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What follows is an excellent article you can find at this address:
http://www.writeedge.com/articles/content.asp
I have included just the first section as a taste.
CONTENT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS
by Ruby Bayan
Articles
-- This Month --
Privacy and Personalization: Flip Sides of the Online Coin
Keeping Ahead of Your Internet Competition
Content Can Make or Break Your Online Business
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Marketing, strategy, and public relations for the World Wide Web
Mindful of the staggering growth of online users and e-tail revenue potential, businesses have scrambled to concoct virtual versions of their brick-and-mortar storefronts. No matter how ample or deficient in Internet savvy, commercial sites are vying for the attention of the more than 28 million surfers -- and counting -- who are buying on the web. So how exactly do you attract the new ‘Net denizens to your e-store and entice them to hit the “Submit Order” button? Experts say the answer depends on the content you offer and how your site presents that content to users.
What Surfers Want
Web writing research conducted by Internet usability experts John Morkes and Jakob Nielsen pinpointed the web user's main goal: to find information as quickly as possible. Nielsen emphasized that aside from aesthetic design and navigational features, the quality and relevance of a Web site's textual content is crucial to capturing a surfer's extra-short attention span. Relevant content is critical to creating the "optimal user experience" -- in fact, the report states that "content is king in the user's mind."
In a recent WebWord interview on Web usability, Nielsen reiterated that the fundamentals of compelling Web content have remained constant over the years. Nielsen notes the following tendencies, preferences, and expectations of people logging on to the ‘Net:
Users want to get information fast, so they don't read -- they scan. They pick up the parts of sentences and paragraphs that contain the information they want. They look for instant information, and if they don't see what they’re looking for within the first few seconds, they immediately click elsewhere.
To zero in on information as quickly as possible, surfers prefer reading tables of contents, captions, highlights, topic sentences, concise paragraphs, bulleted lists, summaries, and conclusions. If what they can quickly scan interests them, users will then delve into deeper levels of information. They prefer conversational writing, too, eschewing dense, wordy, time-consuming styles of formal and academic writing.
Users want reliable information, so they expect professional writing, good quality images, and most especially, outbound links that allow them to verify and validate data through other sites. They are turned off by fluff, hype, hard sell, and marketing superlatives. They expect clean and straight facts.
Experts point out that content is the single most important factor which can cause a consumer to take their business elsewhere. A survey conducted by Cognitiative, Inc., also found that relevant and updated content is the fourth most important factor in deciding whether to purchase from an online business.
... (There rest is here)
http://www.writeedge.com/articles/content.asp
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