Web Copywriting 101 by Chameleon Creative

Web copywriting – it is a battlefield out there

With over four billion websites currently on the World Wide Web, the amount of businesses’ bringing their business to the Internet is ever increasing. It just becomes harder and harder to distinguish your website from the other four billion. That is why it is so important to write web copy that is effective, because the battlefield has millions of soldiers.

So what is web copywriting all about?

Web copywriting is to understand the person reading your website, what they want and what they need. Internet users are information driven and they know what they are looking for, and they want it quickly. If your website answers their questions and provide them with what they need, you have a winner. But if the website only tells the reader about what your business is about and how good it is, the reader will move on – because it doesn’t say what he can gain from your business.

The purpose of web copywriting

Web copywriting's main purpose is to inform, evoke reaction and to sell. The goal is to write copy that will cause the reader to make use of your services, not to impress the readers.
A website's wording should not be plagued with promotional language and boastful suggestions like "you won't find better service anywhere else". Language that exaggerates can be smelled a mile away and it puts your businesses' credibility at risk. Remember, the reader of your website is already bombarded with thousands of advertisements every day. The last thing he wants to see is another ad or somebody trying to sell him something.
When writing the words for your website, choose factual information over fluff. Identify who your visitors are, what they are all about and provide them with he information they are looking for.

Effective web copywriting

Internet users are looking for specific keywords when they browse the Internet and your website. They don’t have time to read every word. Know what your visitors are looking for and sprinkle your website with a lot of those keywords. This is effective, because the search engines will rank your website high and provide the visitors with the information they are looking for.

Keep your web copy short and simple

You know by now that the web user is looking for quick answers and factual information that will convince them that you can provide them with what they are looking for. Cut anything that is not essential and stick to the facts.

Here are a couple of guidance tips when writing web copy:

1. Keep your sentences short.
2. Rather use specific nouns than common nouns. I drive a Toyota instead of a car.
3. Steer clear of excessive promotional language and subjectives.
4. Sell your copy with facts and not decorations.
5. Use simple language. The copy should be conversational as if you are talking directly to the reader.
6. Make sure that readers understand your website. It should be clear what each web page contains. The moment the reader is just slightly uncertain, he or she will go somewhere else.
7. Don't use interesting little words or phrases that the reader is not familiar with.

There you go – now you know just about all there is to know about web copy. Sounds a little bit too much, don't worry, I'll write your website for you.
Chameleon Creative Writing specialises in web copywriting, copy writing, copy editing and proofreading. The challenge is not just to write web copy that generates traffic to your website, but to create profitable words. Contact me at my website www.chameleoncreative.co.za to create copy that sells.