Copywriting For The Web - Basics

Here is what you will learn inside this guide....


Copywriting requires a plan??? Yep, it's true, writing efficient copy means that you need to accomplish some research and understand your visitors' needs...we'll tell you what research works, and how to use it to your advantage.


What exactly is a headline designed for, and what should it say? The real trick here isn't always what you do say, but also what you don't. Your headline is the MOST important part of any copywriting...messing this one up will leave you with disappointing results.


The look of your text links makes a difference? Get this: Trying to be too professional looking may actually be bad for your site...and you'll find out why this is especially true when it comes to text links!


Focus on what you offer? Nope! A common mistake with copy on the internet is that people often want to describe their product or services details...but there's something more important you should be trying to portray...
Although many people seem to think that writing
effective copy for the web is easy, it isn’t. So
if you want to ensure that your readers and your
customers understand how your website works and
what it can do for them, you need to produce good
copywriting for it.
In this book, we will look at the basics of
producing good copywriting for the web. But before
we start there are a number of things that you
should remember.
First, people do not read a website in the same way
that they would read printed material. In fact,
there are three characteristics which affect how a
web user will react to the online content of a
site.
It is important to remember that web users are
active, not passive. So if they can not find a
reason for staying on a site, then they will leave
it. Sometimes a person will leave 15 seconds after
they have actually gotten there. So if your text
is too long, then they are less likely to read it.
So if you want a web user to believe what you have
to say, you must be able to back up the hype.
In order for any web copy to be effective, it must
take into account the characteristics mentioned
above.
What is most important of all when looking at
copywriting for the web, is not to underestimate
the importance of the basics. If you just jump
straight into it you may find yourself in trouble,
and your site not being as effective as it should
be.
Chapter 1 –
Why Writing Copy for the Web
is Different
One of the most important reasons as to why
copywriting for the web is different is that the
mindset of those who are going to be reading is
different.
More often than not, most web pages will be found
via a search engine. This is very significant, as
it means that the person reading your site has been
looking either for you or someone like you. So
that puts them in control. This is because they
will be focused on finding a particular product,
service or piece of information.
So anyone visiting your site for the first time and
has found it via a search engine will have a few
questions in mind. “Have I come to the right
place?” also “Will I find what I’m looking for at
this page or site?” Finally, they would be asking
themselves “Do I feel able that I can complete the
task at this point?”
So what is vital is that you answer these questions
in both your headline, and any sub-headlines you
may have. It needs to be able to secure a response
from this first time visitor immediately.
In order for this to happen, your writing needs to
provide answers so that the visitor knows exactly
what they are looking for.
What is important when writing any copy for the web
is that you reassure any visitors that they are in
the right place, and that they should continue to
read on.
Chapter 2 –
Visitors Are Important to You
If you fail to plan, then you are likely to fail in
your endeavor of producing great copy. If you wish
to achieve your goals, it is important to gather
all the facts.
First, you should anticipate the users’ of your
sites questions. Normally, there are four
questions that a user will have that will need to
be answered.
1. What am I doing here?
2. How do I do it?
3. What is in it for me?
4. Where do I go from here?
So if your site’s design and navigation can not
provide an obvious answer to these questions, then
you should look at using copy in order to explain
them. It is important that the answers to these
questions should be obvious to all your users, and
not just those visiting your site for the first
time...