15 Web Copywriting Tips

By Promoting Webs

When a visitor arrives to your website, they scan your website quickly and if they don’t see what they are searching for, they are gone in a single click. Website copywriting is very different than writing for any other media. If you can capture their interest in those first few seconds, then they will stay and look around.

1. Five second rule: Internet users are active, not passive. If they don’t immediately see what they are looking for, they are gone. First impressions are critical. One click and they're gone in as little as 5 seconds after they arrive. Make sure they can see what your website is about without scrolling down.
2. Am I in the right place? Most web visitors arrive via Google or similar engine. They found you by searching for a particular phrase. As a result, the headline and bulleted text have to address those questions. You want your visitor to think “This is exactly what I have been looking for!”
3. Headline: The headline sets the tone. It grabs attention...or not. It reveals a promise. It raises hopes. It creates surprise. Your headline has to be the most powerful text on your page.
4. Open with a Benefit rich headline: Only one in five people read behind your headline. Use power words such as Announcing, New, Free, Sale, Breakthrough, Facts, Now and Discover. The idea is to grab the attention of you visitor and turn him into a prospect.
5. Keep it short: Use bullets, italics, or lists. The longer the text, the less likely they are to read it. Make your key points stand out.
6. The Five Great Motivators: Psychologists have identified five "Great" motivators, and virtually all good web copy creates sales by catering to one of these forces. These include fear, exclusivity, guilt, greed, and the need for approval. When our custom copywriters tap into these basic motivators, you will see your sales increase dramatically!
7. The Soft Motivators: In addition to these five great motivators, the consumer is also motivated by what is referred to as "soft" motivators. The soft motivators are convenience and pleasure. These are utilized best when combined with one or more of the five great motivators.
8. State the benefits: Benefits are what sell. This includes Features (what products do), Advantages (what features do), Motives (importance of features to buyer) and Benefits (what features mean).
9. Writing to be found: Most of your visitors should be finding you on the search engines, Include your keyword phrases in the headlines, bulleted text and in the top 25% of the text. Pages with about 600 words of text do better in the search engine rankings.
10. Make it personal: If you want to hold a reader’s attention, drill down for the details of your story. Get down to a personal level. If you’re selling a trip to Hawaii, don’t talk about Hawaii, talk about one person enjoying Hawaii.
11. Put a face on your website: The Internet is cold, faceless and impersonal. People want to do business with a person. Add a meet the staff page, include testimonials or highlight a spokes person. Add personality into your web copy.
12. Anticipate Questions: Focus on the benefits and answer your visitor’s question “So, what’s in it for me?” Other questions that need answering include: "What am I doing here," "How do I do it," and "Where can I go next?"
13. Call to action. End your page by asking for some sort of action. Have questions? If you need answers call, email, click on live chat or whatever action you want your visitor to do. Better yet: Buy now!
14. Back up what you say: Web visitors don't believe hype. If you want to be believable, you have to back it up.
15. Start strong and finish strong: Grab their attention when they arrive, and astound them with your finish. Put your best material at the beginning and the end.

Go thru your website and test it against each of these writing tips. Remember that your home page is the most important page to do. You only have a few seconds to make that perfect first impression.