Writing Content for the Web – Top 5 Things to Remember

Nothing slows down the process of creating a new website like developing the content. I’ve seen clients delay the process for an entire YEAR because they cannot get the content developed.

Remember that writing content for the web is different from writing any other type of content. Users are looking for information and they want it quickly – it’s not a leisurely reading of the newspaper or magazine. You have about six seconds to capture the user’s attention when they land on one of your pages.

Many times, companies do not want to pay a professional copywriter to write their content – a mistake in my opinion. However, if your budget does not allow for a copywriter and you really need to do it yourself, here are the top 5 things to remember when writing copy for the web.

1. Know Your Audience
Remember, you have two different audiences. On the user side, you many have your prospects, your current customers, employees and potential employees, but you also have a completely different audience, Search Engines. Search Engines are a very important audience, because if they cannot read and evaluate your content, the users will never find you.

2. Understand the Habits of the Internet User
Web user’s do not read a website, they SCAN it. Tests have shown that 79% of users scan a web page. Why? For several reasons including: reading content on a computer screen can be difficult and cause eye strain, the web is a user-driven medium and people believe they need to be moving and clicking on links in the site, and life is hectic – we just don’t have time to weed through a lot of information to determine if we are interested in this product or service. Do you ever see paragraphs of content scroll through on your TV set? Would you read it if they did?

3. Know the Competition
Remember that online you may have additional competition that you might not consider competitors in a normal circumstance. If someone searches for your product or service, there will be sites for companies you have never heard of, but they are competing for the same business you are competing for, so don’t ignore them! Look at known competitor sites and look at sites from search results. See what they are doing well and what is not very effective, and make yours better.

4. Know How to Structure Your Content
Statistics show that you have about 6 seconds to capture the user’s attention or they will hit the back button and move on to your competition. Keep it short, sweet and to the point. Confusing sites is the number one reason a person leaves (and typically will never come back). To avoid this dilemma:
a. Make sure it is very clear what you do immediately. Quickly tell users what you do, why they should use you and a key benefit.
b. Use tag lines and headings – short ones, of course. These are good for users and great for search engines.
c. Use the correct writing style: use the inverted pyramid – give the conclusion first; make your content keyword rich; keep paragraphs and sentences short (paragraphs should be no more than 40 to 70 words and sentences no more than 15 to 20 words); use one and two syllable words; use bullet points whenever possible
d. Use the correct voice. Write from “me” to “you.” There should be many more you’s than I’s and We’s in your content. Write as if you were speaking to the customer. Keep it on a 7th grade level – no flowery language. You are not trying to impress them with your vocabulary, but rather trying to get your message heard. Write in active rather than passive style.
e. Write how people search. Determine the most-used search phrases and use those phrases in your content. If you have a site now, review your statistics to see how users are finding you and what they are using. Use an online resource such as Wordtracker.
f. Focus on benefits. Talk about the benefits of your products or services, not the features. In most cases benefits will sell, not features.
g. Make your site interactive. Get the users involved in exploring your site.
h. Don’t forget your call to action – give the user something to do before they leave you site, i.e. call you, complete an online form, register for something “free”
i. Let your prospects contact you 24x7. Make sure you have an easy to find contact us or request information form for users to complete.
j. Use your words to establish trust and build rapport.
k. KEEP THE CONTENT FRESH. There is nothing worse than stale content. Give the user a reason to come back. Also, search engines love new content!

5. Understand the Importance of Search Engines and How They Work
Every day millions and millions of searches are done on the web. Recent research shows that 83% of businesses use the Internet to research and find potential vendors and 75% of users admit to making judgments about the company’s credibility based on their website. Since Search Engines can only see plain text, your content is especially important for them. Spend some time researching how search engines work and apply that knowledge when writing all content.

While this certainly seems like a daunting task, it will certainly pay off in the end to do your diligence when writing your content. And, the good news is, if you make a mistake, well – hey this is the web – it can be easily changed!