The Internet provides a lot of web content. It’s unlimited. And that’s a problem.

Sure, as a business, the Web extends your reach to millions of prospects around the globe. But it’s also the case with your competition. They’re always just a click or two away. It’s true in almost every market.

Faced with infinite choices, consumers are often inclined to jump on the cheapest or the biggest.

Still, your business can get a share of the action. But you need to clearly define your unique selling proposition (USP) — the distinct advantage or benefit that sets your business apart from the competition.

Identify what your business does to provide customers superior results and value. Talk about your quality, service, speed, experience, prices, customer service or selection — and convey what it means to your online visitors.

Unique business offerings drive customer demand — even on the information-inundated Web.

To clients and students alike, I always preach “less is more” on the Web. It applies to web design, web copywriting and even programming.

So I was fascinated to find an applicable quote from French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint Exupery. While reflecting on the development of airplanes some decades ago, he wrote:

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

So true. It reminds me of another relevant quote from Thomas Jefferson: “Had I but more time, I would have written less.” Actually, Mark Twain wrote something similar: “If I had more time I would have written less.”

The common premise is web designers and web copywriters must take extra time and effort to scrap any useless elements, from extra colours to extra syllables.

Good web content isn’t about flashy graphics and fancy words. It’s about communicating key messages and getting tasks completed.

A common pitfall for web writers and journalists alike is it’s easy to get caught up in too many details.

Writers must step back regularly and ask: “What’s important and interesting to the readers?”

If you’re writing web content and feel you’re losing direction, chances are you’re missing the integral story. You might be saying too much. And if you say too many things, you’ll lose your audience on the fast-paced Web.

Well-versed web writers recognize the need to prioritize. There’s one shot at the headline, lead sentence and body. Don’t miss the mark.

We recently posted an article entitled Website testimonials: Weapons of influence. It encourages website owners to use customer testimonials to boost credibility and sales, referring to author Robert Cialdini’s insightful social psychology book called Influence: Science and Practice.

While website testimonials are a powerful way to earn a prospect’s trust, they also foster commitment from those providing the testimonials. How? Well, when people put their commitments on paper – or the far-reaching Web – they attempt to live up to their words.

“Whenever one takes a stand that is visible to others, there arises a drive to maintain that stand in order to look like a consistent person,” noted Cialdini. Why? Because, he explained, personal consistency is viewed as rational, assured, trustworthy and sound.

Look at Barack Obama’s presidential campaign; he went with the theme “change” and stuck with it right through to his election to the Whitehouse. Someone without consistency is often judged as fickle, uncertain, scatterbrained or volatile. John McCain started with “experience” and switched to “change” mid-campaign.

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Testimonials are critical to any website that’s marketing or selling products or services.

They provide “social proof,” suggests author Robert Cialdini in his insightful social psychology book called Influence: Science and Practice. This principle states we determine what’s correct by finding out what other people think is correct.

It extends from the hectic pace of a complex society, where consumers are often forced to make decisions based on limited information. Add to this the hyper velocity of the Web, and you can begin to understand how people tend to automatically comply with the masses.

“As a rule, we make fewer mistakes by acting in accord with social evidence than by acting contrary to it,” stated Cialdini. “Usually, when a lot of people are doing something, it is the right thing to do.” Safety in numbers! It’s a convenient ‘shortcut’, requiring little time and thought, in exchange for plenty of comfort.

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While discussing online promotions recently at a web design firm, a programmer brought up a black hat SEO technique he was excited about. I acknowledged black hat SEO tactics can generate high search engine rankings, but often not for long. Worse, it can get clients penalized and knocked off search engines all together. For any reputable web design or development firm, it’s just not worth the risk.

Web design firms need to advise clients that proper white hat SEO can provide cost-effective, long-term organic (a.k.a. natural) search engine rankings. It might take a few extra weeks to get to the desired position on Google, Yahoo or Bing, but the methods are risk-free and the results can last for years.

It’s best not to trick search engine spiders, but to make it easy for them to understand what your website is about. Keyword-rich web copy, meta data and links can do exactly that.

Feed search engine spiders relevant information and they’ll reward you many times over.

Many organizations are jumping on the green bandwagon, and consumers are witnessing vast claims of environmental benefits or greater sustainability.

However, as superficial claims continue to be exposed, consumers are distrustful of the credibility and honesty of green marketing messages — on and off the Web.

To overcome this lack of trust and avoid the greenwashing accusations, Forrester’s Cindy Commander suggests marketers need to ensure their green strategies adhere to the seven Es of green marketing:

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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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Despite recent economic woes, Forrester Research reports online retail sales are projected to grow 17 per cent in 2008 and surpass the $200 billion mark.

What is more, reports Principal Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, the bulk of online retail sales are driven by tenured Gen Xers and Boomers, a cross-section of the web buyer population that values the convenience of the online channel and is actively spending more on the Web.

She noted: “These folks are less price-sensitive, disproving the theory that online shopping inevitably leads to brand-disloyal shoppers.”

Gen Xers account for 34% of all online shoppers, while Boomers represent 38%.

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.