Many would agree with me when I say:
It takes more than just good writing to be a successful blogger.
Apparently, a blogger should know how to write for people and at the same time
Google.
I am for the notion that Good writers are bred and not born.
Now, some may disagree with my opinion but we should at least come to a
compromise.
Can we?
Let's assume William Shakespeare came back from the dead.
And all of a sudden he starts writing books with the old style of
writing whilst using words that have perhaps gone extinct.
Imagine for a second how hard the media & critics would go down on
Shakespeare for producing a mediocre book that somehow isn’t for the modern age
readers.
What I’m I trying to say?
As a blogger, the audience you write for, how you write and the way you
go about it will determine its approval among readers.
Hello it’s 2017:
We write to be understood. Not to display our literary prowess and end
of reading our work all alone.
You wouldn’t want that, would you?
So to give your writing more oomph to increase the chance of putting a
message across. Continue reading the points listed to help spice up the way you
write and make people love your work.
Cut down on redundant words. Cut it down!
You know that girl you try to avoid every time she calls. The one who
sound like a broken record, starting up another conversion before it ends, and
goes about the whole time making a full blown story out of nothing.
She doesn’t just get it.
Humans tend to block out messaging we find redundant. It goes beyond repetitive – in fact,
repetition is regarded as a highly effective persuasion tactic.
Redundancy is saying more than what is required without introducing anything
new or compelling.
For example: An average Nigerian would say “Hell Fire” you say Hell or
Fire. But you don’t use both. It’s like saying murderers are killers – it’s
already implied.
The picture above shows you how to avoid redundancy.
Finally, make use of online English apps that will help you produce a
perfect English work.
Apps like Grammarly will help you avoid using redundant words. It also
gives you an alternative for paragraphs or sentences which appear surplus.
Keep
sentences short & concise
It’s one thing to write for print and another for devices.
This is because when we read on a screen it becomes harder to track
words chunk of words with our eyes. It is important to use short text creating
a navigable pattern for readers to digest visually.
For example:
Tecno is a Chinese company known for their business approach of
targeting the growing market in Africa and East- Asia in 2017 Tecno &
Samsung had a 50% share of smartphone users In Africa.
Can be changed to, Tecno is a Chinese company known for their business
approach of targeting the growing market in Africa and East- Asia. In 2017
Tecno & Samsung had a 50% share of smartphone users.
Yellow leaf hammock (yellowleafhammocks.com) shows a great
example. The company employ the use of
short words and after two paragraphs you will know what yellowleafhammocks in
all about.
As a general rule for concise writing. Try keeping your sentences to
around 20-30 words.
Use
Transitional words and Phrases
Yoast – A WordPress plugin that helps users optimize articles for users
and search engines include Transitional words as a metric to for a good
readability score.
Afterall, transitional words help you sound more fluent and less
robotic. It creates a system where readers go with the flow and rhythm and make
them feel less rushed.
So here are some examples:
Words which lead to an example: as shown by, to illustrate, for
example.
Words which show series of event: First/second/third/ lastly, finally.
Use the copy above to help you use transitional words within a content.
Try to use transitional words in your article as I’ve sneakily
incorporated them in this post.
Reduce
the Use of That
When “that” appears a little too much, it literally strangles the brilliance
out of your work.
For example. It’s the same man
that we saw yesterday on the network news” you can say it’s the same man we saw
yesterday on the network news.
An old trick I use most often is to read through a copy and purge
unnecessary use of “that”
Cut
out Long words.
Writing is not a spelling bee, where you blow off the spectators by
spelling words that may have Latin, Greek or French origination.
Trust me, readers get bored of the longer version of words.
If a short word best describes a word then forget how professional you
may sound. Go for it.
For example. Instead of superfluous, use surplus
Forbearing for tolerant etc.
The Moz about page is a perfect example how short should be used.
However, if a longer word is a perfect fit for a sentence don’t
sacrifice using it instead of the short one.
Tip: Short words are often effective for infographics.
Conclusion
When it comes to SEO, optimizing your post does as much as taking your
page up the SERPS. However, good writing keeps it there.
When you put all that I’ve mentioned to work for you, you’ll get love
from your readers which means few people would bounce off your page and the
better your chance of getting in front of the SERPS.
I’d love to hear from you.
What are your favorite tips to make a perfect copy? Given your
experience what has given you the best results?
You’ll find the comment box handy. Let me know what you think?
About the Author:
Moses Dzarmah is a blogger and Founder of He Lives to
write, when not writing, he's listening to Hip Hop.
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