| |
| |
|
Copywriting Information |
|
|
|
Web Writing - Dont Lose Your Visitors Attention!
Did you know that your writing can have a huge impact on how successful your site will be? If you're trying to sell a product or a service, what you say and how you say it is extremely important because you don't want to lose your visitor's interest before they get to your order form. Here are some tips to help you improve your writing skills in order to keep your visitor's attention. Stress The Benefits Early If the goal of your site is to sell a product or service, don't focus on what you want, focus on what your visitor wants. Whether you realize it or not, when a person lands on your homepage, there's a little voice inside their head that constantly asks, "What's in it for me?" They came to your site because they are searching for something, and it's your job to help them find it. Now, this next sentence is going to sound a little harsh, but there is a lot of truth to it... Your visitors don't care about you until they find out what your site can do for them. Think about it and read that sentence again. When you go to Google and do a search for "download music", that probably means you are looking for a site that will allow you to download your favorite songs, right? So when you click on the first site, you don't want to get bombarded with biographical information about the author of the site. At this point, you are looking for the benefits. You want the goods, the guts, and the glory. Now, after you discover that this site may be of use to you, you may decide to read up on the author and how the site was founded, etc. But you don't want to be hit with the history of the site right from the beginning. I see so many people starting their web sites out with a 10 paragraph bio about themselves. The paragraphs are filled with countless "me's" and "I's". (Yawn) If you are trying to sell a product or a service, this is the absolute WRONG way to go about it. You must feed your visitors the benefits, give them what they want. Get rid of all the I's and me's and replace them with the all important word, "YOU". Remember, you are not writing this site for yourself, you're writing it for the potential customer. Don't Assume Your Visitors Will Read Everything The average person will only read between 5 and 10 percent of your site. This is because most people find what they're looking for within the first few pages. So if you're trying to sell something, make sure your important benefits are listed upfront and get to the point quickly. Not only will they not read every page, they also won't read every word on your pages. They scan for information just like they're reading a newspaper. That's why it's important to make sure your pages have lots of short paragraphs separated by subtitles. This makes it easier for them to scan and find the information they're looking for. Don't make them hunt too long to find something or they'll leave. This is another reason why it's important to include some kind of search function, site directory and/or table of contents on your site. Also make sure that these features are accessible from every page. Organization is definitely key. Look at Your Site Through Your Visitor's Eyes After you've written your copy, it's a good idea to take a step back and put yourself in your visitor's shoes for a moment. Pretend you are visiting your site for the first time and read over all the content. Then ask yourself a few questions: Have you explained everything clearly? Sure the content makes sense to you because you wrote it, but if you were a first-time visitor, what questions might you have? Did you leave out some information because you assumed the visitor already knows? Are there terms or phrases that you need to define? Does the content flow logically? Have you put the cart before the horse? Do your thoughts jump all over the page or are they organized? If you develop your content in your head as you type, it's very easy to produce copy that is unorganized. Make sure you read over everything to ensure your paragraphs and sentences flow logically. Does your site navigation make sense? Navigation is so very important. You don't want your visitors to get lost so it's vital that your navigation titles make sense and clearly define what each page is about. You also want to ensure that important pages like the order and contact form are easily accessible from every page on your site. In addition, be sure that your navigation is consistent and doesn't change from page to page. If you find this difficult to do, ask a friend to help out. Have them read every page of your site and jot down any questions or comments that develop as they go along. You'll be amazed at what you'll discover when someone else reads your work. Sometimes you can be too close to it and find it hard to look at your site with an objective eye. Conclusion Remember, the content on your pages represents your voice on the web. It's what stands between you and your potential customer, so make it effective. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Lisa Irby is the author of 2 Create a Web Site -- a site that encourages you to EDUCATE YOURSELF before diving into the website creation process. http://www.2CreateAWebSite.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Original content improves on-page SEO so copywriting is also an ... - NewDesignWorld (press release)
