Writing is a learning process. Every writer comes across something new every time he/she sits to write. All of us are a part of that learning curve. But it does not mean that people start taking it as an alibi to commit mistakes. There are some mistakes which are not supposed to be committed by a writer, be it immature or experienced. These mistakes show the writer in a very negative light as it is taken for granted that there are some standards which everyone is supposed to have who aspires to write anything.

Given below are some points on which a writer should try not to falter:

1) Grammar: A writer whose writings have incorrect grammar tarnishes the image of the piece in the very first impression. Usage of correct grammar is an integral part of writing. Grammar is the base of any form of writing. Without grammar, writing would be hollow. The writer needs to ensure that there are no grammatical mistakes in whatever he has written. Be it the usages of tenses, verbs, adjectives or pronouns, writers have to get all of them in place so that the article does not look shabby or does not give an impression as if it has not been edited.

2) Punctuation: A coma, full stop, hyphen and an apostrophe, each of them have their own place and requirement in a blog or an article. A sensible writer needs to have the instinct to identify the exact context which requires the usage of these punctuation marks. Without these symbols, it would be very tough to make out as to where a sentence begins and where it ends.

3) Clarity: The content that is being written needs to have a message or an idea which justifies its existence. Words need to be mentioned very clearly. There should be no extra effort which might make the article look as if the writer has gone over board to make it special. The reader should get the message in the very first attempt itself without any struggle.

It is very hard to describe the vitality of content in precise words. Some call it the backbone of writing and others say that the kind of content used determines the kind of response a piece of writing gets. You may jumble the words, but the mantra remains universal. You just cannot afford to compromise with the content when you sit to write an article or a blog.

“The content is very important”. The quote has become a cliché which is used very commonly. You might hear it quite often from those whose line of work is marketing. But the fact is that the line has a very deep meaning. Established writers or those who aspire to be one need to know evidently that content is something which cannot be compromised with.

Content is somewhat that is the center of attraction and simultaneously also plays the role of the retainer. Bad content sabotages the aura of an article and turns the reader off so badly that the person might never even consider reading your blog again. The writer has to hit the bull’s eye. It is mandatory. He needs to keep the content flawless as this is what will bring him credibility. Those who have a thing or two for reading stuff on the net can differentiate between good and bad content.

They can do it without blinking an eyelid. The facts and figures mentioned as a part of the content need to be clear, concise and compelling. It has to be packaged in a very convincing manner so that the reader finds it very hard to drift his head away from his monitor screen. The writer has to take pains in analyzing as to what works with the reader and the kind of stuff that excites him.

One has to mould himself and feel like saying that ‘I Work Hard’ instead of saying that ‘I Hardly Work’ and only then will he be able to develop successful content.

Content that has to be prepared for a website needs to be very crisp and concise. People who read articles, blogs and other kind of content on the web generally avoid information overload and prefer to read stuff which is short and informative. So in order to maintain the interest of the reader, a content writer preparing content for the website needs to write as a reader. He/She needs to prepare content in such a way that the reader does not get bored of what has been written. Given below are a few tips for all those aspiring writers who wish to write for websites so that the writings look good and give a very professional outlook.

1) The sentences, words and paragraphs should be short: As they say, keep it short and simple. Short but informative sentences have a huge impact on the reader. They do not let the feeling of boredom sink in and make it an enjoyable outing for the person who really feels like reading in detail.

2) An idea for each paragraph: The number of paragraphs that have been written in any article or blog should contain at least one idea each. The kind of vigor this style of writing has is indescribable as the reader anxiously waits for the next paragraph to begin so that he/she comes across a new idea.

3) Use the Inverted Pyramid style of writing: The Inverted Pyramid style of writing is the one where the most important details are placed at the top and the least important come at the bottom. Readers are very impatient. They quickly want to know the crux of the event without wasting much time on it. This way the reader will read till the time he/she comes to know about the exact details which happen to be written at the top.

4) Usage of simple words: The writer needs to understand that the common man does not sit with a dictionary on his lap to check out the meaning of tough words. So even if the writer’s vocabulary is strong enough that he/she has the potential to pull out a novel, the words have to be kept simple so that the reader does not encounter any difficulty to comprehend the words that have been used.

5) Highlighting certain lines: Certain lines which the writer feels would have an impact on the user should be highlighted in bold so that they become clearly visible. The writer should go with his gut feeling and should write certain lines which are high on impact so that the reader stops for a moment to feel the force of the words. But there is a flip side to it. What the writer is supposed to avoid is the usage of clichés which might make the blog or article look like a copied one.

The points that have been mentioned above will certainly add a lot of depth and potency to the material written and will leave an impression on the reader.

How difficult it can be to prepare a small piece of content on a specific topic and that too when the information regarding that topic is available in abundance on the internet? Well…the answer: it’s not at all difficult! Now you are wondering that if writing content is that easy then why is this article being written. That’s because writing content is easy but writing good content is a challenge in itself. That’s why, go ahead and read these tips which are, am sure, will prove to be handy for you while you do content writing.

Before knowing how to write, it’s better if we first know how not to write.

One should always take into account the kind of audience that you are targeting at. In most cases, the content is aimed at a large part of the population, be it teenagers or people above the age of 60. Thus, the use of complex language, jargon and what we call the ‘hi-fi’ language should be avoided. Also, a content writer should not give any unnecessary information and should always keep the content to the point. Giving away too much is a turn off for the reader for sure. But keeping it short does not really mean that you should just give away the point of your paragraph or your article too quickly. Not giving explanations and justifications can surely cost you a lot. Just be careful!

Now here are some tips and tricks to give you an idea as to how the content should actually be written.

· One idea per article is the best thing to do. Do not overload your content with tons of information. Your reader might just not be able to digest the entire lot.

· Always do the maximum possible research about your topic. Your expertise on the particular issue will surely be reflected in your content.

· Try and give maximum possible information in a simple and organized manner. Highlight the important parts for better scannibility and use sub-heads wherever needed and wherever possible.

· In case there is a shortage of space, place the most important content right in the beginning and then make the less important stuff follow.

· Make sure you check your content for any kind of spelling or grammatical error before you make your content available to public.

Content writing is not possible without planning out how you want to go about it. Writing the content in a haphazard manner is not at all advisable. It’s best if you can outline you article first and short list the information that you want it to contain. Pay a special emphasis on the beginning of the content. You see, first impression is the last impression. Just make sure you hook on to your readers since the very beginning!

Keeping these simple and useful guidelines in mind, while writing content can do wonders for you. If you don’t believe it then you need to try it out for yourself and experience the results, which will amaze you for sure. Happy writing!