Web Design: Tips for Effective Copywriting For Web Sites
Part 1: How to Write Appealing Copy
Writing good copy for web pages is a necessity these days. Good web copy is unique, well written and interesting like any other written copy but with due allowance for the target audience, the nature of web pages and the requirements of search engines.
Make your Copy Stand Out From The Crowd
First and foremost: your copy must be worth reading. Obvious, I know, but most of the time this is not the case these days, the internet is overflowing with poorly written copy mostly written in the name of SEO.
Everybody now wants their websites to be prominent in the search engines, which is fair enough. As Search Engines generally respond better to more rather than less and are particularly influenced by links then in the name of SEO poor, regurgitated copy is published here, there and everywhere. But what is the point of attracting visitors through good search rankings if they are turned away again immediately by poorly written copy.
So stand out from the crowd, make sure your copy is worth reading, if not you are unlikely to get any benefit from your efforts.
"People don't read long web pages"
It is often suggested to me that "people don't read long web pages, they put them off". Well, people are all different. Most people will scan or skim looking for things that spark their interest and then read more when they spot something of interest. So it is more about the way copy is written and presented than about how much there is.
Consider:
- We generally expect to find out everything we would like to know about a product or service, or business or trade or whatever by looking at websites.
- A couple of paragraphs is not likely to impress anyone looking to research you, your company, your services or products.
- Search engines are more likely to take interested in more substantial copy.
Your copy needs to scan well, interest and draw in the reader.
Capture interest immediately with a good title
This is where everyone starts so capture their interest quickly otherwise they will pass you by. So your title must grab their attention and promise them that your copy is worth reading.
Titles: Human readers v search engines - so which is it?
Sometimes there appears to be a conflict but there need not be if copywriters are prepared to allow for the basic search engine requirements:
- Titles are written straight-forwardly using the common language of the human visitor and searcher
- Including keywords people might be searching for
- Avoiding clever wordplay that a person would spot but a search engine would miss.
- Longer titles are considered acceptable - 2 or 3 words doesn't leave much scope.
How to improve scannability with sub-headings
Sub-headings should be clearly visible, capture and interest readers, encouraging them to read your copy. So these headings need to stand out and inform amongst the body of your copy. Plenty of white space and short paragraphs will help the overall effect.
Can sub-headings appeal to people and search engines?
As with 'Titles', for SEO, you need to use words and phrases that people are searching for. So your headings need to be on subject and include keywords. There is no reason why your headings cannot therefore appeal to do both with a little thought.
How to draw readers in with sub-headings
Sub-headings are teasers giving a taste of what is to come. The aim is to spark interest and get you to read more. Think about benefits and rewards for your readers, what are they going to gain from reading your copy, what are you promising them? Thinking in these terms, peppering your headings with 'teasers' and the 'promise of benefits' to be gained allows you to create sub-headings that 'motivate' readers to look for the 'win' for them in your copy.
>>> Go to Part 2: Optimising your Copywriting for Search Engines
Posted November 2010
Michael Spencer,
michael@epsilis.co.uk
Epsilis - Web Designers and Website Optimisation Specialists
47 Farthing Drive
Letchworth Garden City
Hertfordshire (Herts)
SG6 2TR
UK
Articles on various aspect of web design:
Web Design Hints and Tips - Short hints and tips that do not warrant a whole article.
SEO and Web Page Design.... an overview of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and relevance to Web Page Design
Thinking about your Branding - Implications of Web Design - with print you have millions of options - unfortunately only a tiny fraction of these options are available to web designers
Legal issues concerning websites - There are a variety of legal issues that may relate to your website - Minimum information to be provided on websites - Copyright - Data Protection - Opt out or Opt in- Email Marketing - Distance Selling and Online Trading - Charge on Returned Goods - Trade Mark Keyword Online Advertising - Disability Accessibility The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - Disclaimer.
Content is Everything .... to your website visitor and to the search engines!
A Quick DIY Review of your Web Site. Got a web site but you are not sure if it is any good – well here are a few things you can look at to give you a better idea.
Useful Website Design Resources - Here are some resources I find useful: Photos, Graphics software, Favicon, Web Safe Colours, Websites Fonts, Coding Software for Web Pages, Uploading Your Website to Your Hosting (FTP), Running Online Surveys, Marketing Emails.
Marketing Your Website - a brief overview of most aspects of website marketing activities and our services.
Getting the words right - by Susannah Ross
Susannah Ross is the author of 'A Simple Guide to Writing for your Website'. In this guest article, she addresses how writing for the web is different to writing for print and what you need to know to make your words work for you.
What can you do with your web site: a generic list of benefits of a web site serves as a basis for discussion.