- How important is web writing?
- I know my company the best... shouldn't I be writing for my website?
- How can weak copy impact my business?
- What makes good web copy?
- Can web copy improve web usability?
- How do I get my web copy to close more sales?
How important is the web writing?
Forrester Research polled over 8,600 Internet users to find out why they visit and return to certain sites. The number one reason? Good content. Tell the visitor what he or she wants to know. It's the quickest and most effective way to connect with specific audience demographics. Customers don't want to know what you can do; they want to know what you can do for them.
I know my company the best, so shouldn't I be writing for my website?
An expert web copywriter can provide a fresh, objective perspective on your product or service, and a clear focus on your product or service benefits. Plus, while we're developing the right strategy, voice and position to capture your company's personality, you are able to focus on your core business.
How can weak web copy impact my business?
Missed traffic
Choosing and using the right keywords within your web pages can make the difference between a top 10 and top 500 search engine ranking.
- Approximately 85% of website visits arrive via search engines
- Only 7% of Internet users look beyond the first 20 listings
If you are not ranking on the top three pages of major search engines, such as “the big three” — Google, Yahoo and Bing — you're essentially lost in cyberspace.
Missed sales
Research reveals you have as few as seven seconds to grab the attention of a potential client on your website. If your visitor cannot access relevant information quickly, your competition is just a click away.
What makes good web copy?
- Keywords or keyphrases that your target audience is likely to type into search engines
- Keyword-rich copy that's relevant, informative and influential, and doesn't come across as being too “promotional"
- Scan-friendly content as less than 20% of users read word-by-word (use relevant headlines, subheads, bullet points and short, one topic paragraphs, etc.)
- Clean and lean copy…as a general rule, web copy should be less than half the length of the text you would use in a hardcopy publication, such as a brochure
- Fresh, updated web copy will score points with search engines and returning visitors alike
Can web copy improve web usability?
Yes. Web usability specialist Jacob Nielsen (www.useit.com) conducted a study that concluded web users prefer writing that is concise, easy to scan, and objective (rather than promotional) in style. His team incorporated these and other attributes into a website, which scored 159% higher than the original in 'measured usability'. He reported: “Compared with original-site users, users of the rewritten site reported higher subjective satisfaction and performed better in terms of task time, task errors, and memory.”
To ensure clients benefit from effective web content strategies and tactics, Webcopyplus conducts web content-related research with European and U.S. organizations, including Yale University.
How do I get my web copy to close more sales?
Most users visit sites to gather information to make informed decisions. Here are some basic suggestions to improve your conversion rate:
- Focus on your customer. You need to tell visitors how your product or service is going save them time, save them money, keep them safer, make them happier, healthier, skinnier, etc.
- Establish trust and credibility by providing your visitors enough information to convince them to contact you or, even better, make it effortless and safe for your visitor to quickly purchase online the moment they make the decision to buy.
- Strategically place 'calls to action' throughout the text, i.e. call us today, email us now. Sales authorities suggest you need to include several calls to action within your web copy to trigger a sale. There should be at least one call to action on every page.
