Copywriters are talented people don’t get me wrong, but writing copy for the web is different than writing copy for print and using copy in your web page that has been design specifically for print could spell disaster for your online effectiveness.

In the cyber world it may seem like the programmers and designers have the ultimate control and power of either the success or the failure of our website, yet if you look closer it is the words, and placement of those words that drive user interaction. The specifically designed logo or the clever section of code that work seamlessly behind the scenes are all major parts of a successful website but it is the words that bear the weight of how we influence our users, convey our marketing messages and convert the sale.

5 Tips to Improve Your Website Copy

• Use Effective Headings
• Your headings should be eight words or less.
• Don’t use vague headings – remember you have only a few sections to grab your user’s attention before they move on.
• Include keywords in your heading text.
• Remember you can use your headings as links to more information within your website.
• Title, Title, Title
• Don’t under estimate the power of the title tag of your web page – this is another area that you should be looking to use keyword rich phrases.
• Use different titles, don’t just copy and paste, this is another opportunity to shine brighter than you competitors.
• Drive, Guide & Help Your User
• Drive your user to take the steps that you want them to take.
• Breadcrumb incentives are a great way in influence activity on your website.
• A clearly labelled activity path will increase activity along you “Customer Experience Path”.
• Stay Connected
• Make your pages and content naturally progressive, use links to expand on information and products
• Linking to relevant content or being linked to as the source of relevant content will be beneficial to your page rank.
• Know what you’re Selling
• DON’T babble on about what your widget is capable of by providing a huge list of features, it’s probably of little interest and is a poor way to fill what is prime Real Estate space on your page.
• DO tell your user how the widget will benefit them, how it will make them look or feel, be brutal and tap into the users “needy” side – we all have one.

This is by no means all there is to writing web copy, but maybe a few pointers in the right direction.

Word Count – 448