The Rest of the site
Just think of the rest of the pages on your website, as the rooms of your house.
You need to make them warm, friendly and comfortable. Make them look inviting and interesting – not cluttered like Uncle Billy’s house.
Never forget, that the sales message is paramount. This means your copy has to SELL.
Use all the proven copywriting techniques, I have been writing about for years. What works off-line, will pretty much work on-line. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Here’s some proof…
Using proven offline copy techniques to improve the performance of your website
As with any other copy challenge, you have to structure your message delivery.
Note the similarities here, to proven off-line disciplines.
1. Make it easy to read and understand. Use simple words.
Use simple, concise, easy to understand words and you’ll do much better than if you try to be clever and intellectual. Fonts should be larger, sentences and paragraphs short, sharp and to the point. And space should be used sensibly, because reading on the web can be difficult.
Use bold text to help make your copy more scannable, but use it judiciously. If you make everything bold, it defeats the purpose. In my experience, emboldened text tends to work better than italicised text when you need emphasis on web pages.
2. Reading habits are a little different on the web. Make sure you cater for this.
The visitor wants information. Make it easy for them to get it. Computer screens just don’t make comfortable reading platforms. So, concentrate on making it easy for people to scan pages. Break copy up with subheads and headers and well-considered spacing.
Most people just scan, initially, they don’t read left to right. They dart all over the place, looking for clues to content. Make it easy for them to find it – and then deliver what they are looking for, in the clearest way possible.
3. Long copy or short copy? It’s not long or short. It’s interesting or uninteresting.
Because the problems of reading from a monitor are well known, far too many companies fall into the trap of skimping on content. In a lot of cases, this can be a fatal mistake.
When long copy is required, don’t be frightened of it. To sell your product or service, use as much copy as is necessary. Remember, the longer they keep reading, the more chance you have of them buying from you.
Your prospect needs as much detailed information as possible to provide re-assurance that they are making the right decision. If they are interested in what you have to offer, they will stay as long as it takes to get the facts.
4. Use links to unique web pages
The web is a medium for providing information. When someone visits your site, they are looking for specific info. So give it to them. If you don’t, they’ll buy from someone who will.
But how do you get a lot of content onto a short web page?
You don’t. You create a lot of unique web pages.
If you have 10 products, make a main products page and 10 products web pages. Don’t try to cram all the details about every product onto one page. Keep them reading by making the content ‘flow’
5. The importance of AIDCA
The copy element of your website is where the real action is. Text attracts more attention than graphics. And this is a proven fact… This is where you hold the attention of your audience, create interest, generate desire, tell them why they should buy from you and then give them clear and easy instructions on how to do exactly that.
AIDCA. Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction & Action. Exactly the same sequence as in a DM letter, email or ad.
6. Be specific and be believable
Today, people are sceptical. They don’t believe anything anymore.
If your offer is a bit dubious and your copy, at any time, gives any cause for doubt, then the visitor will stop reading and leave. The same thing happens in any selling copy.
So, it’s important that your copy has the ring of truth. This is achieved by understanding words and choosing the correct ones. Words that are descriptive and positive. So, there you are. Proof if any was needed, that copywriting techniques that sell off-line, sell on-line too.
The potential nightmare of search engine optimisation
Before I conclude, an article about writing for websites wouldn’t be complete without SEO, because this subject has reached almost mystical status in certain circles.
Tomorrow Andy will write about copywriting SEO for your website.
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