How to Write a Web Page

This recent post and discussion on Copyblogger about Web content raises important issues.

The central problem debated in that post is how companies attempt to drive traffic to their sites by creating pages with lots of keyword phrases but little (if any) coherent, readable substance. Does this tactic work? In the long run, probably not. A visitor might click through to a landing page based on a keyword match, but once she gets there–then what? By now, Web surfers are sophisticated enough to recognize a marketing trick when they see one.

Sometimes, I see the opposite problem, where companies spend an enormous amount of time developing meaningful content, while ignoring search engine marketing altogether. This approach usually doesn’t work well, either. If visitors can’t find your site, all that substance won’t do much good. Also, some companies that stay focused on quality content go overboard, with pages packed with over-long, highly technical copy that goes over the head of or simply bores the average reader.

To properly develop a Web site, you have to go through it one page at a time, asking questions like,

What is the page for?
Who is going to read it?
Why are they going to read it?
How are they going to find it?
What are they going to do after they read it?

A painful process? Maybe. But not as painful as imagining somebody staring at your Web pages with a frown or a blank stare.