
- 57. What do you believe that most people would disagree with?
- 58. What do you believe will happen in the future that most people think is unlikely?
- 59. What questions are people in your industry afraid to answer?
- 60. HEADLINES
- 62. @crestodina
- 63. @crestodina
- 64. @crestodina
- 65. @crestodina
- 66. @crestodina The curiosity gap and sharing
- 67. @crestodina source: What makes online content go viral? Emotions get shared
- 68. @crestodina
- 69. @crestodina source: OK Dork / Co-Schedule Average EMV score for headlines based on shares
- 70. @crestodina User numbers source: Conductor: 5 Data Insights Into the Headlines Readers Click
- 71. @crestodina
- 72. @crestodina
- 73. @crestodina
- 74. @crestodina Great headlines... 1. Make a promise 2. Trigger curiosity 3. Use numbers 4. Ask a question 5. Use power words 6. Sized to fit the purpose 7. Keyword first source: How to Write a Headline That Won’t Get Ignored: 7-Point Checklist
- 75. Write many. Chose one!
- 76. @crestodina • Upworthy writes 25 headline variations • CoSchedule writes 25-30 headline variations • Buffer writes 25-30 headline variations • Orbit writes 5 headline variations Write many, choose one
- 77. FORMATTING
- 78. @crestodina source: How Little to Users Read? NN Group Readers don’t read Users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit 20% is more likely.
- 79. @crestodina
- 81. @crestodina source: 5 Easy Tips to Improve Every Blog Design Format for scanners
- 82. Short paragraphs get read. Long paragraphs get skimmed. Very long paragraphs get skipped. Jason Fried Basecamp
- 83. @crestodina Internal links Use the “site:” search operator
- 84. @crestodina Types of formatting 1. Headers, subheads 2. Bullet lists, numbered lists 3. Bolding and Italics 4. Internal links 5. Multiple images
- 85. WORDS
- 86. @crestodina • More formal • Longer (polysyllabic) • Fancy, proper Examples acquire, transmit, construct, resist, deposit, imitate, determined Latinate words
- 87. @crestodina Anglo-Saxon words • Less formal • Short (often monosyllabic) • Forceful, direct Examples get, send, build, stop, put, mock, set
- 88. @crestodina
- 89. @crestodina
- 90. @crestodina “This was perhaps the most significant finding of the study”
- 91. @crestodina “This was perhaps the most significant finding of the study” “This was perhaps the biggest finding of the study”
- 92. @crestodina “This was perhaps the most significant finding of the study” “This might be the biggest finding of the study”
- 93. @crestodina “This was perhaps the most significant finding of the study” “This might be the biggest finding of the survey”
- 94. @crestodina Success rates after rewriting a health care site for an 8th grade level readability… source: NN Group, Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience Write for 8th graders
- 95. @crestodina
- 96. @crestodina source: LA Times 1 in 10 Americans think that HTML is an STD
- 97. @crestodina Words that get clicked in Google 1.How to 2.[List-related numbers] 3.Free 4.You 5.Tips 6.Blog post 7.Why 8.Best 9.Tricks 10.Great source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
- 98. @crestodina Words that appear in viral posts source: 131 Words, Orbit Media 1.Smart 2.Surprising 3.Science 4.History 5.Hacks (hacking, hackers, etc.) 6.Huge / Big 7.Critical
- 99. @crestodina Negative words that get shared source: 131 Words, Orbit Media 1.Kill 2.Fear 3.Dark 4.Bleeding 5.War
- 100. @crestodina Top re-tweeted words source: 131 Words, Orbit Media 1. You 2. Twitter 3. Please 4. Retweet 5. Post 6. Blog 7. Social 8. Free 9. Media 10. Help
- 101. @crestodina Words that get people to open emails source: 131 Words, Orbit Media 1. Urgent 2. Breaking 3. Important 4. Alert
- 102. @crestodina Words that trigger buyer behavior source: 131 Words, Orbit Media 1. You 2. Free 3. Because 4. Instantly 5. New
- 103. LENGTH
- 104. @crestodina source: BuzzSumo dataset: OrbitMedia.com Long content gets shared more
- 105. @crestodina Long content gets linked to more source: HubSpot Word Count vs Average Linking Domains > 2500 2250 – 2500 2000 – 2249 1750 – 1999 1500 – 1749 1250 – 1499 1000 – 1249 750 – 999 500 – 749 250 – 499 0 - 249
- 106. @crestodina source: Moz, Buzzsumo Article Length Avg Shares Avg Referring Links < 1,000 2,823 3.47 1 - 2,000 3.456 6.92 2 – 3,000 4,254 8.81 3 – 10,000+ 5,883 11.07 n = 489,128 articles (over 85% had less than 1,000 words) Long content gets more links and shares
- 108. @crestodina Long content generates more leads source: Curata
- 109. IMAGES
- 110. @crestodina source: Twitter Media Blog, March 2014
- 111. @crestodina source: Social Bakers, March 2014
- 112. @crestodina
- 113. @crestodina
- 114. @crestodina
- 116. @crestodina
- 117. If you can’t write a caption for it, it’s a stock photo.
- 118. @crestodina
- 119. @crestodina
- 122. Visual Cues
- 123. Eye Tracking Studies Show...
- 124. ...you look where they look!
- 128. @crestodina
- 129. @crestodina
- 130. Use Multiple Images
- 131. @crestodina source: 2016 Blogger Survey @crestodina
- 132. COLLABORATION
- 133. @crestodina
- 134. @crestodina
- 135. @crestodina
- 136. @crestodina
- 137. @crestodina
- 138. @crestodina Content should be designed to attract visitors
- 141. @crestodina 5 Ways to Collaborate 1. Mention them in your content 2. Ask for a contributor quote 3. Include them in an expert roundup 4. Invite them to guest post 5. Deep dive interview
- 143. @crestodina
- 147. How many people are waiting for your article to go live? Make sure it’s not zero.
- 148. Share and mention
- 149. An ally in creation is an ally in promotion
- 151. If you’re not making friends, you’re doing it wrong.
- 152. @crestodina YOUR SITE OTHER SITES WHERE to publish
- 153. @crestodina WHO does the writing CREATED BY YOU CO-CREATED WITH INFLUENCERS
- 154. @crestodina Content = 2 Links = 0 Friends = 0 Content = 3 Links = 1 Friends = 2 Round One
- 155. @crestodina Content = 4 Links = 0 Friends = 0 Content = 6 Links = 2 Friends = 4 (better links + real connections) Round Two
- 156. @crestodina Nice blog, but… This is what great content marketing looks like. Round Four
- 157. What’s in it for me?
- 158. Eugene Schwartz Copywriting legend Copy is never written. Copy is assembled.
- 166. @crestodina Andy Crestodina Strategic Director | @crestodina THANK YOU!