More than 63% of Internet users indicated in a recent Webcopyplus poll the written word is their choice of communications on the Web.

However, according to psychologist, educator and neurolinguistics expert Dr. Genie Z. Laborde, only 20% of people are primarily auditory, meaning they gather and process information most effectively via written text and the spoken word.

Dr. Laborde notes 40% of people are strongly visual, and 40% are kinesthetically dominant when it comes to learning.

So while the majority of people indicated they prefer accessing information on the Web through web writing, it’s in website owners’ best interest to support and augment web copy with other communication forms to connect with a higher percentage of people.

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Good web writers know more words do not create additional impact.

When it comes to web writing, you should remove any words or messages that have no value for your target audience.

Review your web writing and cut it down to what’s truly essential. Self-aggrandizing messages, for instance, aren’t useful. They add dead words with little or no value. They get in the way, making it harder for visitors to find what they’re looking for — benefits.

Here’s an example from a resume consultant’s website: “We are committed to customer service and believe we provide the highest standards of customer service in the CV writing industry.”

Does it make a strong point that makes a mark with the prospect? Probably not. Any CV consultant can state that, and many likely do. It’s vague, ineffective and should be removed from the site. No one would miss it, except possibly the employees who wrote and approved it.

Good web writers know less is more.

As Web 2.0 matures, the line between marketing and customer service is beginning to blur.

Service mishaps and product breakdowns can no longer be swept under the rug. That’s because more than 70% of US and Canadian consumers use the Internet (InternetWorldStats) and can share their experiences with the world.

“The social revolution is forcing companies to evolve and redesign any and all strategies that include existing or potential customers and stakeholders,” said Brian Solis, Founder of FutureWorks and blogger at PR 2.0. “And,” he added, “many don’t even know it yet.”

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Pretty designs and flowery words don’t provide your visitors value. Relevant website content does.

What’s relevant? It’s whatever your target market deems relevant.

For instance, a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section that provides practical insight into your target market’s common concerns could be regarded the most valuable part of your website. Alternatively, an aggressive pitch for a product your visitor has no use for is a complete waste of time — for all parties involved.

Here are some essentials to deliver useful website content:

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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.

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.