The Internet currently exerts a massive amount of influence over our culture and with the dearth of information out there changing daily it can be quite challenging for web writers to consistently turn out original, fresh content. Unfortunately, the majority of web writers have little wiggle room in determining what subject they will write about—they receive assigned topics with mapped out keywords and must attempt to create something new and different.
With most web topics there’s a good chance that it’s been written about every way from Sunday. To add to the difficulty in creating an original piece of work, over and over, every article must also be carefully crafted for maximum search engine optimization. So how do you set yourself apart as a web writer, keep your competition on their toes and keep your readers coming back for more? How do you stand out when you are asked to target the same old tired keywords and talk endlessly about the same topics?
What are the Benefits of Originality?
While most writers strive for originality, it can be difficult to come by in the Internet world. Your goals for every piece of content you publish are varied; you want to ensure your writing is noticeable among your readers and your peers. You also want to consistently offer your readers something of value. Whether you are writing for your own site or blog or for others, you want to ensure it is easy for readers to find your content while building a network of followers.
If your content strikes a chord with your readers they will be likely to link back to your writing, use you as a resource or share your content on social networks. From an SEO standpoint you want to ensure search engines consistently have something unique in your published words to index the site with, and finally you want to establish your own writing credibility as being an authority in your particular niche. Yes, these things are more difficult to accomplish when you are writing for someone else, but you should nonetheless keep them in mind and try to apply the same passion you would use in your own blog to the website you are writing for.
Try a few of these ideas to keep your writing fresh, interesting and creative:
- Work a different angle. While you may have written so many articles about Alzheimer’s that you are absolutely sure there is nothing more to be said, think about it from a different viewpoint. How about writing an article based on an interview with a grandchild who has lost their beloved grandparent to the fog of this dreaded disease? Or write about the practical aspects of keeping a loved one with Alzheimer’s safe in their own home. No matter how tired your subject seems, look at it from other angles and you might be surprised at the ideas you come up with.
- Check out the most common opinions about your subject—then write from the opposite viewpoint. Suppose you are writing for a health website and consistently write about the benefits of various supplements. Try looking at the subject from another angle and write about vitamins that certain people should never take or those which could potentially cause harm. There are always opposing ideas, so try to look at the less-popular viewpoint and write about that—whether you personally agree with the idea or not. High school debate teams are required to argue sides they don’t agree with in an attempt to make them think and keep them fresh and you can use this technique to your advantage.
- Research, but not to the point that you lose your own voice. Of course you have to research your subject, particularly if it is one you know little about. Do your research, but try to stick with unbiased information rather than those pieces with definite ideas about your subject. If you read too many other articles with a certain point of view you can find that attitude seeping into your own writing without you even being aware of it.
Finally, remember that while in the past some websites received good rankings despite fluff writing and borderline plagiarism, those days are over thanks to Google’s latest algorithms. Websites are now rewarded for original content which is informative, useful, well-researched and fresh. Keep your content exciting and the rewards will be both immediate and consistent.
Tags: Lawyer Website Content
