I’ve been writing before that there is no magic formula for perfect content. However, there are some tricks and rules that, if followed, can turn a simple text into a useful and relevant one for the reader. The first part of this article included some guidelines for the correct use of Keywords and Headings (H’s), and today we move on to lists and links.
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Lists
Lists are very useful especially when we want to highlight something or list certain features/advantages/etc. They also help to make it easier for the reader to scan the content, which I keep trying to highlight through the written articles.
To give an example of what a correctly written list should look like, I will pass the main features in the form of a list:
- Must/Can contain keywords
- Let it be only one sentence (not longer than one line)
- Not to have a period at the end (.)
- To be written in small print (not with Caps Lock)
- Represent a set of ideas
- Keep it simple
If you want to make a useful list, follow the tricks above and you will see that it will look good and visual, but it will also be appreciated.
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Links
Links are a real hassle, because most of the time we don’t know how to put them, and online there are many wrong examples that we shouldn’t follow. The most important rules to keep in mind and to integrate into our writing are:
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No links are put on the following words: here, click here, more
Isn’t it annoying to see a link put on the word here and it doesn’t tell you exactly where it takes you? The user needs to know where you are sending him through that link, because there is a possibility that someone wants to do harm and send it to a virus-infected site or to a download. If you send it to an article, write the title of the article, and if you send it to another site, then write to the site you put the link.
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Don’t write the entire url
Follow the example given above and avoid writing the entire url of the page and linking to all this amalgam of words and signs.
Wrong: … Read more details in the article www.exemplu.ro/pagina2/titlu-articol
Correct: … read more details in the article Article Title.
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Don’t give unnecessary explanations
When you want to put a clean link, do it without further explanation and without boring the reader. It keeps everything simple and without a clutter-free look.
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Don’t pass an email address without warning in advance
Many times it happens to me that I want to copy an email address, but I click by mistake and an email program automatically opens with the recipient field already filled in. Not everyone has this program, so it’s annoying to have to close programs. On top of that, it is also a waste of time, in which the reader can leave your site.
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Don’t link to too many words (or entire sentences)
It is not good from any point of view. The only place it’s accepted is when you link to an article or document.
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Don’t insert too many links in an article/page
When you have an article and you have many links to insert, it’s better to make an appendix or a list of useful links at the end, rather than putting them inside your article or page. It is difficult to follow a text that makes all kinds of references, because in the end you will lose the reader among the other articles.
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Link to keywords
Links on keywords are put for SEO purposes, but also to refer to other pages or articles that are based on the keyword you wrote. The best example of this is when you link articles on a site.
How to link to a downloadable file?
If you want to give your readers a file to download (e.g. a book, a study, etc.) you need to link in the following way: Download Example how to make a link (PDF, 15k). You must include the format of the file (pdf/mp3/epub/docx/ppt/xls/etc) and its size.
Read the rest of the article: “How to write effective content. Part III “
