Best Practices for
Web Copy that SELLS
Employ these guiding principles and watch wimpy content transformed into killer copy.
Common writing mistakes
What works on one web site may or may not work on another. There is no single kind of writing that works in all applications. The writing on your site should work for your market. It may be most effective if it's casual or it may need to be formal. The copy on your site should speak to the people who are looking for what you're selling. Mistakes in spelling, grammar and tone detract from your credibility and undermine your sales message. Common writing mistakes imply carelessness and lack of concern. These qualities do not advance sales and build long-term buying relationships.
Monotonous or passive content
The price you pay for weak content is enormous. You have mere seconds to capture your prospect's attention. Don't waste a bit of it with anything that doesn't serve you. Every word, phrase, image and idea should have a reason for being on your site. The purpose for text is to inform, influence and sell, but first it must engage. Your sales messages must be built with words that work. One way to do this is to make sure that your web site doesn't look like an ad. Why? Because readers choose editorial content over advertising content 600 percent of the time.
Poor readability
By far, the best way to improve readability is to craft a powerful headline. Readers scan a web page in this order: headline, postscript, subheadings. Ideally, these elements should work together to grab your readers' attention and guide them to your offer. A headline that works will draw your readers into your site. An intriguing postscript will entice them. A good subheading will make them want to scan each page so they don't miss a thing.
Too much or too little content
Achieving balance in the quantity of copy is both art and science. Saying too much wastes your readers' time. Saying too little frustrates them. The simpler the offering, the fewer words you need to do the job; the more complex the offering, the more you need. The goal is to quench your prospect's desire for information, satisfy the promise your site makes and then let the copy do its job. An advertising proverb is, "The more you tell, the more you sell."
Useless content
The appetite for information on the web today is insatiable. Give your customers what they're looking for. Don't waste their time or your site with anything that doesn't work. Know your customer. Know what they're looking for and put it where they can find it. That is what makes things happen.
Incoherent authority
Consumers grow savvier everyday. They hunger for reliable information and real solutions. There is no substitute for knowing your customers and speaking the truth of your offering in a strong voice. When you speak with authority and clarity, the response is positive. Authenticity, like generosity, is so rare that it astonishes and wins.
Chatty nonsense
This is the stepchild of useless content and incoherent authority. Not only is it offpoint, it's inappropriate. It may be momentarily amusing, but it does not improve image, inspire loyalty or compel sales. Chatty nonsense may stroke someone's ego, but it does not fulfill the promise of helpful, relevant information, goods or services.
Over-reliance on search engine optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) rules and rumors can have you running in circles. SEO is important because nothing happens if no one walks through the door. However, it is online suicide to rely only on SEO to bring the world to your door. There are definitely other ways to empower your web site that will bring people to your site and begin the process of winning hearts and minds.
Lack of focus and urgency
This is sales copy that rides off wildly in all directions. This is also known as shooting yourself in the foot. If your copy doesn't guide your readers to the desired action, they'll get lost, and so will your sale. Your site should be focused graphically, structurally, psychologically and linguistically. Focus ignites desire and urgency justifies that desire. There are 16 universal desires that your sales message can activate. Know what they are and be sure your web site triggers at least one of them.
No call to action
Did you know that repeat customers spend 67 percent more after 10 purchases? It's true. You might also be interested to know that the average customer refers 10 people after 10 purchases. If your call to action is not working, this is what you're missing. And this is precisely where amateur copy most often fails. It is not enough to demonstrate the quality of your offering and illustrate its benefits. You must bring prospects to your offer, make it irresistible, guide them through the purchase and confirm their decision to buy. This is what sets you up for long-term relationships and word-of-mouth referrals.