How to Write Great Web Copy

a-grade Is your web site getting results? Are visitors converting to customers? Are they calling you for a quote or joining your mailing list? Maybe it’s your copy. Follow these tips for great web copy that connects with your reader and leads them right through your front door.

1. Do your homework. Know your audience.

A clear understanding of your target audience helps you make decisions about word choice, tone and structure. Make a list of attributes before you start writing. What is the age group? Is it a business or consumer audience? What are they interested in? What problems are they trying to solve? The purpose of web copy is to engage prospects, gain their trust and turn them into customers. Web copy needs to appeal to the visitor’s self-interest; therefore you must clearly understand who you are writing for.

2. Be yourself. Write conversationally.

A web page is a one-to-one, person-to-person conversation. Business web sites exist to inspire a visitor to take action: to click on a buy button, ask for more information, request a quote or join a mailing list. Visitors only take these steps if they trust you. People don’t trust corporations. People trust people, so talk to them directly. Write in a natural tone, but don’t use sloppy language, buzz words or jargon. Be friendly, but not overly familiar.

3. Write meaningful, eye-catching headlines and sub-headings.

Headlines draw the reader in and help them quickly find the content they are interested in. Headlines and sub-headings are also important to search engine rankings, so they should include important key words and phrases. Don’t overdo it, though. Remember that you are writing for people, not search engines. Make your headlines:

• Descriptive (Give the reader a good idea of what they’ll find if they read further.)
• Bold (Don’t be afraid to be strong, positive and even playful.)
• Use active verbs (Avoid flat, passive verbs like is, was and have. Try to avoid words that have been overused to the point of being meaningless like maximize, enhance and empower.)

4. Make web copy easy to scan.

Visitors read about 20% of the text on the average page and spend the rest of their time scanning the page’s navigation and incidentals (sidebars, ads, special features). Readers scan headings and subheadings first, and then scan for hyperlinks, numerals, and bolded keywords. You only have about four seconds to grab the reader’s attention, so shorter is better. Make copy easy to scan by using:

• Bullet points
• Bold text (sparingly)
• Subheadings
• Hyperlinks
• Short, one topic paragraphs
• Easy to read typeface, font size and color.

5. Focus on benefits. Solve problems.

Visitors come to your web site because they have a problem to solve. Customers don’t want to know what you can do. They want to know what you can do FOR THEM. If you can identify what the true benefits (not features) of your product or service are, you will be light years ahead of most of your competition – and you will be making it easy for your customers to achieve buy-in.

6. Don’t bury the lead.

Journalists know all about the inverted pyramid style of writing. Newspaper articles sum up the story in the first paragraph, giving the most relevant details and the conclusion up front. Web pages should also be written this way. State your conclusions first and then you can build your case. There should be no more than three important points on a page. Maybe there are ten great reasons to do business with you, but don’t ask your reader to absorb more than three.

7. Write for emotions and five senses.

As much as we humans would like to think that we make decisions rationally and logically, the truth is that we make them emotionally. Reach out to your reader’s emotions and five senses. If you are writing about a Hawaiian vacation, don’t write about “rooms with ocean views.” Write about “waking to soft ocean breezes lifting the rich aroma of fresh ground Kona coffee.”

Don’t tell readers that your software is “backwards compatible.” Tell them that your software will save them time, frustration and money by running on any platform and integrating easily with their existing software. Tap into your reader’s psyche, but beware of hyperbole. If you sound like a snake oil salesman, you’ll be treated like one (see any “make a million dollars on the internet” web site). Be energetic and positive, but not ridiculous.

8. Use descriptive hyperlinks.

Readers like links, and they like them in the text of what they are reading. Do not use “For more information, click here.” This stops the flow of the text and adds no value. By using descriptive, textual hyperlinks you are drawing the reader’s attention to important content (remember that part about scannable copy?) and you are maintaining the flow of your words. Descriptive hyperlinks also boost search engine results.

9. Don’t forget the call to action.

Don’t write one word until you know what you want your visitors to DO, and then ask them to do it. Too many websites are content to fill their pages with lists of features and overblown descriptions of their illustrious company history and god-like founders. Not only do most people not care, they will roll their eyes and click away.

A good call to action will lead the visitor to the next step. This may be to complete a short questionnaire to learn if your product is a good fit, call your 1+800 number, or complete a form to join your mailing list. Whatever it is, be sure you clearly understand what you want the reader to do and why they would do it. Be specific and give them a reason to do as you ask. Would you be more likely to click on a link that reads “Click here for more information,” or “Learn Three Ways that Widget Software Company Can Increase Your Profits’ ?

It may also be a good idea to place your call to action in several places on the page. Don’t save it for the bottom of the page, only. Try placing it near the top of the page (remember those link scanners), and in a prominent place in the sidebar or header.

10. Proofread!

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by skipping this crucial step. If you aren’t a strong proofreader, get someone who is. Grammar and punctuation matter. If your writing is clean and correct, conventions like grammar and punctuation are all but invisible. If you get it wrong, you just look stupid or careless, or both. Neither inspires confidence in the customer. If you can’t be bothered to write well and correctly, then I can’t be bothered to do business with you. ‘Nuff said.

Finally, consider hiring a professional to write your web copy. You may think that this is an unnecessary expense. After all, who knows your company better than you do? A fresh perspective may be just what your site needs. A professional copywriter will help you clarify your goals and your message. Their expertise may just bring results you never dreamed of, both in search engine visibility and in sales.

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Tagged as: web copy, Writing for the Web

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Killa Guhrilla May 28, 2009 at 8:06 pm: Very well said. Funny that many of these tips are applicable to other types of writing (including news stories). One to file in the “go back and read this in three-months” basket. I like to remind myself on occasion, you know?

Yelwrose May 28, 2009 at 8:20 pm: Thanks for the comment, Killa It’s always great to hear from you.

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