Do’s And Don’ts Of Website Copy
Author: Ayat Shukairy
Introduction
Does
your website copy sound stiff and unnatural? Are you using marketing-style
language to sell, sell, and sell your reader the latest and greatest
product or service? If your website is nothing but an empty box
wrapped up like a pretty package, you probably need help with
your website copy.
Clear,
compelling copy attracts customers and persuades them to stay
and take a longer look at your site. And if you’ve written
killer copy, they’re likely to return again and again. You
might feel overwhelmed with where to start, but no worries. You
don’t necessarily have to scrap all your hard work and start
over again. A few fundamental rules will help get you on the right
track to great website copy that works and will keep working for
you.
Do
write in plain language
We
often complicate writing with big words and jargon because we
think of it as more sophisticated and academic. No one wants to
look stupid, but use too much jargon and it’s indubitably
apparent that we’ve achieved the opposite affect. Indubitably
apparent? Huh? Present your information in a clear and factual
way, so the user is not left feeling frustrated or confused.
Do
write the way you speak
With
the exception of some industries that need to apply technical
or industry related jargon, most copy can be written using a more
informal and friendly voice. Pretend you’re having a casual
conversation and your website copy will come through with less
effort and more sincerity.
Don’t
be wordy
Too
many words weaken your message and make you appear less credible.
Check out some of the options you can use to eliminate wordiness.
•
"At this point in time" to "now"
• "Due to the fact that" to "because"
• "With regard to" to "about"
• "It is possible that" to "maybe"
Do
change nouns into verbs
Nouns
slow your reader down by making sentences longer. It’s distracting,
especially to online readers. Check your website copy and change
your nouns to verbs.
•
"Conduct a discussion of" to "discuss"
• "Give consideration to"to "consider"
• "Make the assumption of"to "assume"
• "Reached the conclusion about" to "conclude"
Do
use an active voice
Use
an active voice to put your words into motion.
Active: He won the Young Entrepreneurs award.
Passive: The Young Entrepreneurs award was won by him.
Do
remove clichés
Avoid
the use of tired clichés.
• Step up to the plate
• Cutting edge
• Market-leading
• Industry standard
• Increase by leaps and bounds
• Time is money
Do
place keywords in strategic positions
The
most emphatic parts of a sentence are the beginning and end.
Before: The Monster contract will be a money-maker, despite our
early concerns.
After: The Monster contract, despite our early concerns, will
be a money maker.
Do
apply graphic highlighting
Underline,
italicize, and bold are effective ways to highlight information.
Also, organize a long list of thoughts by using headings and bullets.
Do
use repetition
Use
repetition to highlight and reinforce important terms or ideas
and make them stand out. But word to the wise if you use repetition,
use it sparingly or you may drive the reader away by boring or
annoying them with the same message over and over.
Here’s
an example:
"Invesp
writing services can help with your marketing and promotional
efforts. The Invesp team of writers holds degrees in English,
Professional Writing, and Journalism. The professionals at Invesp
are a dynamic group of published authors, congressional speech
writers, journalists, freelance writers, and more. Check out www.invesp.com.
So who did you just read about? Hard to forget! Repetition is
a successful technique to get your message across and capture
the readers’ attention.
Do
write a great title or subtitle
A
good title makes it easy to determine the goal of the page copy.
Here are some dos and don’ts for writing a good title or
headline:
•
Keep titles short. Six to ten words is more than enough.
•
Lose the irony. The title should be a reflection of your content.
Witty and indirect titles are often written out of context, increasing
the likelihood that users will miss your page when searching for
information.
•
Write a title that stands alone. A title that stands on its own
instantly tells the user what the webpage contains.
•
Use words commonly used by other websites. Your page will more
likely be found during a web search.
•
Don’t underline. Underlined text is confusing because underlining
is associated with hyperlinks. Some examples of a good title:
•
Letter Writing Tips for Effective Sales
•
Persuasive Writing: Hypnotic Titles
•
Top 10 Myths about small businesses
•
Vintage Clothing by Steven
And
there you have it. Some dos and don’ts of website copy writing
that will get you on your way to great copy. Happy writing.
| About
the Author: Ayat Shukairy serves as a director at INVESP
Virtual Assistant Services. She published several business
articles and writes regular blog about copy writing. http://www.invesp.com |
