What is Content Writing – Everything You Need to Know
Content writing is writing to generate content. First, you need to know what content is before you can do content writing and then you need to know what good content is. Let’s begin with the content itself, shall we?
Content is what is on the webpage, be it images, infographics, text, videos. Whatever there is within the page is content.
Now, every content is not always good content – so good content is something more allusive. The creation of good content is key to getting people to read your site, and buy products.
Also, it is good to have good content that reflects a good keyword.
This way your site will be shown on searches first should a particular search item need filling. What do I mean by that? Simple.
If people search Google for “How to Become Digital Marketing Expert?” and no articles have that exact key phrase – you can have an article that uses that exact phrase and thus be found quickly – because it is relevant.
Some pages may just slap on search terms all over in an attempt to bring people in – but algorithms are more advanced now – these may become blacklisted and not shown at all.
Google now works on the principle of semantic search. You can read about semantic search here.
Content writing itself can come in many forms. Companies or people that offer to write content can write about one specific category or a broad range.
Usually, the ones that target a certain niche such as sports or entertainment or fashion will be more focussed and knowledgeable on that area than those that try to write about every possible category.
So you will be getting more money in content writing if your expertise is in a particular niche.
Why is Content Writing So Popular?
Simply put, content is the reason searches happen on the internet. Content is the food for the human brain and the human brain always consumes content as the brain food.
The internet offers them the best content as per their search terms. Search engines pull up content on the basis of the most relevant content as per the search intent from the websites indexed in their directories and offer content in that particular category.
Content helps engage people, communicate with them, help them get information on whatever they want to know about.
Content also helps businesses reach out to their target audience, and help them in making their purchase decisions. It is content on the web that helps people make informed decisions.
There is a huge demand for content across the web and industries. And similarly, there is a huge demand for the content writers to write good and SEO friendly content to supply content against the demand.
You can understand it easily in this way – content is what makes a website or webpage rank on the search engine result pages.
People usually click and consume content from the first 3-4 links they find on search engine result pages after searching their query.
Hence, in order to meet the demand of the audience and their search intent, your content should be written and optimized the way both search engines and your audience find it relevant, meaningful and engaging.
If you do that you are in the game. You would be able to attract your audience and engage with them.
How Do I Start Content Writing?
The process of writing content is relatively easy if you know how to write in the proper form. Bad grammar and bad spelling is always a negative aspect of a good article, so it is always advisable that you see a spell-checking tool and a grammar checking tool.
Researching is always very important – if you have ever written a term paper you will know how to find the resources you need to create a good article that is factually correct and gives content writing a good name.
People who just blatantly lie and use keywords throughout their content writing are merely writing to create search results.
When people see how poorly written and factually incorrect an article is, they will no longer trust or read the site. Do not make bias. You must maintain a neutral tone – even if it is an endorsement. I don’t mean to be dead neutral.
I mean to say that “In my evaluation, I have found that between product A and product B, I have found XY and Z to be better,” rather than “Product A is awesome! Use product A!!!.”
Another note – almost everyone I know hates the overuse of question marks and exclamation marks. It is a dead giveaway of bias and of blatant covering over other issues. If you want people to trust you then – you should write the truth.
What Do I Need to Know?
Well, you need to know how to spell, you need to know how to use a keyboard, you need to know how to communicate with other people.
Think about what would happen if you are not a people person – you would be overly sarcastic and berate the people you wrote that article for – a very bad thing that alienates your readers.
Occasionally if you write a sarcastic and dry article if can work – but not with content writing for other people. You are hired to write positive articles that help the site you write for, and articles that promote a product or site.
Now if you are asked to write a sarcastic or sardonic article that is something totally different indeed. You need to know how to make a point – and make it without using bullets.
Bullets (the little dot at the beginning of the line or paragraph) are now available in many shapes or forms, and they are a good way of making a point.
However, they are good for reminding you of what the point is, and covering all the important matters, just be sure you made your point somewhere in the article before you bullet it up.
Bullets can be used for making points in some rare cases – like a slideshow presentation. But this usually has a speaker who will be talking along with the show, hence negating them being the only source of information.
You need to know what you are writing about, who you are writing for, who is paying you for it, and what the deadline is. Never, ever, ever, forget the deadline.
Checklist for Content Writing
Now I will put forth a checklist of what the things are to keep in mind while content writing. Maybe you should even keep them in your subconsciousness.
- Remember to keep track of your deadlines
- Keep a log of what you do each day
- Always use spelling checker to avoid typos
- Check your grammar
- Check your bias
- Keep your tone neutral as much as possible
- Have a buddy read it over too
- Keep it simple, no fluff
- Keep it straight, get to the point
- Write to offer information and value to your audience
- Know your client’s email – and make sure you trust them
- Keep distraction aside while you are writing
- Smile when you write
- Do not get discouraged, good things take time
- Never give up
- Never quit – just keep it up.
Conclusion
Content writing is the process of creating content for the consumption of the people who want to get information on a particular subject.
With the huge demand for content across the web, there is also a huge demand for content writers.
Content writers should be able to create meaningful and SEO compliant content to fill in that demand. The opportunities in the Content Writing field are endless and it is there to stay forever.
So, hone your content writing skills and offer your services to the companies that need content. Your content shall help them reach out to their audience through searches and other forms.
