Writing effective web copy begins with an understanding of what the focus of your website as and what specific audience you are targeting.

Do you intend to attract product or service purchasers?  Do you intend to attract company employees?   Is your website informational?  Is it intended to provide an interactive forum?

In most cases a website is intended to garner an individuals interest towards building a relationship with you or your business.

In many ways it’s important to note that most aspects of writing marketing material apply here, however there are some caveats we need to take into consideration.

Websites are dynamic, they are not intended to be used like static print media.  Regularly update your site as needed!

“What’s in it for me?”
Your website should focus on the benefits your product or service provide, features are not of prime interest.  In other words tell your web visitors what’s in it for them, not what the product or service is about.

An ineffective example: “We can repair you equipment faster.”

An effective example: “Our faster equipment service, saves you time and money.”

Web visitors want to know how your product or service will make them more productive, save them time and money, make them happy/healthy, etc.

“Get to the point!”
There’s nothing more annoying for web visitors then having to wade through excessive text to get the information they want.  Statistically, you have about 10 seconds to capture the reader’s interest.

If you have a lot of text, it’s better to have a few lines of it and then a “Read more…” link the visitor can click to read the full version of the document.

For those selling a product or service, this is where your “10 Second Advertisement” skills are best used.

Write from “You” to your visitor.

Write your copy as if you are conversing with the web visitor in person.  Cater your writing style and tone to that expected within your field.  Always, try to place “call to actions” within your copy.

An ineffective example:

“There are several colours, sizes and styles of sweaters.  And we are able to send them within 24 hours of ordering.  Please visit the catalogue page to see the full range of offerings”.

An effective example:

“Our most popular sweater (seen here) is the “Red Knit” from Peru, which we can ship to you within 24 hours.  All sizes available for you.  Click here to read more or visit the online catalogue to view other current special deals.”

Write with “Search Engine Keywords” in mind.
Search engines such as Google have shifted focus to your content itself.  Don’t rely on Meta Tags.  Instead, pay careful attention to include words of substance.  And always stay on subject (for each page), if you need to digress, make that a link to other content on your website.

The following example shows poorly worded copy:

“This gift basket (shown here) is customized to your specific needs.  If requested we can make any substitutions you require as a variety of popcorn types are available.  We hand deliver your basket locally and can ship internationally.”

The following example has a “richer” keyword content:

“This elegant, hand delivered basket holds many types of popcorn, including caramel popcorn, spicy popcorn and honey popcorn. Sure to please every popcorn lover. Gourmet popcorn of various kinds adorn this lavish gift basket. When the popcorn is all gone, this gift basket is a beautiful decorative piece.”

(Granted that the use of the word “popcorn” is excessive, the intent was to give you an idea of better keyword content).

“Cross Linking” is expected, give the people what they want.

Select the appropriate keywords within your copy to link to further content within your site.  Link to external websites sparingly.  The current trend (Google.com) appears to be that relevant inbound links from other sites may be an endorsement of your site.  Attempt to garner as many relevant inbound links as possible.  Include a link to your website copy in any material you send out.

Send out summaries not the full document, this provides a “call to action”!

When sending out information, the best approach is to send a short one-paragraph summary.  Provide a direct link to the full version so that visitors may read the completed copy.

This allows visitors to easily find your copy if they wish to reread or send on to another individual.

Also, a short “introductory” description peaks interest, prompting a visit to your site so that you may display your full range of services or products.

If you need the copy fast, it will always be available online.

“Zip up your titles” -  If the titles are bland, so is the copy.

These two examples say it all:

An ineffective title: “A Guide to Affordable Sign Printing Made Easy”

An effective title:  “How to Save Money and Print Signs the Easy Way”

Make sure your titles are descriptive (and not too long – keep it to a maximum of around 8 words).  Statistics have shown that web visitors scan titles first.  If a title catches their eye, only then will they read the document summary (or first paragraph) – After that your 10 seconds are up.  Catch them while they’re hot!

