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You have one chance to reach your website visitors, and they will not return to your site unless you make it well worth their while. Keep this in the front your mind.
Unless you convincingly encourage, ask or force them to, your visitors will not buy from you, make a donation, vote for you, nor do anything else you want them to do.
Most websites are just plain boring. They focus on the owner's products or services... their credentials and features.
Writing for the web is different from all other types of writing. Many sites are a turn-off to visitors and don't make money because most website owners don't understand one very important thing...
DO NOT put your print copy online
Many potential clients tell me that their site copy is all written, then they email or fax over their printed marketing materials.
Not once has a client's print copy been usable as is on their website—never—not one single time.
It's often a good starting place for writing effective web copy, but it's typically only a starting point. Why, you ask?
Start from the reader's perspective when writing web copy:
- what is the visitor looking for?
- why is she here?
- how can her visit be as quick and positive as possible?
To write effectively for your website, you must remember these three facts about Internet users:
- People typically spend very little time reading most web pages. This one of the very few well-documented facts about Internet usage.
- Visitors don't choose the best option, they choose the first reasonable option. As soon as they find a link that may lead to what we're looking for, they'll most likely click it.
- Visitors don't take time to read instructions—they just storm ahead and stumble through. And fact is, much of the time they get things done that way.
So your web copy should lead your visitors where you want them to go... in easy to read, simple English because...
It's all about your visitors—not you. Remember that when you're writing copy for your site.
Because when your copywriting gets their attention, captures their interest and ignites their desire... the odds are very good that they will take the action you guide them to.
Then it becomes all about you achieving your online goals and making more money from your website.
Get lots of visitors to your site.
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