Writing tips for your e-commerce blog
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Posted On :
Oct-31-2011
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Article Word Count :
810
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When writing for your company's blog, you need to be conscious of how you write and follow these critical guidelines to keep your customers interested.
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I have been writing extensively for seventeen years and have been reading just as long. Over the past four or five years, I've spent a lot more time reading countless articles and blogs, and have noticed some common mistakes that may seem subtle, but can instantly turn readers off. When writing for your company's blog, you need to be conscious of how you write and follow these critical guidelines.
Use clear, concise language. This is one of the most important points. When writing anything, whether it is a novel, an essay, or a blog post, you need to get right to the point. Readers, especially online, are less forgiving of a rambling article that lacks substance. When writing, you should think about each sentence and how it relates to your goal. Does your article make sense without it? If it does, cut it.
Something else you should consider is what sort of language is appropriate for your audience. You don't want to use technical jargon or overly complex words that the average user won't understand. That doesn't mean you have to 'dumb down' your posts, but a simple, clean writing style is most effective when composing articles.
Avoid repetition. Sometimes, repetition is a good thing. For example, when thinking about search engine optimization, you want to repeat your keywords in appropriate places throughout the article. However, repeating your point in several consecutive sentences should be avoided, unless you have something more to add.
Vary your sentence construction. When writing, you should try to avoid starting all your sentences the same. One of the things I notice a lot when reading and editing other people's work is the overuse of the subject + verb construction (i.e., "The product is..." and "He talked..."). You should strive to start your sentences off differently (i.e. using "when," "if," "however," etc.) and vary your sentence length, so it doesn't sound choppy. This can take some practice to master, but it's a tip that's highly upheld in the writing community.
Use transitions. Whenever possible, use transitions to lead from one point to the next. You can use enumeration (i.e. "first," "secondly," "last," etc) or lead one point to the next (i.e. "another feature that," "furthermore," "additionally," etc). Using transitions makes for a smoother thought process and sounds more natural than jumping around from one point to the next. Plus, it helps you vary your sentence construction.
Use bold keywords and lists. One thing that drives me crazy is finding an article that piques my interest and then being hit by a huge wall of text. Reading on a monitor can strain the eyes, and some people are only interested in gleaning the main idea from the text. As much as you want people to read every word, you should make things easy for people who are in a hurry and only interested in one or two points. The trick is to put the main idea of each paragraph first and then expand on it - general to specific, sort of like an outline.
Don't over promote. Constant chatter about your product or company can wear on customers - fast. You want to promote yourself, but you need to approach it subtly. One of the best ways to do this is to provide customers with a tidbit of useful information that is relevant to your field or the types of products you sell. For example, if you sell car parts, you can talk about a popular car convention. This helps you in the long run because users who have searched for these things can find your site through a search engine. It's true that many will leave after they find the information they want, but you will gain a few curious visitors willing to browse your site.
Finally...edit, edit edit. I cannot stress the importance of editing enough. In addition to spell and grammar checking, you should also re-read your article to look for typos and other mistakes. Generally speaking, the way I approach editing is to re-read it right after writing it, then wait a day before re-reading it again. Sometimes I read it aloud to myself; this is the best way to catch mistakes since you're forced to spend more time on each sentence. Plus, reading it aloud can help you smooth out awkwardly worded sentences.
Writing quality blog posts can take time and lots of practice. To be a successful writer, you should research, read and think about advice, ask for and accept constructive criticism, and write extensively and often. Sometimes, the most subtle differences count the most. Although you can hire a professional editor, there are many writing websites that you can join to share tips, find a beta reader (someone to help you edit your work), and grow as a writer.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Writing tips for your e-commerce blog_98223.aspx
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Author Resource :
About Infigra E-Commerce:
Infigra E-Commerce is a Charlotte, NC based company that offers software as a solution (SaaS) and enables retailers to increase their sales by offering sophisticated e-commerce management tools. Our mission is to help move inventory by increasing the product visibility on different online global marketplace segments, such as Ebay and Amazon.
For more information, visit www.infigra.com
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Keywords :
e-commerce, eCommerce, writing, writing tips, blogs, how to write, tips for writing blogs,
Category :
Internet Business
:
Ecommerce
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