Loading ...Writing for the net is a tricky task, and one that many site owners shy away from. The language of the internet is different in many ways from normal written content, and it has to do a lot more. Online communication relies on the effective use of words, and this puts a lot of pressure on site owners to get it right.
Composing content for search engine optimisation can be a huge task, which is why so many businesses opt to have their SEO firm provide the content their site needs. You can discuss this with our experts at SEO Consult Australia. Whenever you provide some content on your own, it’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t do.
Most of the normal writing rules apply to writing for the net, but the problem is that normal writing rules are a little too strict for online writing. In order to have effective content, you need to relax a bit.
Acceptable: slang
Not acceptable: misused words
With slang or popular language terms, the meaning can often be gathered from the surrounding text. For example, slang from other eras can usually be figured out from its context: “He bit into his piece of toast, frowned, and spat the food out.’Hey, Jennings,’ he said with a grimace, ‘this jam of yours is really ozzard.’” If the slang terms aren’t too dense in the text, the uninformed reader can still make sense of them.
The same is not true when words are misused. This can have a humorous effect at times, but it can also make your site look amateurish. People misuse words all the time. It’s a relatively common mistake, but one that you should catch if you can. If uncertain, haul out the dictionary. It’s best to check.
Acceptable: sentence fragments
Not acceptable: broken and mixed-up sentences
People use sentence fragments all the time. Strictly, a sentence needs to express a complete thought, using a subject and an object, but this is not so for the net. For example: ‘We have it. Great.’ ‘Great’ is acceptable as a sentence fragment because the reader understands the meaning. Other sentence fragments don’t work because there is no meaning, e.g. ‘We have it. Which is why I’m so excited.’ Again, this mistake can put the reader in doubt as to your professional ability.
Acceptable: ignoring formal rules of grammar
Not acceptable: ignoring all rules of grammar
Proper English is boring to read. Very few writers use it because it often sounds completely wrong. Sentences like ‘The person to whom you are going to sell’ don’t really work on the net, which is why you can get away with saying things like ‘The person you’re going to sell to’ instead.
What you can’t get away with is plain old bad grammar. Much like fragmented sentences in point above, bad grammar stands out and makes your business look bad. If you’re uncertain about your grammar skills, it’s essential to have someone look over your content before you post or to hire a professional. Doing anything less puts your business at risk.
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