Guidelines for Online Writing
A quick guide to online writing
Online writing has become the norm, and likely, a skill that is expected in the job market in a few years.
So, what is the difference between Online Writing and Novel Writing?
Proper formatting is necessary if you want to rank high in SEO aka Search Engine Optimization.
Thus, to avoid negatively influencing your content’s performance, increase the readability of your work:
- Use point forms when you can (just like what I’m doing now)
- Avoid writing in big blocks
- Incorporate your target keywords and place them well
- Correctly format your links
- Understand the nuances in writing numbers
Bonus tip that I recently learned: Use images when you can!
Okay, CyCy. How does this even apply to me? I am here to write whatever I want.
I get you. This is me too! I write what my heart wants me to write. Often, my fiction stories don’t score high in SEO.
Depending on your content or traffic goals, this may not apply to you as much. However, you may want to stick around and find out what I meant about the readability factor.
After all, you are here because you want your target audience to stay and read your work. So, making your content easier to digest may be in your best interest.
Disclosure:
There are links on this blog post that will lead you to my Merch Store and/or my Fiverr Profile (and Fiverr Referral Program).
I also am a Vocal Ambassador. So, if you sign up as a Vocal+ member (e.g. that link is sponsored) within 60 days when you using my link, I will earn a commission.
To find out more about the Vocal Ambassador Program, click here.
Paragraph and Font Sizes
If you are using Vocal Media, Medium, or any other sites where you don’t have control over the font sizes, then you don’t have to worry about this as much. Most likely, those sites are already using the appropriate font size.
But let’s say you have a website and you have control over this. What size should you use?
The answer is size 11 or 12.
Bonus tip if you can choose your font too: Arial or Times New Roman are your best friends.
Think of it this way:
As a reader, do you want to squint at a screen?
Do you also want to stare at a screen where the letters are gigantic and AGGRESSIVELY SCREAMING at you?
If you said YES to any of those, then you scare me — I’m kidding, please don’t hurt me. But I hope you understood what I meant.
Now, let’s go over the paragraph size.
You want to keep your paragraphs from two to four lines at most. When I learned this one, I didn’t buy it at first. Why should that matter?
Then I started approaching this idea as a reader and a consumer.
Breaking your paragraphs into smaller chunks makes it easier for your readers to digest your content. Seeing a block of paragraphs can overwhelm their attention span.
Here’s an example:
I get you. This is me too! I write what my heart wants me to write. Often, my fiction stories don’t score high in SEO. Depending on your content or traffic goals, this may not apply to you as much. However, you may want to stick around and find out what I meant about the readability factor. After all, you are here because you want your target audience to stay and read your work. So, making your content easier to digest may be in your best interest.
versus:
I get you. This is me too! I write what my heart wants me to write. Often, my fiction stories don’t score high in SEO.
Depending on your content or traffic goals, this may not apply to you as much. However, you may want to stick around and find out what I meant about the readability factor.
After all, you are here because you want your target audience to stay and read your work. So, making your content easier to digest may be in your best interest.
Even if they convey the same information, having them all together makes it difficult to read and continue reading the article. When you’re writing online, think of it like you’re having a conversation with someone.
Separate the paragraphs where you would take a breath or let someone respond.
Separate the ideas. Pause. Breathe.
The goal is to make it easier for your readers, so they can enjoy your content just as much as you did when you wrote it.
I understand how difficult it is to break this habit.
During our early years of schooling, we were taught differently. We wrote in blocks of paragraphs. Although this may work well while you’re writing your thesis, it doesn’t as much here in the online world.
Your audience’s attention is in high demand — just like yours is.
We live in an information overload world. So, try to make it easier for them while they try to navigate through the sea of noise.
Keywords
If you’re writing fiction or just writing as a hobby (which I do for the most part), then keyword placement does not matter as much.
But let’s say that you’re not.
You want to place your keyword within the first three paragraphs of your article.
For example, if my keyword is online writing, I want to place it in the beginning paragraph(s).
This is because you want your audience to immediately know what they’re going to read. This also lets the algorithm know the purpose of your article.
So, CyCy, how do you find keywords?
There are different ways to go about it.
You can try and type the topic you want to write about in a Search Bar on a search engine such as Google, Bing, Firefox, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc. and see what pops up.
Or you can try to use online platforms that can help you find them.
You can try and use Google Adwords Keyword Planner. From my quick research, you don’t have to sign up for an Adwords account if you just want to see which keywords to use.
Keywords Research is a separate topic to learn.
I invite you to read these helpful blogs that I found (please note that I am not affiliated with them. I am linking them here because I find them helpful and you may too):
Links integration and formatting
Links don’t really matter when you’re writing fiction or short stories.
However, if you are a blogger and/or an affiliate marketer, you may want to format your links correctly. Not only this improves your readability factor but this also affects your content performance.
For instance:
- If you’re writing about vegetables, you can put a link on “vegetables” that defines what vegetables are, or where you can buy such vegetables
- When you’re integrating a link, only link the phrase (don’t include the punctuation). E.g. What is a vegetable?
Another tip for you:
When you’re looking for links, try to use pages that have a high authority rating. Check out Moz to help you with this. Moz is a handy site that gives you different types of metrics.
Writing numbers and signs
You may have learned this in your English classes/lectures. However, here are some quick reminders for you.
Always spell out the numbers from one to ten.
I have ten fingers! — Correct.
vs.
I have 10 fingers! — Incorrect.
When you’re using numbers that are 1,000+, use a comma to differentiate the amounts. Don’t use “space.”
My yearly salary is only $35,000 including overtime. I can’t afford rent and student loans with this. — Correct.
vs.
My yearly salary is only $35 000 including overtime. I can’t afford rent and student loans with this. — Incorrect.
Lastly, if you’re using dollars (or any currency for that matter), use the designated symbol for it. This concept also applies to percent signs, temperature, weight, etc.
Examples for you (not based on a true story…or is it?):
- I only have $5.00 in my chequing account. Student life, right? Hahaha.
- I got 75% in my exams. Cs get degrees, am I right? Please don’t tell my mom.
- Why is it -45℃ today? It’s March for G*d’s sake!
- You are telling me that this chicken is $30.00/kg? What in a highway robbery is this?!
In Conclusion:
Our main job as writers (other than pursuing what we love to do and crying while we do it — jk, lol) is to make things easier for our readers.
We are currently living in the age of what I like to call the “attention currency generation” and “information overload generation.”
So, we want to give our readers the information that they are looking for with ease.
I hope this article helps your journey of online writing! Stay awesome, and I hope you come back for my future shenanigans.
Hi, I’m CyCy!
Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate it.
I usually create darker content, whether art, video shorts, or stories. If this is something that you also enjoy, let’s be friends :)
You can connect with me on Instagram, Twitter & TikTok @cyrls_corner and read my Lux et Obscurum issues at https://cyrlscorner.com/short-stories/lux-et-obscurum-grimoire/.
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