If you want people to read your web content, you have to make it appeal to them. Here’s how to do it.

First, pick a great title – or a good one. A good title is one that tells the reader what your article or post is about. You can use humor or you can play it straight, as long as you inform the reader. Titles with number in them tend to do well. A good title, like a good article, answers the ‘what’s in it for me’ question for readers.

Next, talk to your readers as if they’re sitting in the same room. Use the word ‘you’ liberally, as you were if you were talking to someone. Good web writing is like having a conversation with the person who is reading it. Your writing voice will be a bit like your speaking voice – let your personality show.

Write short, clear sentences. Make it easy for people to understand what you’re talking about. The web audience is international, and not everyone speaks English as a first language. So when you write, avoid jargon and obscure language and provide examples to illustrate your points.

Summarize. Use bulleted lists to help people understand the essentials of your topic. It’s the old rule: tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them.

Here’s a recap. Four ways to write a good web article are to:

• Pick a good title.
• Address your readers directly.
• Keep sentences short and clear.
• Provide a summary.