Online Copywriting
If You Don't Read This, Your Competition Will
So now you've spent a lot of time and money to generate traffic to your website. That's great! But guess what - All that dough will be flushed down the drain if your website copy is not crafted to sell, persuade and inform effectively. Makes sense doesn't it?
Question: When you tell someone what to do, what do you use? Words, right? If you search for something on search engines what do you use? Words perhaps? The content of your website that persuades people to buy, signup, download, click... all consist of words.
This is all quite obvious you might say. But what's not obvious is that online copywriting is harder than one might think. It needs to be the salesman when you're not there. It needs to provide the correct information, at the right time, in the right format for people to digest it. And not only does online copy have to be a good salesman, it must be search engine friendly too. Search engines love keyword rich website copy.
If there is one thing you should remember from this page it's this: What people read on your website could make the difference between a "sale" or a "no sale". And the only way to know is to test, test and test.
What is Online Copywriting Anyway?
In marketing and advertising, copywriting is the practice of using words to communicate, inform and convince people to buy products and services and to take a specific action.
Online copy has a similar job, it must do everything good advertising copy does, and what's more it must be keyword rich so search engines such as Google, Bing and MSN can pick up (or index) your web pages. Well-written keyword rich online copy is vital for search engine optimization and search engine marketing (SEO and SEM).
A Few Tips For Writing Great Online Copy
First you have to ask yourself a few questions
- Who is my audience?
- What actions do I want them to take?
- What information do they need in order to feel confident taking action?
Once you have compelling answers for these questions start writing.
Tip 1: Make It Interesting - Write Brilliant Headlines
The purpose of writing online sales copy is to get people to read the first sentence. That first sentence must make you read the second; the second must get you to read the third... You see everything you say in the copy must get the reader to read the next line and before people know it they've read everything you wanted them to. So write brilliant headlines and keep the audience coming back for more, line after line.
Tip 2: Keep It Simple - People Will Love You For It
The best online copy is simple copy. It's easier to understand and digest. It doesn't matter if you're a Harvard Linguistic Genius or an average Joe. If the benefits of what you are buying are made simple and easy to understand you're prospect will be in a much better position to make a buying decision.
Tip 3: Keep It Real - Get Rid Of Corporate Babble
People are tired of overused unnecessary sales pitch fluff. Words like "cutting edge, world class, best of breed, industry standard, market leading, etc." are so 1980's corporate speak and only indicates that you don't know how to talk about your brand. Use normal everyday words that people understand and keep it conversational - never be boring.
Tip 4: Make It Easy - Format For Legibility
If online copy looks daunting to read, people will think it is, and you'll miss the opportunity to connect with them. Make sure you're online copy follows an easy to read hierarchy. Use headings, bolding, italics and bullets to make the copy easy to scan and read. According to website usability studies by Steve Krug people don't read, they scan websites. This means the important words must be clear to spot for the reader.
