Women's Business Network: WWW.What the Heck?

Have you looked at your business web site lately?

Maybe you’d better. As a matter of fact, pull it up right now and look at it as you read this.

How well does your web copy communicate what you want it to say? As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s it working for ya?”

What I do most often is write web copy for my clients. Web copy is different from the copy you’ll see in other types of marketing vehicles. We web surfers, well, we just don’t have the time to read a full sentence. So, you have only a few seconds to grab people’s attention and make your case, before they go on to the next site.

Readers will ditch your site right away if they are:

· Bored by your presentation,

· Confused by what you are trying to say, or

· Overwhelmed by all the stuff you throw at them.

So, make sure your site is written for your customers, not for your own entertainment. Here are some quick tips, supported by my gurus in web content, like Robert W. Bly:

· Be personal. Use “I” and “you”. The web is a conversation between two people: the potential customer and you. Let them know what you can do for them—don’t lecture them.

· Be organized and brief. Don’t use long paragraphs, or try to fit too much on one web page. Break your text into short paragraphs of no more than 2-3 sentences, and use lots of bulleted lists (like this one) to make your page easy to scan.

· Use headlines and questions that immediately get at the heart of what your customers need.

· Use only enough photos, videos and animation to educate your customer and make your case. Too many of these, while fun and attractive, can be a distraction from your central purpose.

· Close your “sale” with an easy way for people to get in touch, using a clearly visible phone number, address, email, contact or order forms, etc.

If your site doesn’t pass the test, then get help from a good web designer or copywriter.