Every time you click onto a website, your expectation is that you are about to find the answer to your problem or issue, relevant information which will help you in your life, or simply a compelling article which hold your attention to the very end. If, on the other hand, you click onto a website with these expectations in mind and find an article which is poorly written or makes little sense—in other words it has absolutely nothing of value to offer you—then chances are you are out of there as fast as your fingers can take you.

Additionally, the likelihood you would click on a link from a page you found to be of less-than-stellar quality are very low. What this means is that your links to other parts of your site as well as links to other’s websites will not be touched, making them basically irrelevant rather than great traffic-gathering sources. Web content is critical in the overall success of your website, not to mention it will garner you some very happy readers. Aside from not being littered with misspellings, grammatical errors, or simply not being written poorly, what constitutes great content?

Creating Headlines That Jump

The headlines of an article may well be what keep us reading until the very end. Headlines which are so catchy that they just beg you to keep reading should be the goal of every web writer and every website owner. You want your readers to feel as though they would be missing something vital if they ignored a particularly compelling headline. A great headline promises something tangible to the web reader, and is creative enough to pique your curiosity. The headline should provoke some sort of emotion inside you, and, basically inspire you to take an action of one kind or another.

In creating a compelling headline, try to dress it up with descriptive adjectives while at the same time describing to your readers how they will benefit from reading the remainder of the article.  Consider this headline: “Stop! High Fructose Corn Syrup Can Kill.” Most consumers who have any interest at all in their health will take the time to read the paragraph or article which follows such a headline. Of course don’t forget that once you make such a statement you must deliver on the promise of the headline by telling readers exactly why high fructose corn syrup can be extremely detrimental to your health.

Why a Good Intro is Crucial

Aside from compelling headlines, your introduction is the next most powerful element.  If you’ve done your job and already captured your reader’s interest with a killer headline, your next goal is to entice them to keep reading. If your intro is dull or uninteresting, and fails to follow up on your headline, then it is unlikely your reader will continue, probably hitting the back button without a further thought. The intro should ideally begin with a question or an uncommon fact which most people will find surprising or even shocking. Your introduction should imbue your reader with excitement to find out what else you have to say, although be careful not to give too much away or there will be no need for your reader to keep reading.

The Body of Your Article Should Deliver on Your Promise

If you promised in your headline and/or your intro to teach the reader how to do something specific, then make sure you follow up on that promise. If you fail to deliver on your initial promise, you will have readers who feel cheated and disappointed. Great content follows through with your initial headline and intro, giving your reader something of value that is written in a high-quality manner.

Finally, Wow Your Readers in Closing

The final step in excellent content is to leave your reader with an inspiring closing statement. After all, you want your readers to want to read more articles you have written, right? Just like an attorney, you should make your closing statement good, giving your readers a compelling reason to check out anything with your name as author. It’s not necessary to summarize your article, after all your reader has supposedly already read it. Instead end your article with a call to action or a metaphor of some sort which will enable the reader to remember what they just read.

Follow these guidelines and not only will your readers love you, you will benefit from greatly increased traffic as well as improved PageRank from Google. Never forget, content really is king!