It is rightly said that content is the king as you can’t really optimize your website for good ranking over major search engines without having proper content. Having well written copies of content is very important for every website as businesses would like to present something to their visitors when they land on their webpage. Good copywriters are hard to find and always in demand. It is a good option for those having strong command over English and like writing. However, copywriting for web is a little different than normal writing and requires some special attention.
Mentioned below are 9 website copywriting tips that would help beginners and new entrants in starting their career on the right note.
1. Using Keywords: The relevant keywords are usually given by the client for copywriting. Use these keywords wisely in the content but don’t try to stuff the content with them. First of all, the readers would immediately understand that you are trying too hard to include the keywords and this won’t send a proper message to them. Secondly, Google wants websites to publish content that is meant for informative purpose and not solely for promotional reasons. Stuff too many keywords or too much of them and Google would detect it. This won’t reflect positively on your rankings and might even have a negative impact. Further, try to use keywords in the headings and titles as they are crawled first. However, it should not look odd.
2. Use Bullets Or Numbering: Bulleted information is easy to read and grasp. Bullets show that certain content is important and has some informational value. Further, users also like to read content that is properly distributed into paragraphs. Bullets prove to be very effective in dividing the content into paragraphs and make it easy to read. Numbering system should be used wherever it seems appropriate. Content published in the form of lists is considered attractive and users usually go through them.
3. Use Small Paragraphs: Nobody likes to read web content that has very long paragraphs or in some cases, no paragraphs at all. It is recommended that you write 4-6 lines paragraphs with sentences that are no longer than 2 lines. Try to make the copy neat and clean as online viewers now use multi-tabs and they won’t think much before switching to some other page if they don’t like it.
4. Write “How To” And “Top Tips/Reasons” Blogs And Articles: It has been observed that most of the online viewers tend to search for information by using “How To” and “Top Tips/Reasons” words. Just looks at the title of my blog “9 website copywriting tips”. Viewers find such titles interesting and navigate to them as these articles assure them of some information. However, you will have to do proper research and gain knowledge about the topic before you can write such original articles.
5. Make Your Point Clear: When you start writing a piece of content you must have point on which your article should be focusing. You might be writing the content for informative, entertaining or any other purpose and your writing should reflect that point clearly. If your written copy is unable to deliver the message properly then you need to enhance your writing style.
6. Talk To The Reader: Conversational web content has the ability to attract and impress the readers. It leaves a very strong impact on the reader and is easily remembered by them. The content should be written in such a way that the reader should feel that you are directly talking to him. Conversational style of writing has can enchant readers and make them come again and again or bookmark the page.
7. Get Information First: As a copywriter, you would be required to write on a variety of topics ranging from diverse industry verticals. You can’t know about everything which makes it very important for you to be a quick learner who can grasp things quickly. Whenever you are asked to write on a topic, start with the research and find out as much information as you can. Once you have the proper information you can start writing the content. Further, never rely on a single source as even Wikipedia has some wrong information in it. Start doing multi-tabbing and go through different sources to determine the correct information. By reading so much you will gain proper information about the topic which would be very useful when you are asked to write about it again.
8. Never Forget To Ask Questions: Asking questions to readers is very involving and maintains their interest. It is advised that you ask a question to the user that gets answered with a yes as this will put the reader in a more affirmative stage where he would tend to agree to you. Later on you can call them for action and expect better chances of affirmative action. By asking questions you also converse with the reader which is good. Just make sure that the question that you ask in the beginning is most probably answered with a yes.
9. Rewrite Copies OF Great Content: There is no shortage of information over the internet. Whenever you come across a copy that impresses you, rewrite and keep it. When you rewrite the content, you will get a much better idea of the writers tone and style of conveying information. This exercise is good for improving though process and enhancing your writing style. Moreover, these copies will come handy in situations where you need new ideas for writing something. Use them as reference material when you are stuck.
These are some of the most important tips that a copywriter should know and remember while writing web content. There are many more small yet important aspects that you will come to know once you start writing content on a regular basis. These tips should be enough for those who are starting with website copy writing and will help them in writing highly effective and impressive content on various topics.
About the Author:
Chris Miller is a blogger and web developer for a leading Offshore Software Development Company. He provides concrete information about PHP web development, .Net/Java apps development, software development & mobile applications development.