The abilities of good web writers are often undervalued. That’s why so many websites – as good as they might look – don’t generate leads and sales. The web content doesn’t attract traffic nor does it convert.

This week, for example, a business owner wrote us:

“I spent on webcopy 3 times and not happy so looking for one more time before I give up. Your rate $500 is high though so if you are not flexible/negotiable, it is OK if you don’t respond.”

We did respond, suggesting he try Craig’s List. The referred to $500 is our minimum charge, which basically gets clients a comprehensive keyword analysis. His project, which comprised up to 20 pages, would cost several times that.

Meanwhile, say he was looking at spending about $300 for the 20 pages of web writing. That’s $15 per page. And that’s supposed to include planning, interviews, research, copywriting, tags and revisions?

What does a good web writer cost? A lot more than $15 per page. No skilled writer would agree to – or be able to – deliver quality goods at that rate.

Chances are this business owner will find someone who lacks the skills to produce effective web writing for the fourth consecutive time. The small sum of money he’s spending each time is being wasted on empty marketing hype that will continue to thwart and damage his business.

The fact that so many people want to or love to write does not make writers a commodity. As is the case with designers, musicians and athletes, the good ones get results, and must be compensated accordingly.

With too many people living each day in a hectic world, Marketing guru Seth Godin includes this in his blog: 

“Is cutting corners to make a buck appropriate when you consider what you could have done? What would someone with a bigger vision have done instead?”

We sometimes have to remind ourselves to dream harder, build a vision and strive to achieve grand goals.

During a recent meeting with Vancouver business consultant Mark Wardell, he spoke about the amazing results people get when they simply write goals and objectives down on a piece of paper.

I’ve seen it work, and have experienced it personally. I recall the story about comedian Jim Carrey replicating a cheque on a piece of file card for $10 million. It wasn’t long before he received it – and much more.

Next time you get the urge to cut a corner, stop and take a moment to dream bigger.

Most populations read from left to right, hence, it’s best to align your web writing to the left side of your pages.

Centered or right-aligned text is difficult to read. It causes eye strain, which is bad for visitors and consequently counter-productive for your business. Centered headlines can also hinder readability.

Making your web writing easy to read is a plus for your visitors and your bottom line.

Here’s an insightful interview with Udi Manber, Google’s VP of Engineering. CNET News Blog’s Stephen Shankland gets him to discuss everything from Internet maturity to upcoming search trends.

How do I find the right web writer for my business? That’s a common question by business owners at forums and seminars.

The answer is quite simple: on the Web.

A web writer who knows how to write for search engines will be visible on the Web. And if he can promote himself online, he’ll be able to promote you (be it in Toronto, New York, London or globally, if desired)

But your web writer also needs to be well versed writing for another audience: people. Getting prospects to your site is one challenge; converting them into customers is another. So ensure the web writer delivers clear, concise and objective web writing that is customer centric.

If the web writer you’re considering for your business produces flowery passages with loads of clichés, he or she might be talented, but likely not the right candidate for your business website. That’s because Internet users researching products or services want to get relevant information and tasks completed as fast as possible. Meanwhile, cute and clever web writing just gets in the way.

If you’re concerned about your web writer’s knowledge surrounding your product or service offerings, or industry at large, take comfort in the fact that professional writers are usually skilled researchers. So whether you need to cover health, HR or home design, a professional web writer will be able to help you define and convey why you’re the right choice, and do so in a persuasive manner.

Plus, involving a third-party provides you an objective view on your business. You know your business like no one else. But a fresh perspective can uncover some powerful factors that differentiate your from your competitors.

Spend an hour on your search engine of choice, and chances are you’ll find a web writer who can help maximize your online traffic, leads and sales.

To convert sales, your web content must diagnose your prospect’s sore spot, and explain how you’ll bring them relief.

To simplify the process, try to categorize their difficulties into on of the three main categories:

1. Financial
2. Strategic
3. Personal

By diagnosing a prospect’s problem, and showing you understand and have a proven solution that caters to their specific needs, you’ll significantly increase the chances of converting them into a customer.

If you don’t fully understand your prospect’s issues – even if it’s just their perception – you’ll miss many opportunities.

Don’t rush to make the sales pitch. Ask questions, listen and then discuss solutions.
 

Common web content mistakes on websites, especially on home pages, include:

Disclaimers – Don’t greet visitors with apologies and excuses for a lame or out-of-date site. Take the suspect pages or sections offline, make time to rectify the content, or hire a professional. Ill-equipped web content can kill your credibility.

Welcome messages – “Thank you for visiting,” “This site is meant to” and “Take a look around” are unnecessary. In fact, such over-used phrases waste your visitors’ time, and they may return the favor by hitting the back button.

Clichés – Spare your online visitors the cute and the clever. Clichés usually add no value and can create barriers when communicating to global audiences. Webcopyplus has conducted web content conversion tests in which the removal of clichés increased sales. That’s why web content writers need to push their egos aside and write for the target audience.

Vancouver business coach Mark Wardell features an article titled 10 tips for growing your business on his website. One of the points, keep your business spotless, rings true for websites.

He sates: “Unless you own a farm, dirt and clutter give an unprofessional impression whereas a clean business sends a message of professionalism to everyone, including your staff.”

The same goes for websites. Is yours cluttered? Here’s a checklist.

A noisy business website distracts visitors, which negatively impacts the bottom line.

Websites often become convoluted over time because businesses don’t invest the time and resources to remove obsolete information.

Many businesses just add content on an as needed basis. But, just as important, businesses should regularly maintain websites. Scheduled clean-ups promote positive online experiences, which translate to increased conversions.

Things to watch out for:

• Outdated information, events etc.
• Too many menu items or links
• Irrelevant web copy or graphics

For a typical business, websites can be maintained by investing one hour, just once a month. During a website audit, I recall an employee who detested the idea of cleaning up a few web pages. But the handful of hours it took him to make those changes are saving thousands of prospects and customers several seconds each visit, which makes it more than worthwhile.
 
Clean your website to make it easier to do business with you. It makes perfect business sense.

To help your visitors enjoy a positive online experience, it’s important to prioritize the information in your web content.

An effective strategy is to separate the “need to know” from the “nice to know.”

Group your need to know information – anything that is critical to your messaging. And place this relevant information on the top pages of your website.

Then take the nice to know information and place it on secondary pages. Links should be clearly labeled and point to this supporting information.

This nice to know/ need to know strategy complements the inverted pyramid organization, which is the best way to present information on your website.

By neatly providing visitors the relevant material first and support material second, you provide an intuitive information flow. That leads to satisfied visitors and completed tasks.