“Spice it up baby”- Make it easy and enjoyable to read.

Don’t be afraid to spice your copy up.  Remember, sell the benefits of your product or service.  Visitors want to hear that your service or product makes them healthy, informed, happy, save money, etc.  Take a look at the websites of your competitors, doing so improves your research and helps to make your web copy more effective.

Most web visitors are impatient, grab their interest.  Effective content drives your visitors (theres that call to action again).  Write your copy with this in mind.

For example, if your goal is to have visitors subscribe to your newsletter.  Each page within your site should drive the visitor to “subscribe”.

“Change is good” – Visitors like variety.

Edit your copy as needed.  Always add new copy.  This keeps your website fresh for visitors and attractive to search engines.

Always have other people read your copy prior to posting in on your website.  Other individuals can help you catch errors.

Always listen to your clients and visitors, they will tell you what copy they want to read.

Always review your web visitor (hosting) statistics monthly, it will tell you what copy is effective and what needs tweaking.

You will need the following information to complete this setup guide:

Your email address.
Your email address login password.
The SMTP address of your ISP provider.
Your POP3 address.

1. From the Start menu, click the email Windows Mail icon.
2. Click “Tools”, then select “Accounts”.
3. In the “Internet Accounts” window, click “Add”.
4. Select “eMail Account”, then click “Next”.
5. Enter “Display name” information (usually that is your full name), then click “Next”
6. Enter email address (something@yourdomain.com), then click “Next”.
7. Select “POP3″ from the drop down menu. Now enter the Incoming and Outgoing mail server locations.Incoming mail server (POP3)
   Your incoming server is yourdomain.com, where “yourdomain.com” is the actual name of your domain.

   Outgoing mail server (SMTP)
   Enter smtp.yourISP.com for your outgoing mail server. Use the outgoing SMTP address your ISP provider gave you. (If you use Roger’s High Speed Internet, then you should enter: smtp.broadband.rogers.com).

   Click “Next”.

8. Enter email username. (That’s your full email address).
   Enter Password. (Your password is case sensitive).
   Select or deselect the Remember password box, depending on preferences.
   Click “Next”
9. Click “Do not download my email at this time”, then click “Finish”.

Roger Wheatley provides cutomized public seminars and presentations for businesses and organizations. If you would like to book a seminar for your business or organization, or are interested in learning more, please contact us.

1. Select Tools/eMail Accounts.
2. Select “Add a new eMail account” and click Next.
3. Select “POP3″ and click Next.
4. On “Internet eMail Settings (POP3)” window, enter your information as follows:

Your Name
Enter your first and last name.
eMail Address
Enter your web hosting related email address.
User Name
Enter your web hosting related email address, again.
Password
Enter the password you set up for your web hosting related email account.
Incoming mail server (POP3)
Your incoming server is yourdomain.com, where “yourdomain.com” is the actual name of your domain.
Outgoing mail server (SMTP)
Enter smtp.yourISP.com for your outgoing mail server. Use the outgoing SMTP address your ISP provider gave you. (If you use Roger’s High Speed Internet, then you should enter: smtp.broadband.rogers.com). Click “More Settings”

5. On the Internet eMail Settings window, select the “Outgoing Server” tab.
6. Select “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.”
7. Select “Log on Using” and enter the username and password for outgoing email (SMTP) provided by your ISP.
8. Select the “Advanced” tab and change the “Outgoing server (SMTP)” port to the port number your ISP gave you. If you are a Roger’s High Speed Internet client, your (SMTP) port number will be 587. If you wish to leave mail on the server for a few days, select the “Leave a copy of messages on the server” option and select a reasonable number of days.
9. Click “Okay”, click “Next”.
10. Click “Finish”.

Roger Wheatley provides cutomized public seminars and presentations for businesses and organizations. If you would like to book a seminar for your business or organization, or are interested in learning more, please contact us.