Creating content for your site and blog may sound easy-and it is! Getting the traffic you desire is another story though.

With the hundreds of thousands of content being made and saved into the World Wide Web, it’s no easy task to get a huge number of readers. There was this co-writer who has created a blog. He has good writing skills, a degree on Technical and Creative writing even, but he just can’t seem to get enough visitors to his blog. See, online content writing is not just about grammar and style-it’s a lot more than the tips and rules you usually learn from the four walls of your classroom. There are some simple yet effective principles that can help you get the traffic your site needs.

1. GRABBING ATTENTION

Attracting readers always starts with the title. Think about this; which article would you rather read, “Weight Loss Tips” or “5 Secrets Weight Loss Experts Don’t Want You to Know”?

In writing a title, you have to add a bit of edge, attitude and controversy. Titles that sound too professional might come off as plain and boring. Adding spice could be the difference that makes a reader choose one article over another that discusses the same topic. Also, don’t give out too much detail on your title (unless you’re doing a Press Release, of course). If, instead of saying “4 Basic Principles”, you give clues on what these principles are, there wouldn’t be much need to read the whole article, would there? Also notice how titles with adjectives like best, simple, basic, easy, effective and cool (orhot; it depends) seem to be more appealing to read.

2. QUANTIFYING

Adding some sort of quantifiable value also gives the reader an idea how much he can expect to learn from your article. Four to eight is a good number for giving tips. Fewer than that and the article would make it seem inferior compared to other articles; more than that and it’s information overload. It’s good to search through similar articles and see how much tips they can give away, then try to outdo them. But take note: OUTdo, not OVERdo. If they can give four tips, you give five or six. Saying you got 50 to 100 tips is a turn off; it also sounds almost fake.

3. STORYTELING

You know how they say, “Facts tell, stories sell”? That’s also true for creating content. A story makes an article more relatable. It also makes readers believe that an article would actually do him some good since somebody else is testament to its worth.

4. DELIVERING THE GOODS

Of course, your article has to be worth sharing and recommending. You have to make sure you give your readers what they came there for. An article that has value is one that informs, entertains, discusses, persuades, or all of the mentioned. Web content is all about giving your audience what they need and having them share your site to others in return. Also try and make your audience feel they’re getting more than they expected. This way, you’re sure to have more recommendations and better ratings from you readers.

So maybe you commit grammar lapses, or a few misspelled words here and there. But as long as you satisfy your readers, that’s a-okay. After all, the goal of creating content is effectively delivering your message, no matter how many times MS Word’s Spelling & Grammar Check gives you those red and green underlines.