A rating is only going to be useful if people take it as a warning. There are still people who complain about whats on TV despite its rating because they don't want you letting your kids watch that stuff.
The 18 restriction is also a concern because many places have laws about minors reading erotica, its not only a pictures sort of thing. And it might be cruel to get someones hope up that thats what life is like once they hit 18.
An easy thing to do is impose a warning system, or a content system. Some sites have content markers. If the story contains bondage, you put a bd tag on it. if it contains sex, you put an mf, mm, or ff, or fffmmm, depending on who it involes. There are a dozen other examples. Or you could just put a simple rating for some of the more extreme stuff.
Either way, the best thing to do is to tell people: If it offends you, don't read it. I know thats how America used to be, and it worked.
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