You may have heard that online content is often similar to news content. This is particularly true of online press releases, but many other forms of online content have at least one thing in common with news writing. Like news, online content has to grab attention, and hold it just long enough for the reader to absorb the information the writer wants to send. This takes a mix of writing skill and technical placement of words. It also takes knowledge of the right flow for content.

Flow has a very important place in search engine optimisation, although it’s not often talked about on its own. The flow paths of your users should be carefully planned from entry pages through to exits. The flow of traffic from various websites needs to be planned for as well. When your users are on your pages, they will flow through your content, and you need to plan this too.

One of the most common similes of the net is the information superhighway, so perhaps it’s best to consider your content as a suburban street. You want people to drive down it at a sedate pace, keeping an eye out for other things on the street. The user possibly wants to zoom past, as they’re in a hurry to get somewhere.

This is where knowledge of news writing comes in handy. News writing draws the reader in to the story and pushes them along, but at the same time puts traffic control in place to slow them down. Often, news pieces start with an attention-grabber, such as ‘Camden, London. Nine-thirty pm.’ This works as a kind of speed sign at the entry to the street. Users slow down their scan of your pages to read it, but don’t stop while they try to figure out what it means. News pieces feature similar traffic controls throughout a piece, slowing the reader down with a textual speed bumps or speeding them up with a prompt on a clear piece of road.

Traffic control is important in all web content. The content on your web site needs to contain its own speed bumps, signs and traffic islands to direct the flow. These both slow down the user and give them motivation to keep going with a peek of what’s ahead. Subheadings are a good example of this, as they act as a sort of sign that’s visible far down the road. They give the user an indication of something significant further into a piece, which can make them more observant of information leading up to that section. Your SEO touches, like highlighted content, also serve as the road signs within chunks of the text.

Good web content is difficult to achieve, and many businesses consult their SEO firm for content provision. You can talk to us at SEO Consult about your content needs. Even if you do seek content from a professional, it’s important to recognise differences between good SEO content and slightly less acceptable content.

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