Webcopy guidelines!

Some guidelines from Webcopy books.

Good web copy tends to:

• Be clear and more concise
• Use shorter sentences and paragraphs
• Depend less on linear reading
• Be a lot easier to scan with more headings, links, and bullet lists

The copy should be written in a way that’s optimized for web reading.

-Page titles:

• Briefly describe the contents of the page
• Contain the most important information at the start of the title, not at the end
• Use short, concise words

-Include most important information in the first paragaph, and keep the language simple

-Include headings and subheadings to signpost (guide) your idea

• Use good keywords at the beginning of the subheadings
• Have visual distinction between different levels of heading

-Use bulleted or numbered list instead of lists in paragraph form. When using lists:

• Try to write all things in the list with similar grammar and structure
• Use numbered lists for anything with a sequence or hierarchy and bulleted lists for everything else
• Use consistent capitalization and formatting

-Use pull-quotes to highlight key points and add visual interest

-Use hyperlinks. When using hyperlinks:

• Link to next steps the reader is likely want to take or next steps you’d like them to take
• Use termilogy that make sense to your readers
• Link approriate words, never use “click here” or “more”. But sometimes that is fine(in my opinion).
• Two links that link to the same destination should have the same link text and two links with the same link text should link to same destination.
• Links with highest click through rates contain 5 to 7 words ( really not sure about this)
• Include hyperlinks within the paragraph where possible

Writing useful, functional and concise copy:

• Who would read your content?
• Why would they read this? Use 5 WHY questions to dig depth into content.
• What do they need and already know?
• What should happen next?

How to use authentic voice?

• Write to the reader, not to yourself
• Simple tip- call the reader YOU
• Freewriting as you talk to someone. Don’t worry about your grammar, spelling or sentence construction.
• Concentrate on getting your ideas down as if you’re talking to someone.
• Anticipate questions and include them in the flow.

Advice for common pages

-Main/Home page:

• Show the visitors that the website is what they’re looking for.
• Suggest next steps.
• Simplicity is key.

-About page:

• Begin with a brief summary of what the site offers.
• Aviod diving straight into bio about the site’s creator.
• An about page is not a contact page.

-Services/Hire me page:

• Inform the readers about whatt you offer and persuade them to buy the services
• Don’t get bogged down in technical detail
• Focus on the benifits for the prospect of the outcome. It’s not about how good you make yourself sound, it’s about how good you make the reader feel about what life will be like after they hire you.
• Get testimonials
• Publish client list

-The about the author/ bio page:

• Create trust
• Bio page is the perfect place to etablish credibility
• Talking about your experience, achievements, and if it’s significant, how long you have been involved in the industry.
• We trust people we like. Add something personal about your self.
• Visitors want to hear an authetic voice.

Writing peruasive copy:

1.Uderstand clearly what you want visitors to do

2.Open with the benifits – the real benifits

3.When you really need to do persuade, use problems. Describe aspects of the problem they might not have considered. Using this tatic only on the most important actions you want visitors to take.

4.Don’t write an essay. Copy is different.

5.You ‘ve got to use YOU.

6.Finish the job by removing all objections. List all possible objections then write reasons why the objections aren’t valid.

Web copy blueprint:

-Know your objectives – target audience – your product or service

1.What is the problem? – write down your target audience problem

2.Why hasn’t the problem been solved? – write down reasons why the problem continues, persits, or longers

3.What is possible? – write down what’s possible, paint a picture of the way things will be when your prospects’ problems are solved.

4.What is different now? Write a few sentences about what differentiate your product or service

5.What should you do now? State clearly what you want your prospects to do – call to action

-Put the blueprint to work:

Step1: Inject emotion. People buy on emotion and justify with logic

Step2: Add bullect points, bonus, guarantee, and close????.

• Bullet: state the benifits and the follow up by painting a picture of how your viewer’s life will change when he or she gets that benifits or by evaluating the desirability of that benifits by injecting emotion, drama, or intrigue. Bullets need to be powerful and tight.
• Bonuses: free bonuses, gifts should be attached to a deadline
• Guarantee
• Close

Step3: Add credibility, building elements such as testimonials, interesting stories or case studies, significant facts, quotes or statistics.

Step4: Add psychological devices ????( update later)

Step5: Replacing all rational words with emotional words.