The text you put on your site is important for several reasons. Not only does it tell your story, but it plays a key role in search engine optimization. Why is that important? Because, you want your Web site to get visitors! You'll accomplish this if you write text that relates to your business and to what people are looking for on the search engines.

Write a brief first paragraph on your opening page that really illustrates your business. For example, let's say you sell garden supplies. You could just open with "XYZ Gardens has everything you need to grow beautiful plants..." or, "XYZ Gardens, located in Bellingham, Washington, has the largest collection of rhododendrons in the state..." The more you can capture your specialty, even if it's just location and product or service, the better your results in search engines.

Keeping paragraphs short and organized will increase the chances that people will stay and view your site. It's easier to read text on a Web page when it is broken in to small chunks, rather than long paragraphs. Tell the most important points first and elaborate later, or, use hyperlinks to offer more information about a particular point or product.

Offer your viewers useful information. Offer them something besides advertising copy! Link to other sites that offer more information about your viewers' interests. They will visit your site more often if they know that you frequently update the content of your site and that you offer useful, reliable information.

Avoid using industry acronyms. If a visitor is not a seasoned professional, they won't understand what you are talking about and will most likely leave. If you feel it is necessary to use acronyms anyway, at least provide a definition or translation for the viewer.

Check you spelling and grammar! Nothing diminishes credibility faster than a page filled with misspellings and jarring grammatical errors. Take the time to proofread the text on your pages several times. While your visitors might not recognize the effort you've taken to develop your site, they will certainly notice any glaring mistakes!

These points are basic, but hopefully they will get you inspired while thinking about what you want to say on your Web site. So, what do you want to say?