Tips for Effective Writing on the Web
By Wayne D. King
Writing for the Web is just not the same as writing for a publication or penning the great American novel. Let’s face it, the medium is much different. The average Web browser wants information . . . and wants it quickly. Unlike the reader who sits down before the fire with a great book, your visitor wants you to convey your message personally, directly and fast.
However, don’t get the impression that words don’t matter. In fact they matter very much. It is simply a matter of which words you choose that dictates the success of your Website.
Here are 10 tips for writing effective web copy:
1. Give them Substance in “Web Bites”.
You’ve heard of “sound bites” before. It is the phrase used to describe how a political figure or a public figure phrases a message quickly. The message has substance, but they know that they have only a few seconds on TV or the radio to give you that message so they paraphrase what they want to say. Your relationship to your Website visitor is very similar to the public figure’s relationship to the camera or mike. Your visitor will give you a few seconds, but if you don’t deliver, he’s likely to be gone.
Keep your paragraphs and sentences short and interesting. Try to minimize the number of words and maximize the reach of your point. You are trying to communicate, not impress.
This does not mean that your Website has to be a vacuous lump on the Web (as so many sites are). If you want to be more detailed or flowery, go ahead, just place this content deeper into your Website. Those who want the more detailed information will drill deeper and those who don’t won’t run away.
2. Keep it Real
There is a rule of thumb in fundraising and development that a letter soliciting donations should have the word “You” peppered throughout it. This applies to effective Web writing as well. Make your writing more personal, as if you were writing to a friend.
3. Remember your Mission
Your visitor has come to your site for a reason. Perhap to make a purchase, perhaps to find something out or to subscribe. Keep driving them toward fulfillment of their mission: Give them quick links to more information, keep them interested, invite them to drill deeper into your site.
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4. Content is King
Remember. The average Website visitor is still connecting to the Internet with a dialup account. If your Website is filled with all kinds of cool graphics, animation and large images, many people are just going to move on before the even see your message. Unless you are speaking to an audience that you are sure employs high speed connectivity, it is best to keep the mega-giga-cool-stuff to a minimum.
5. Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
It is a useful exercise to place yourself in the shoes of your potential visitors as they open their favorite search engine. What are they likely to type into the search box if they are looking for a service like yours? Program those keywords into your page. More importantly, use them in the content of your message. Weave them into your phrasing.
6. Headlines Matter
Did you know that the headlines in a newspaper are almost always written by an Editor and not the writer? This is because Editors know how to write, but more importantly, they know how to sell newspapers. The headline of your page is the first thing that will catch the eye of your visitor. Make them interesting and they will keep reading. Bear in mind the advice about keywords above as you write your Headlines.
7. Titles Too
When you open a Webpage, the wording at the top of the page is the title. It is programmed into the page during its design. Most major search engines use title information as their principle source of cataloging information. Be sure to get important keywords into the title, without making it too cumbersome.
8. Reference other Reliable Sources
Referencing reliable sources is always important to creating and maintaining your credibility. Make your point at the same time. For example, if you want to demonstrate how many people visit New Hampshire during the course of the year, you don’t have to quite an entire report from the Institute for NH Studies. Give your visitor the meat of the information and then create a link to the Institute’s site, and in particular the page that provides your support. Engage other sites in the process of sharing reciprocal links with you.
9. Your “Webside Manner”
If you are selling products or services on your site, emphasize the personal benefits of the product rather than the finer technical details. Place the technical details on the Website, just don’t make them the first stop. Your visitor wants to know how your product can change their life more than they want to know how fast, big, and nifty it is. Don’t forget to use the word YOU.
10. Proof Read
Even the best writers have editors and proofreaders. Don’t assume because you can write will that you can also edit and proof read. Aha . . . caught you. The above sentence escaped the beeping of my sophisticated spellchecking software. So let’s try again: Don’t assume because you can write well that you can also edit and proof read. Use spell and grammar checking software but don’t rely solely upon them for proofing. Have others read your copy and don’t be defensive about it.
About the Author
Wayne King is a recovering politician, political commentator and President of Moosewood Communicaions in Rumney, NH. He blogs from his space in the Blogosphere, Unified Visions: UnifiedVisions.Blogspot.com where he advocates for a post-partisan approach to governing; and from the Moosewood Communications Blog MoosewoodCommunications.blogspot.com.
King holds a BS Degree in Environmental Conservation and a Masters Degree in Science Education from the University of New Hampshire, Durham.
A three term former State Senator from New Hampshire, Wayne King was the 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor. King is also the founder of The Electronic Community, a group of social entrepreneurs working on social and development issues in Africa under the guidance of the MaxImpact Institute.
Senator King has served on the Board of Directors of many state and local organizations: he was a founding member of the NH Community Loan Fund, and a long time member of the Common Cause NH Board of Directors. Additionally he served for almost 15 years on the board of the Northern Community Investment Corporation, one of America's foremost Community Development Corporations.
King is also an accomplished photographer. His images can be found in galleries from Maine to California. His images are a celebration of life, blending the real and the surreal to achieve a sense of place or time that reaches beyond the moment into a dreamlike quintessentialism designed to spark an emotional response. Using digital enhancement, handcrafting, painting, and sometimes even straight photography, King takes the viewer to a place that is beyond simple truth to where truth meets passion, hope and dreams. His photoblog is Photoexpressionist.blogspot.com.
