Research shows that a growing number of Australians use social networks as a valuable communication tool for both personal and business use.

The worldwide figures are mind-boggling. Every day almost 500 million people log into Facebook, 175 million tweets are sent on Twitter and nearly 3.3 billion searches are typed into Google.

According to the 2013 Yellow Social Media Report, in Australia alone, 74 percent of all social media users read online reviews or blogs.

So how do you breakthrough and stand out in this astronomical crowd? How do you get found online and have a crack at making you or your business visible and successful on the crowded web?

Open Universities Australia offers a free online subject, Writing for the Web, which outlines the needs of online readers through web design, writing style, structure and search engine optimization.

Available on OUA’s free online learning platform, Open2Study, the free course has been backed by popular blogger, author and strategist Jeff Bullas.

Bullas knows his stuff.

He works with companies and executives to optimise their online personal and company presence and brand with digital and social media marketing.

Bullas was listed as No.11 in the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers 2013 on www.forbes.com, and his blog receives more than four million page views a year in 190 countries. He has more than 150,000 followers on Twitter.

Knowing how to write for the web is the key to standing out from the crowd and maximising reach.

“Our changing habits, new media preference and content consumption platforms demand a different way of thinking and practice if we want to maintain relevance in a digital world,” Bullas said.

It’s all about adapting to this new environment. Content needs to move with the changing digital times.

“Long form needs to be made into short formats. Big blocks of text need to be broken up. Don’t like reading? Well now you can watch a YouTube video.

“I would recommend the Writing for the Web course from OUA to anyone who is new to writing for the web and wants to learn how to create and write optimal content for the web, whether that is a blog or a website. And it’s free,” Bullas said.

Students who enjoy writing may also be interested in two accredited tertiary qualifications via OUA  – the Bachelor of Arts (Internet Communications) by Curtin University, or the Bachelor of Communications by Griffith University. Each Bachelor degree allows students to major in certain writing disciplines to develop expertise in each.

*This article was provided by Open Universities Australia as part of a commercial agreement.