Copywriting for the web isn’t as simple as putting words on a page. In fact, it’s not really about writing at all…

Poetry has its place – but it’s not on your homepage. Writing web content is all about effective communication. Compelling your audience to believe in your products and services. Motivating them to take action.

It’s a skilled art. Engaging prospects on the web is much harder than traditional print media: people tend to only skim read words on the screen – and with so much competition for their attention, precise language is the only way to capture interest.

So, if you’ve been assigned the task of writing for the web, here are some simple tips that could help you optimise your writing and boost conversion rates…

Keep it to the point. That doesn’t necessarily mean keep it short. Your audience requires sufficient detail to make an informed decision, whether that’s 50 words or 500. It means keep concise; every sentence should have a purpose. There’s no room for endless waffle or jargon-filled passages requiring a dictionary to decipher them – which leads to our next point…

Don’t make your audience think. Clever word play and flowery description may leave us with a glow of pride in our own intellectual efforts… but your audience might not be quite so impressed if they have to work out what it is your actually selling. Keep it simple!

Focus on the benefits. So the Widget3000 is now 50% lighter with Bluetooth capability… so what? What’s the positive effect this brand-new or exclusive feature will have on your audience? If your product or service could save them time, save them money… make sure you tell them!

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD BUY OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. Your headline: it needs to be a succinct and powerful motivator explaining what you do and why they should buy from you. So whilst we aren’t all gifted writers, if you want your audience to read the body of your text – you need to make sure it’s right. Finally…

Remember who you’re talking to. Imagine yourself in the shoes of your prospect. How do you want to be spoken to? What kind of personality do you expect the company to have? Although you need to make sure you take SEO into account, text should be written with the end reader in mind. Always check the balance of text is focused on ‘you’… not ‘we’.

With professional copy, every word of every sentence is specially selected, scrutinised and tested – so you can guarantee even the shortest, simplest and most unassuming piece has been carefully crafted to fulfill set objectives. Here at The Energy Cell, our professional copywriters know exactly what it takes to create strong, memorable and unambiguous content… so for a chat about how we could help you, just get in touch! In the meantime, keep an eye out for more blogs on all things design and marketing… and don’t worry, we’ll keep our attempts at poetry strictly offline!