Five Tips for Writing Effective Web Copy
January 5, 2011
•Administrator
•IADT Orlando
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If your Web copy looks the same as your print copy, you're losing customers. Web users have different needs and tendencies than print users, and understanding those differences is the key to writing effective Web copy. Today, when most people won't buy a product without first learning more about it online, you can't afford to ignore your Web writing any longer.
- Leave your sales voice behind
Way back in 1997, Jakob Nielsen conducted a study that showed just what compelling copy can do for a website. The study directed users to several different websites, all with the same basic message, but with differing styles. The study found that the pages that used succinct, direct copy were 124% more usable than pages that used traditional marketing language.
The study revealed that Web users were turned off by marketing language in the copy. When users read unsubstantiated claims or flowery adjectives, they quickly grew suspicious or lost interest all together. If you want to keep your readers, simply deliver facts that your audience wants to hear without using phrases like best selling, nationally recognized and award winning.
- Make it unique
The easiest thing for a Web copywriter to do is rework content from other sites or their own marketing collateral and post it again online. After all, the content they're trying to write has already been written; wouldn't it just waste time to try to write it all over again?
Actually, the only way you're going to attract new users to your site and keep them there is by posting original content. Today's Web users are too busy to spend time reading content they've already seen. Get audiences to pay attention to you and even link to your site by doing your own research and saying something that no one else is saying.
- Keep it short
Today's Web audience has an extremely short attention span. If you want to engage them in your message, you need to keep your content as short as possible.
A good rule of thumb is to make your Web copy half as long as your print copy. To make your information even more succinct, try bulleted or numbered lists. If you have more content than will fit on most people's computer screens, consider splitting it among several pages.
- Give readers what they want
The best way to satisfy your users is to quickly give them what they came to your site seeking. If they're looking for information, structure your content in an 'inverted pyramid' by providing the most important information first. If users came to your site to buy your product, give them vital product information in bulleted lists and provide a clear 'buy now' button. If they came for entertainment, grab their attention through an arresting headline and first paragraph, and keep that attention through razor-sharp writing.
Whatever your style, remember to use links and bolded words throughout your content to show users where they can go for more information and what's important. The faster users can find what they're looking for, the less likely they'll be to give up their search in frustration.
- Optimize for search engines
Your amazing content won't be worth much if your targeted audience can't find it. By optimizing your site for search engines, you'll draw in an audience who is actually interested in hearing what you have to say.
You can optimize your content for search engines by inserting strategic keywords that you know your users are searching for into your title, headlines, body and footers. You can also optimize by attracting links from other sites.
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