What Makes Good Content?

We have all been there. You are doing your best to maintain an interest in the article you are reading online (while kicking yourself for falling for that clickbait title) but your attention wanders. You spot an onsite link to an unmissable movie trailer, latest fashion tip or breaking news and you click away.

Caption: Failing content should be quickly scrapped

But for all of that science behind modern multimedia, there is one thing which still guarantees success. Good content will always ensure engagement with readers. In the above scenario, the reason a user’s thoughts drifted was because the original content was not interesting. That could be the case with this article you are reading right now. But if you have got this far, I hope not!

Good content ticks all the boxes, particularly with the switch to mobile platforms and the resulting short attention spans. Content must be something which uniquely sings from the topic to construction and presentation. It is sometimes all easier said than done but nobody wants to read the same article topic they have read a million times in the past.

TOPIC

In the swamp that is the 21st century land of the .com, an original idea which will catch on is as good as gold dust. Try and make the user ask, ‘why didn’t I think of that?’

• Do your research. Find a unique subject. Use a search engine to check originality.

• How will it work on social media?

• There is no such thing as a bad idea. But consider the practicality.

CONSTRUCTION

Much has changed but the principles of successful writing through the years should still be applied today

• There is nothing worse than overwriting (I could not agree more with this).

• Proof read everything without any excuses. Check, and double check, your facts.

• Find your target site’s tone. Stick to it.

PRESENTATION

You take pride in your personal appearance so you should take pride in the appearance of your content. Make it attractive and jump out of the page.

• The user is more important than the content creator. Put the user first.

• Avoid page blocks of text. Do not bore the user.

• Use sub-headers, embedded social media, images, video or… bullet points…

Charlotte is chief whip when it comes to making sure words are in order at ICS-digital. You can get in touch with her directly at charlotte.green@ics-digital.com