Jason Unger

Does Your Content Look Good?

Posted by junger - 12/27/07 at 11:12:57 am

You might have great content, an engaging angle on a topic and a well-thought out story, but if your content doesn't look good, it may not matter.

So how do you make sure that your content looks good?

The background here is that Web users do not read — they scan.

This is why it is important to break up the text with bullet points, write short paragraphs, and be clear and concise.

If your content doesn't look easily digestible, your visitors won't read it.

I don't like when a paragraph goes longer than 4 full lines — normally 3 lines are my max. If it looks like it will take too long to read, I won't read it.

The next time you post a story online, take a look at in in draft mode and imagine yourself as a reader.

Would you want to "sit through" that story?

Your Bad Web Headlines Are Good For Me

Posted by junger - 11/16/07 at 12:11:02 pm

So few writers and editors publish good Web headlines with their stories … and I love it.

If you're not being clear and concise with your headlines, you're losing readers to your competition.

Individual stories aren't just a part of your Web site — they're a part of the entire social web. With links jumping from site-to-site, aggregates like Google News and Digg, and RSS readers, your stories aren't competing with each other.

They're competing with every other story published on the Internet. And that's a lot of competition.

There is no box for your Web site. There is no beginning and end. All your stories are out there.

Make them stand out and you'll have a chance at succeeding.

Here's 5 ways to avoid bad headlines:

1. Be Clear. Tell the reader exactly what the story is about.
2. Be Upfront. You've got two words to convince someone the story is worth reading.
3. Make it Personal. If it's not a news story, it has to have some relevance to the reader. Tell them why it effects them.
4. Sell It. You've got a lot of competition for their attention. Tell them why they need to read your story.
5. Don't Be Clever. You don't have a magazine. Your reader doesn't have your story in their hands with the headline, body and text. If there's no context (which there isn't), you can't be clever.

You obviously don't have to write good headlines. If you don't, it can only help me — your competition.

5 Things About Web Content You Didn't Think Of

Posted by junger - 12/18/06 at 08:12:14 pm

Okay, so you know that content should be your #1 priority in Web development, and you've learned the 5 W's of great content, but there's still more to know.

Especially when it comes to what really distinguishes Web content from print publications.

Continue reading 5 Things About Web Content You Didn't Think Of…

The Secret to Boosting Your Site's Traffic Overnight

Posted by junger - 09/12/06 at 08:09:13 pm

Any blogger, Webmaster or site developer knows that the key to increasing your site's revenue is to increase the amount of traffic to the site. Promotion is obviously one way to do this, while regular content is another.

But while reaching out to a larger audience is necessary, it's not the best way to boost your site's traffic. The trick is in the writing — specifically, writing in such a way that your current audience (including RSS readers) will increase the number of pages they visit each time they come to the site.

So how do you do it?

Continue reading The Secret to Boosting Your Site's Traffic Overnight…