Larger Than Life: Develop Website Content Your Audience Will Love
While the design and promotional offers are valuable parts of your Web site, you must make sure that the "meat" (or, the copy) sizzles. It will be worth the extra effort--a recent study by Forrester Research revealed that well written copy is the #1 reason that visitors return to a particular site.
The rules for Web writing are a little different from those for traditional media. We've developed ten tips to help you write more effective Web copy.
- Think First; Write Later
Ask yourself a lot of questions about your Web copy before you write anything. What are you trying to say? Who are you targeting? What's the tone of the piece: authoritative? friendly? persuasive? Be as specific as possible.
- Establish a Clear Goal
What do you want the reader to understand or do as a result of reading this copy? As you write, make sure that every sentence is relevant to that goal.
- Develop an Outline
An outline doesn't have to be formal or time consuming, it's simply an organization tool. Realistically, you can only cover three or four points in your piece. Before you attempt a first draft, get those three to four points clarified.
- Create a Structure
This humorous--but wise--advice to writers for composing clear, organized copy was found on the Web:
- First, tell them what you're going to tell them. (Introduction)
- Then, tell them. (Body)
- Finally, tell them what you told them. (Conclusion)
- Keep It Short
Three hundred to five hundred words is a good length. If you have a lot of information to cover, consider splitting the copy up into several pieces. When you've finished a first draft, cut it by at least a third.
- Use Bullets, Lists and Subheads
The Internet is a medium for extracting information fast--bullets, lists and subheads all help a reader to process the article more quickly. Use these tools liberally on your Web site.
- Word Choice Is Key
Use the most direct word choice, omitting needless words.
Example: Less Efficient
The fact that the company had not succeeded in putting into effect a plan for what to do if possible entanglements resulted from the Y2K bug was entirely due to the fact that the CEO was against all the plans that they suggested.
More Efficient. The company failed to implement a Y2K contingency plan because the CEO opposed all proposals.
Also, to keep readers focused on your points, rather than your syntax, avoid "million dollar" words. Instead of "suigeneris," use "unique." You know you're a vocabulary genius--but your readers don't care.
- Headlines Matter
Headlines are the first impression--either enticing or detracting a reader from the copy. It should be interesting, but not oblique. Write it last.
- Get a Second Opinion.
Have at least one other--brutally honest--person read your copy. After you've revised, do it again. And again. Revise until it's perfect. Normally, it takes about three drafts.
- Triple Check Spelling
With so many typos on so many Web sites, how many businesses are being vigilant about catching typos? By the way, you can't rely on your computer's spell check program. If you accidentally entered "sue" instead of "use," it would pass through the spell check with no red flag.
Using these tips will help you to write Web copy that will not only keep your reader's attention on your current copy, but also get them to come back and read more later on.
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