Copywriting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Kick-Starting Body Copy Several correspondents to our newsletter, AdBriefing, say that they are having trouble writing body copy for ads. Their problem seems to be the age-old one of how to kick things off - how to make a start. Six Reasons You Don't Need a Technical Writer (and Why They're Dead Wrong!) I know, I know. Times are tough. How To Write Headlines That Get Attention No doubt, the headline is the most important part of any advertisement or sales letter. The reason is very simple. 5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make Think you have what it takes to be a freelance copywriter? I wasn't so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. 12 Copywriting Tips to Make Your Advertising More Profitable Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response copy and advertising. You can avoid the most common and costly blunders by following these profit-enhancing tips. Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is and they'll quickly tell you "Know Thy Target Audience." In order to write effectively you have to know this one group of people and know them well. Sowing the Seeds of Opportunity: How to Multiply Your Freelance (Writing) Work You can turn your $200 fee to write a press release into $2,000 to carry out an entire PR campaign simply by convincing clients to invest in campaigns, instead of individual assignments. Campaigns achieve better results and cost less in the long-term for clients, compared to individual assignments. Its Time To Start That Swipe File Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, there's a foundation of basic knowledge and skills. Its Not What You Say But How You Say It Copy is all about words. Or is it?Copy is about using words to describe the benefits of your offer. How Your $2-an-Article Ghostwriter is Like a Cheap Pair of Pants Web marketers: have you figured out that article marketing is the secret to your success on the web?And did you realize that the more web articles you put into circulation, the more of a web celebrity you'll become, and the more money will come pouring in?So what did you do after you figured this out? Let me guess: You went on Elance.com searching from someone to write your web articles cheap. 9 Tips for Great Design of Your Marketing Materials 1) Don't just hire a good designer. Hire someone who has had plenty of experience designing business collateral. The Write Way To Grow Your Business Hone your writing skills to project a more professional business image.The sales letter you can't put down?the advertising copy that makes you want the product?the resume that prompts you to call the job candidate this second?All these are examples of exceptional business writing. Can 97% of Netpreneurs be Wrong? Why Some People's Ads Almost Always Make MoneyDiscover the Master Copywriter's Little-Known Secret of Locking in Profits! You don't know it yet, but in the next 5 minutes you are going to learn two things that will enable you to command someone to do something anything - and that person will do it without question. What's more, they'll think it was their idea, not yours. 10 Things You Should Expect From Your Website Copywriter As websites and electronic commerce are becoming more and more common, business owners and marketing managers are realising that quality web copy is every bit as important as impressive design. And with the ever increasing importance of search engine presence, the role of web copy has never been more critical. Professional Copywriting Services - How to Provide Your Own Just because you're running a small business doesn't mean you have to run an amateur business. People judge the professionalism of a small business by many things including: the quality of the product or service offered; the dress code of the sales people; the location and decor of the business premises and; the quality of their written material. Traffics Nice... But Whos Driving? In the competitive marketplace of the new millennium, the demand for specialized products or services will increase. If your site sells everything or to everyone, chances are that your audience will not perceive a value in shopping from you any greater than from anyone else. Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask me questions like "What's your secret?" and "How did you do it?" and "Can I be your apprentice?"Aw, heck, are you serious? People are talking to me like I'm some kind of demi-goddess.. Buy My Book for $27 and Ill Give You Bonuses Worth a Gazillion Dollars! Subhead.. Writing Tips for Your Website Now that your website is up and running, it's time to add content. Fresh content will make your site interesting and keep people (and search engine crawlers) coming back. Beyond Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales arent the Only Thing Needing Catchy Openings Once a upon a recent time in a galaxy not so far away, I received an e-newsletter that provided valuable dos and don'ts for email newsletter publication. Ah, something about this newsletter didn't pull me in to read its tales nor did I take out the sword to slash my name from the e-newsletter distribution list.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
