Here are 10 simple tips you can use to improve your writing. The Internet is a unique medium. Surfers are impatient and they skim. You need to grab their attention, and when you do, keep them focussed.

Keep it short - don’t waste your website visitor’s time with fluff and waffle. Get to the point. Say what you need to say in a concise and direct way.

Avoid jargon - if you must use jargon, such as the three letter acronyms much loved by IT and government, explain them by writing them out long-hand enclosed by brackets.

Always write headlines - have you ever seen a newspaper article without a headline? I haven’t. And the reason is a good headline grabs attention. When you write it, ask a question or make a controversial statement. Be bold.

Use sub-headings - divide up your prose with plenty of sub-headings. This helps readers skim to quickly understand what it’s about. It will also make your writing easier to read, and to write.

Short paragraphs- don’t write long paragaphs. If you have to write a lengthy explanation, break it up into smaller paragraphs. For web writing, the ideal paragraph length is 3 to 4 sentences.

Spell checking - always use a spell checker. It will catch both spelling errors and typos that you didn’t spot. The human mind can fill-in the missing blanks without you realising it.

Edit it - reread it looking for meaning and incorrect phrasing. The spell checker won’t find all of your mistakes. It’s often better to print it out, then edit your work. You will find it easier to spot subtle errors.

Meaningful links - it goes without saying you must check your hyperlinks work, but make the words you hyperlink meaningful. Don’t hyperlink ‘click here’ when ‘camera review site’ tells a user so much more.

Use your keywords- insert your keywords in the heading, sub-headings and first paragraph, if you want google to index your webpage and rank it well. See my earlier post, how to get the right keywords

Whole writing - Make your writing whole. Everything you write should have a beginning, a middle and an end. At the end, refer back to the beginning in some way. Even if it’s not, write it like you would write a story.

It’s the small things that can make the biggest difference. Add all these small tips together and your writing will stand out from the crowd. And where will you find a bigger crowd than 50 million websites?