To write persuasive web copy, copywriters need to think like customers. It makes it easier to figure out what benefits and features the targeted audience cares about, and build key messages to motivate them to take desired actions.

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One of the most important steps to take before speaking to your customers through your web copy is learning what they want, and what opinions they have about you and your competition.

But what if you don’t have the budget to pay for expensive research data or conduct focus groups?  Targeted market surveys can cost up to $10,000 to reach a sample of just 1,000 people.

The advent of social media over the past decade has resulted in more and more people voluntarily sharing the valuable information market researchers pay for on sites like Facebook and Twitter. eMarketer predicts that the number of Twitter users alone will skyrocket this year to over 18 million, and March 4, 2010 marked the 10 billionth Twitter status update.  That’s 10 billion times people have posted information online for all to see about what they are doing, thinking, and buying.

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Good web copy layers details via links to help visitors easily access information relevant to their needs.

Links help visitors scan pages. Properly developed links stand out from normal text, and provide strong cues as to what the page is about.

When naming links, the more specific, the more useful. Don’t just give visitors a hint — give them the necessary information they require to act, right then and there.

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Business owners frequently ask our web content writers, “How long should a web page be?” The answer is, it depends.

Short web pages allow the majority of material to be above the fold, allowing website visitors to click on relevant links to drill down for additional details.

Long web pages provide a steady flow of information, eliminating the need for website visitors to click links.

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English novelist and journalist George Orwell, one of the finer writers in the English language through such novels as 1984 and Animal Farm, was passionate about good writing. Hence, copywriters — for both print and websites — can learn a lot from him.

Reportedly, in every sentence he wrote, he asked himself at least four questions:

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

Plus, he had fundamental rules for effective writing, which decades later, still apply:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech, which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never us a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Since 80% of people scan web copy, versus reading word for word, copywriters need to start with the most important information.

Present unnecessary web copy in the form of filler or cute intros and you risk promoting high bounce rates, where visitors leave a website without going to a second page.

The sad thing is the desired information might be elsewhere on the page. But if it’s hard to find, visitors won’t hesitate to click the back button and check out the competition.

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Egotistical copywriters and business owners alike tend to get in the way of getting key points across to website visitors. They churn out verbiage that doesn’t resonate with audiences.

Self-Centered Copywriters

These copywriters write for themselves. They write to impress, mainly themselves and their peers. These copywriters use four-syllable terms when a simple word would get the point across more quickly and effectively.

Is simple web copy stupid? Definitely not. There’s a vast difference between communicating simply and communicating poorly.

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Your web copy needs to define who you are and what you sell, catering specifically to your market’s needs. Plus, your web copy requires a clear voice that expresses the value of the relationship you’re seeking.

To build your brand with web copy, it needs to take into account:

• Existing perceptions of your products, services and company
• The actual position you currently occupy on these fronts

Recognize the gaps between the two points, and how they measure up to where you want to be. Then can you can tackle the differences.

To learn how web copy can foster a relationship between your brand and your audience, check out: Building your online brand with words.

Having critiqued several poorly written websites recently, it’s amazing how many copywriters continually fail to emphasize benefits. Benefits engage. They get people to act. Meanwhile, copywriters remain prone to pushing features.

As part of the web copywriting process, copywriters should list all the features of the company and its products or services, and then take the time to revert them into benefits for the customer.

A simple method that our website copywriters employ: look at each feature and ask yourself, “So what?”

Copywriters need to put themselves into the customers’ shoes. Why should I care about this feature? What will it do for me?

Don’t just state your product is durable (a feature). Explain to visitors it will last twice as long and keep them safe (benefits).

For more on web copywriting, check out: Web Writing: The Good, Bad and Ugly.

Adding a blog to your website is a simple and affordable way to enhance your online marketing efforts. By following a few guidelines, you can create a blog that helps strengthen your connection with both current and potential clients, while improving your search engine rankings.

Add personality to your brand. A regularly updated blog introduces your website visitors to the real people behind your business. Since blogs are often written in a casual, conversational style, you can let your personality shine through. Don’t be afraid to express your professional opinion on new developments in your industry, offer useful tips, or share something entertaining in your blog posts.

Demonstrate your knowledge. Blogging can also help you establish yourself as a source for information on current developments in your industry. If your blog content is relevant and well researched, your visitors will view you as an authority and keep coming back for more. They might even share links to your blog with their social networks, increasing your visibility among potential clients.

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