Writing for the Web: Writing Content That Converts

FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

WriteAs affiliate marketers and online entrepreneurs, the best way to drive search traffic to our websites is to provide quality, useful and helpful content. We don’t need to be literary geniuses to do this, we just need to be able to put words on a page in a meaningful way. While it is important that your writing is readable, it’s not critical. Where not submitting manuscripts to New York publishers here. So long as your writing is reasonable, it’ll be good enough. What’s most important is what you have to say.

Just be conversational with your writing, as if you were sitting there having a coffee with a friend and offering them some advice on some matter. If you struggle to do this when seated in front of a computer, then move away from the computer and speak what you want to say into a voice recorder. Perhaps it will sound more natural to you this way. Then all you need to do is listen to the playback of the recording and transcribe the results.

 

Always Write Original Content

Never, ever copy someone else’s work. Not only is it morally and ethically wrong, it’ll kill any chance you have of ranking well in search engines like Google and Bing. Duplicate content is a real no no. Never do it. Also, never copy and paste someone else’s content and just change a few words or lines around. That’s plagiarism. Be original. Write everything in your own words. Even if it turns out a little lumpy, you can always get someone else to look over it for you later.

If your writing is just really bad, then you may want to consider outsourcing your work to a professional writer. Many are quite cheap when it comes to writing short web content, and there are writers abroad who are only too happy to do the work for a minimal fee.

 

Research

Really, in this day and age of the internet and the world literally at your fingertips, there is never any excuse for lacking ideas for content and what to write about. If you have an idea, but don’t know enough about the subject to fill an article or blog post, then all you need to do is research it on the net. Once again, just gather ideas of what to write about. Wikipedia is always a great source of information. Never copy what you find. Always be original.

I used to write articles for magazines and newspapers as a freelancer long before the internet existed, and research for those was tough. I would spend countless hours in the library pouring over books and taking notes. Then I would go home and hammer out the article on a typewriter.

We’re spoilt these days. I love the internet. It’s a dream come true for writers when it comes to research. There is nothing that I can’t find information on now. In fact there is often too much information. Sometimes it gets confusing. But better to have a glut of information readily on hand than to be struggling to find answers and ideas for your all-important content.

 

Be A Helper, Not A Salesperson

Pushed to SuccessThe best way to get conversions on your affiliate offerings is to first offer something useful to the reader. After all, they came across your content while either searching for reviews on a particular product, or they were trying to find solutions to a problem of some sort. It’s your job to not only lure them to your website, but to help them solve their problem through the information contained within your content. If they land on your page through a relevant Google search only to be met with one big salesy page trying to ram a product down their throat, they’re not going to be impressed.

If you have a relevant affiliate product to promote to them, offer it as part of your solution, preferably towards the end of your post. Give the reader useful information at first that costs them nothing, then subtly offer them something they might be interested in buying, or at least taking a look at. Better still if your affiliate merchant has a free trial offer for the reader to partake of. You still get paid on these.

Sometimes it’s okay to have a page or post that is basically just a sales page, or a product review page. Just so long as your keyword that got that search traffic to your post was not deceptive in any way, otherwise the reader will feel let down and cheated. Be honest, be upfront and be direct. That way you’ll never have any problems.

 

travel_blogging_blog_img1

 

Keep It Relevant

Always write content that’s relevant to your niche. It would be most confusing if someone came to your site to read a piece about carpentry, when the rest of your website is about products for pets or something. Also, stay relevant to the keywords you chose for your title, and for your Google rankings. Never try to garner readers on false pretences and let them down once they arrive at your site. You will quickly and effectively kill your business that way.

Keep your affiliate product offerings relevant to your niche, and especially keep them relevant to the content of the article you are writing. Don’t throw in a product advertising weight loss pills when writing a post on how to stop going bald. It’s just common sense.

 

Don’t Be Desperate

We all want to make money from our websites. That’s why we’re affiliate marketers after all. Some of us just want money, and at times we really, really need some cash…and quick. However, never let that come through in your content writing.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling products on the web or in the real world, no one responds favourably to a desperate salesperson. Desperation of any kind is generally a turn off for most people. Even if you are in real need of money, just write calmly and naturally and confidently. The money will come, and you’ll have more chance of making a sale if you don’t push your products in someone’s face, pleading with them to buy. No one likes that. First aim to help people or solve a problem.

 

In Conclusion

Golden GraphRemember that there are people on the other end of your site. Human beings are the ones who will be reading what you write. Give them value in your content and you’ll receive monetary value in return. It won’t happen with everybody who visits your site, but the more valuable your content is, and the more content you have on your site for visitors to read, the more chances there are of you making dollars, and very regularly.

Be true to yourself and your website, be true to the reader and the money will naturally follow. Focus first on a good user experience and worry less about the money. The financial side will take care of itself if your first get the content part right.

Good luck and happy writing!

 

Make Money Online Like I Do

 

FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
The following two tabs change content below.

Darren Burton

Site Owner
I am an author, online entrepreneur and internet marketer. I work from home and anywhere else in the world I choose to work. I've been making a living online since 2010, and you can do it too. I'm here to help.

4 thoughts on “Writing for the Web: Writing Content That Converts

  1. It is true that the internet is a dream come true where researching is concerned. The only downside is that there may be some incorrect information out there so you need to be a bit careful. But when it comes to being a dream come true, it really is amazing that so many people make money by using it. 🙂 I love it.

    And I loved your article as well. I think the most important that I heard was that it is all about the reader and connecting with them. This makes a lot of sense.

    ~Wendy

    • Making money online is certainly a dream come true for me. I think sometimes people think it is impossible, but it’s highly possible. I’ve been doing it for 5 years now earning money from different sources. Thanks for writing in, Wendy, and offering your insightful thoughts.

  2. Hi Darren, it’s an excellent post. It’s truly important what you said about being a helper, not a salesperson. Some people tend to think that we are always selling something, but we write to help others to hopefully make better decisions. The feeling of being able to help is so great 🙂

Leave a Reply to Sandra Silva Gamito Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *