At this point, the world knows how limitless the web can be. This is true for businesses as the internet and social media have given us many resources/tools to market, sell, and analyze our products and services. Better yet, we have the creative freedom to develop unique content that would be otherwise difficult to put out in the real world. So naturally, we take the possibilities of the web and go full out trying to sell our products and our companies. This has led to very passionate ways of writing web copy; unfortunately, it also gets too long for people to care –just like this paragraph. (Most people probably just skipped all this and went into the tips, if you’re reading this, you’re a trooper.)
Here Are 3 Tips To Write Better Web Content
1. Write an elevator pitch and then cut it in half
It may sound like an exaggeration, but the truth is that people on the web are on missions. Reading web copy is hardly ever their goal. They want to find what they’re looking for fast and easy. This means you have a fraction of the time to capture their attention and send your message. Make sure all your essential points come first, and make it clear. Here’s a checklist to help you write your web content:
- Do you have clear headlines that communicate what you’re about to talk about? (Make sure these are enticing but short and to the point)
- Does your website have clear page titles so visitors know what page they’re on? (expect visitors to land on any page on your website at any given time)
- Do you have blocks of text or bullet points that are easy to scan?
If your website has a lot of text copy, find the unnecessary words you don’t need and cut those. Then, take that new copy and cut the copy that’s left in half again.
2. Stay Away from Creative and Clever Writing
This probably feels like the opposite of advice, especially coming from a creative agency. The truth is creative writing leads to wordy and unfamiliar written copy. Cleverly writing things requires people to think (remember point 1? Elevator pitch cut in half!). If visitors spend more time trying to figure you out, they will spend even less time shopping.
In short, write as if you’re writing for a child. This will help keep things simple, easy, and to the point.
3. Pick the Easy Words
Some of us took simple words and used a thesaurus to find a word that would make us sound smarter in our essays. To write web copy, it’s the complete opposite. Think about your way of searching the web. If you’re looking for good clothes, do you search “premium clothing garments”? Probably not. You’re probably searching for “high-quality shirts” or something similar. Writing your web copy with familiar words makes it easier for people to understand your message and follow what your selling.
See The Difference Yourself
The web ads below promote the same running shoe and the same message. The only difference is the way the features are presented. Out of the two, which one grabbed your attention faster, and which one did you read?
