Web copy writing for humans and spiders

Nourish the spider, engage the human

By Linda Formichelli, Freelance Writer

Your Web site copy is more important than you think. Great copy is a powerful tool that will sell your products and services and can even boost traffic to your site. Understanding how Web surfers read Web pages is key to coming up with killer copy.

Web site visitors tend to skim pages, scanning them quickly for the products or information they want. Your job is to write copy that guides users to what they want. Great Web site copy:

Is short
Is simple
Focuses on the benefits of your products and services
Uses highlighted words, headlines and lists

Use headlines, subheads and lists

Since Web surfers tend to skim pages, write copy using bulleted lists, graphs, headlines and subheads. Highlight key words. This will make it easier for users to find what they're looking for.
Try: Get help writing headlines that sell with Headline Creator Pro software, an affordable tool that also includes a list of proven words and phrases that pump up sales.

Write keyword-rich copy for search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO helps your site earn a high ranking in search engine listings, which increases traffic to your site. A critical key to landing a top spot is writing Web copy with SEO in mind. To optimize copy, use specific keyword phrases that accurately describe your business and its products or services as often as possible on each page. When coming up with your keyword phrases, think of the words customers are likely to use when searching for the products or services you provide.
Try: Find the best keyword phrases to use in your Web copy at KeywordDiscovery.com or WordTracker.com. WebPosition software is an SEO tool that helps you optimize pages using keywords. You can also sign up for a 75-minute SEO copywriting training course from SuccessWorks.com.

Write with style

Web site visitors (and anyone, really) would rather read stylish, conversational copy than deadly dull prose. Be friendly and approachable, not businesslike and staid.
Try: Consider attending a copywriting seminar that covers Web copy, such as The Copywriter's Workshop offered by National Seminars Group Padgett-Thompson.

Write to sell

Though Web writing is shorter and chunkier than print, you still need to follow the fundamentals of marketing writing: Gain attention, stress the benefits of your products and services, and close with a call to action. One caveat: do it with the least amount of hyperbole possible. Stress facts and avoid adjectives. Grandiose descriptions slow the reader down, and a slowed-down reader may abandon your site.
Try: Beef up your Web copy with your choice of 1,000 words that increase orders, courtesy of WSPromotion.com.

Consider hiring a copywriter

If you're having trouble getting your thoughts down in writing, think about hiring a pro to do it for you. Professional Web copywriters can fashion copy with SEO and selling in mind.
Try: Find writers who specialize in Web copy at Killer-Content.com. Or search for professional copywriters at Freelance Success and MediaBistro's Freelance Marketplace.

Write short, tight paragraphs, which are easier to read than long blocks of text.
Edit, edit, edit. Use spell check, and then have a friend look over your copy for grammatical and spelling errors.
Use the "inverted pyramid" style that newspaper reporters use: start with the most important information and then expand upon your point.