This is the last in a series of posts about writing great copy for the Web. Here I will list a final handful of ideas to keep in mind as you write. As I said in the first post, you need not be intimidated by writing for the Web. The most important things are clarity and brevity. So, with that in mind:
Headings
- Must be interesting, descriptive and brief (8 words or less)
- Remember: users will read the heading and either stay or leave your site
- An effective heading (with important keywords) generates better search results
- Avoid adjectives, prepositions (a, and, the, of)
Write With Links in Mind
When appropriate links are built into the body copy, search engines give the site higher ranking.
Sell Benefits, Not Features – Offer Solutions
Don’t use “hype.” Use clear information and back it up.
Focus on your Core Audience
Then use a consistent voice based on who that audience is.
Edit
Read, reread, proofread, then read again. I proofread this article in Word about four times, then I converted it to a blog post and proofread it four more times. Then I gave it to someone else to read. I incorporated his comments and read it through once more. Every single time I made edits for clarity and brevity (and I bet you could find more).
So there you have it. Writing for the Web ain’t so scary! And in case your boss wants to know why it took you so long, feel free to copy these four posts as support for how carefully you must craft your Web copy!
Tags: Headings for Web, Web site copy, Website copy, writing, writing Web copy
