How to Write Effective Copy for the Web is a question asked a million times by marketers. So here are the answers to all your copywriting questions and a few related issues. In order to write effective copy for the web, there are two primary areas that you should look at. It is the page title and the META descriptions. Both of these are usually the first two things that a person will see when searching the web for a particular product or service.
However, this does not actually apply to all search engines or directories as some will not show the META description at all. In some cases, they will show a snippet of the content from your site.
Below we provide in list of importance for particular areas that you should focus on in order to write effective web copy.
1. Page Title - This is the first thing that any visitor will see when carrying out a search on the web.
2. META Description - Usually the second thing the visitor will see when carrying out a search through a search engine or directory. It is important to remember that both of these are likely to be produced on the Search Engine's Results Page (SERP's).
3. Heading Tags - This will relate to specific subjects within your site.
4. Visible Content - This is another area of importance that you should focus on in order to produce effective copywriting for the web. These are provided below in order of importance.
a. Hyperlinked Tex and Title Attribute - This is frequently displayed as a "tool tip". Which is a short message that will appear when the pointing device (cursor) pauses over a particular object?
b. Alternate Text Tags - This should be for an image and is not to be used for stuffing with keywords that do not apply to it.
c. META Keyword Tags - Unfortunately, due to severe abuse by unethical marketers and uneducated consumers these are not as strong as they use to be. In fact, most search engines will no longer be looking at these as a relevancy factor during their search.
So it is important that you make sure the keywords you use in this tag are to be found in the visible content for the page.
So effective copywriting for the web can only be achieved if you carefully research your keywords and keyword phrases. What is the point of writing any copy, if you do not know what it is actually that your target audience is searching for? By targeting the correct keywords and keyword phrases you are taking one of the most important steps in writing effective copy.
How to Find Effective Keywords and Keyword Phrases
Search engines are the most important tool on the web for bringing new customers to a site. Many people who have never heard of your site will use a search engine to find what they are looking for, at your site or at someone else's.
But unfortunately, a search engine is not psychic and not very intuitive either. They will not be able to find what people are actually looking for but rather what they are asking for.
But just how do you know what people are looking for? There are a number of different ways in which you can get ahead of the competition in relation to people's search habits. There are many effective programs around and one of these is Word Tracker, which can be found at WordTracker.com.
You are able to license this program either by the day, week, month or year. What this program does is provide you with feedback in relation to key phrases that you submit to it. It will also make recommendations in relation to similar key phrases, and you are then able to test them against the most important search engines and directories on the web.
What it then does it tells you just how many people are searching for a particular phrase, and how much competition there is from other sites. Once this is done then Word Tracker assigns each phrase with a Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI) ranking.
So by using the phrases that attracts the most interest, but the least competition, appropriately throughout your site in both copy and page titles, it will make it more receptive to the search engines and directories. So when it comes time for people who are looking for a particular product or service, then your site should be one of the first they see in their search results.
The best time to do any keyword or key phrases searches is when you are first building your site. This will then mean that you do not need to rewrite your copy later on. But really, it can be done at any time. It is important to remember that if you are not researching what it is your customers want, then your competition will be.
Keep it Short and Sweet
You are looking to keep your visitors coming to your site and also get them to return. There are a number of points you should consider when copywriting for the web.
Keep your copy short and simple
What you should remember is that unless a visitor has been directed to a particular page on a site, more often than not, they will only read 1 or 2 lines of the text. So the longer your text is, the less likely they will want to read it. So if you can, do not add any long copy to any pages where visitors are not expecting it to be.
Also keep your copy simple. This matters as much as how long it is. It is important that your visitors are able to understand what has been written on their first reading. They do not want to have to spend time thinking about what you have written.
In most cases, you should be able to convey one key idea effectively in just one or two lines of writing. By writing any more then that, you are likely to ruin the chance of the first idea you are providing to get through to them.
So by anticipating that your visitors will be willing to learn more about something, then they will look for the page that has more copy on it. So provide them with a link to another page of your site where they can get hold of the information that they need.
What if you do need to write long copy?
If you do need to include some longer copy, then organize it. Even if your visitors are expecting to find a page heavy with text, they may not actually be willing to read it.
So in order to help them, divide any distinct ideas you have into separate paragraphs. Provide them with useful headings, sub headings and bulleted lists. This is a great way of introducing key ideas to them deliberately.
It is best to assume that not all the visitors to your site will read longer pieces in their entirety. So write copy that they will be able to skim through and lets them read the parts that they are only interested in.
Although longer copy does not need as direct as short copy is, it should still be easy to read. You will find that those visitors to your site who have difficulty understanding what has been written, will stop reading it.
Make your Copy Lively
Keep your copywriting clear and write vividly. You should be aiming to write in a light, unassuming tone of voice. If what you have written is boring or overbearing, this will in turn affect the reader, and what you are trying to convey will not get through to them.
So use a consistent voice throughout your copy. By doing this, visitors will more quickly recognize it and so become familiar with it. The more familiar a site or subject is to them, the more effective it will be.
Other Integral Components for Good Copywriting
It is ever so easy to become a little sloppy with the vocabulary on your website, as well as the look. You may find it so easy that you become inconsistent in the terms and phrases that you use when describing a particular product, service, tool or feature on your site.
So it is vital that you go through your site regularly and make sure that the terms you are using are used consistently. Also, that they are clearly communicating what you are trying to express to those visiting your site.
Therefore, you should always be aware of the spelling, grammar and formatting of any copywriting that you produce. Many sales efforts have amounted to nothing just because of a simple spelling or grammatical error in the copywriting. So spend time using a spell checker to ensure that everything is correct. It will save a lot of time later on.
Try to avoid using lots of capital letters and exclamations marks in your work, as it does not look very professional. But use bold text and color in order to highlight any important points you wish to make.
Another important thing to have is an understanding of the written language. As creating website copy is different from that used when writing an article in a newsletter, or composing a custom essay or book report or research paper.
The language that you use must be very deliberate. It is important that you understand the language and how it exactly influences people's buying behaviors. It is important that you know which words are strong, and which words are weak, and which words should be avoided at all costs.
However there are plenty of ways in which a site can be made more appealing without having to use graphics and animated gifs.
1. By formatting the text on a page, you can break up large chunks of information. So wherever possible, use bulleting, numbering, emboldened text, colored text etc., in order to make important information stand out.
2. Break up your paragraphs into easily digestible pieces of information. This will help to make your content stand out more. It will also help to make those important facts or sections stand out more also.
3. At all times, refrain from adding two spaces after each full stop. Not only will you save time, you will also save space also.
4. At the end of each paragraph, make sure that you press the return key twice and do the same after each section title.
If, however, you need to write long copy, then it is important that you should use some of the following formatting rules.
1. Keep the column width reasonably narrow. The human eye finds it more difficult to track from the end of one line to the beginning of the next if the column is wide.
2. Use plenty of subheads, as this helps those who would rather just scan a page before they commit to actually reading the whole thing. These subheadings should lead your visitor through the key points.
3. Indent any key elements in your copy. This will help to add emphasis where it is needed. It also helps to break up an otherwise scary block of text. So, the longer the copy on the page, the more important it is for you to use sub headers and indents.
As you can see formatting is essential to any good copy.So by learning How to Write Effective Copy for the Web and then implementing it in every piece of writing copy and advertising that you do you are assured to see giant returns coming your way.
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