The Art of Great Web Copy

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• Published on Friday, 20 January 2012 04:41
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When writing great copy for your website, it is important to keep in mind that users WANT information and they want it now when looking for your services, products or information. This is not an easy task but with a few simple tips you could be writing great copy for your site which is more informative and relevant.

To maximise the appeal of your site here are some tips to have when writing web copy:

Easy to read articles

When users are skimming for information, they have little patience. It is important to keep your article simple and understandable to the "average joe".

• Headlines are not overly lengthy, 40-60 characters with at least one keyword.
• Keywords blend in with your text
• Sentences are no more than 100 characters in length (if possible)
• Paragraphs are kept to 200-250 characters or maximum of three sentences.

When I was studying, it was an important note from a lecturer that advised on giving presentations, to keep key points to a maximum of three dot points. This is where the idea of three key sentences comes in.

Logical flow of information

Your titles and sub headings should grab the readers attention. Most readers do not ready every single word in an article so it is important to cover the facts early and use appropriate headings to get your point across. Some popular headings are "Top Ten..." and "How to..."

Also understanding your reader and asking yourself the question "What's in it for me?" could compel you to write an article in a way that is appealing to the reader.

Error free content

Get someone to proof read your article to ensure it is accurate and error free. One way to loose your readers is to have an article rife with mistakes and poor grammer. Google is also becoming more aware of errors and I would guess this would increase as time goes on.