Think like a pro to write website content like a pro. It may be easier after reading this short writing tutorial and learning my Golden Rule Writing for the Web.
Most site owners feel inadequate when it comes to writing about their business unless professional writing is what they do. Hiring a copywriter may be the best option if you have the budget for their services which could be $75 or more per hour depending on their skill level, experience, and education.
Web content for business requires a different style compared to offline business writing.
Crafting quality business letters is more formal than making an online presentation to convince a website visitor to take a closer look at what you offer. With visitors having 1000's if not millions of choices in Google search results, you have mere seconds to keep them on your website. This tutorial may help.
Consider offline presentations and the formal setting of institutions like the military, at a university, a political speech, a church sermon, or sales training sessions. What do these offline situations have in common? In each the listeners are usually a captive audience, so if they get bored they can't walk away or click to the next lesson, speech, or sermon.
To think like a pro and write web copy like a pro you need to capture your reader's interest instantly and then hold it. Content needs to be concise, interesting, and relevant without institutional formality. Understanding your website visitor's user experience and the path their eyes take as they view a web page will allow you to craft text to create a more favorable first impression.
Here's the secret of my Golden Rule Writing for the Web: You should spend as much time writing your headline as writing the actual page content. Learn just that if nothing else about web copywriting to enhance the sales success of your website content. Let's take a closer look.
Compare the speeches given at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863 to dedicate a new soldiers national cemetery just 5 months after the famous Battle of Gettysburg. President Abraham Lincoln spoke a little over 2 minutes and summarized the dedication after featured orator Edward Everett preceded him with a speech that lasted 2 hours! Whose speech will be remembered 150 years later?
Again, when writing for the web your content needs to be concise, interesting, and relevant without institutional formality. Write as if you're engaged in a conversation with a friend one on one, and casually talking about a topic. Better yet, imagine your friend is 10 years old and then choose words appropriate to their vocabulary and life experience.
Website visitors skim pages. Writing at grade school level ensures concepts are grasped quickly which helps hold the reader's attention making that critical first impression. Technical jargon may confuse them. Long sentences will send them packing.
The hook that keeps visitors on your site more than a few seconds can be the general look, a graphic, a word, or just a phrase. Professional copywriters know that the headline is THE most important hook to hold visitor attention. If the general look or graphics of your website suck, and especially as compared to your competition, get a site makeover while planning those revised headlines and tweaking text content.
Let's repeat and take a closer look at my Golden Rule Writing for the Web: You should spend as much time writing your headline as writing the actual page content. The rule is likewise true for blog posts.
The concept may sound simple and perhaps easy to some people, yet most would disagree. Getting ideas for a 5-6 word headline that creates an exciting hook while quickly hinting at the content may seem like a daunting task. This fun exercise should help.
Go back to the beginning of this article and read the title and first paragraph again, but this time imagine you're standing outside a circus tent with a megaphone barking to the crowd. Read it aloud as you picture yourself shouting short phrases to make a point quickly with passersby.
Guess what? This same level of excitement summarizing a concept is the essence of writing good headlines. You don't want to get silly or ridiculous with "step right up" or trite barker lingo. The idea is about being creative while assembling 5-6 words that will get a visitor to glance beyond the headline.
Earlier the visitor site behavior and eye movement was mentioned. People will continue to view page content if the look is favorable and begin by looking at the headline, and then skimming the page glancing at subheadings and hopefully the first few words. If your content is concise, interesting, and relevant without institutional formality your headline and text can quickly form the "hook" that motivates a visitor to take a closer look.
Writing great headlines doesn't matter if you write the entire text of the page content, or start with an outline of headings and subheadings. Whether you write the full text or just a skeleton, go back after the purpose of the page is clearly etched in your mind to begin writing the headline.
Begin by brainstorming and writing a dozen headlines for the page or blog post content. Scrutinize each and determine the interest factor and whether readers will be intrigued to read more or skip to another website before they nod off.
Write the headlines. Rewrite the headlines. Pick each word apart as you think of that circus barker and the excitement factor. Once satisfied you've written an eye catching headline, leave it overnight before publishing your content. If the headline stands up to scrutiny the morning after, go ahead and publish. If not, consider tweaks.
Bonus Tip: You could write and rewrite headlines forever if you become too serious about perfection. Keep your content conversational and not institutional, and then remember no single page of your website will make or break you. Unlike a printed brochure or ad, you can return to your website and easily make changes in the future.
Finally, to learn more about effective web copywriting of page text beyond the headlines and my Golden Rule Writing for the Web, Google the phrase: writing in active voice. Look at search results for schools or universities and follow links to get valuable online tutorials for web copywriting.
By contrast the passive writing style is wishy washy and doesn't get to the point quickly with content that is concise, interesting, and relevant. Site visitors want information in small bites that is easy to comprehend. Save the thesis style of writing for the captive audience in an institutional setting, and spend as much time writing your headline as writing the actual page content.
