Writing content for a website is subtly different from writing for other media. We've pulled together these top tips to help you understand the best approach. Remember that writing is an iterative process. The beauty of a website with a content management system is that you can change the content at any time.
Be brief
Readers are really impatient on the web. Research shows that you have 10 seconds to grab a reader's attention. If you manage this, your average reader will spend only 55 seconds reading your content. Make sure you express yourself succinctly and focus on the most important points.
Structure your text in a web friendly way
People scan websites; they don't read them. Be wary of long blocks of text. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. If appropriate, use bullet points to list information, with a maximum of 7 items. Highlight important text. If you've got a lot of text, divide the information into chunks and give each a subheading to help people understand your content and where to look.
Use a personal tone
Write the way you would describe your business to a friend. Research has shown that people like to get a feel for an organisation or company from its website. There's no need to be too 'corporate'. Use real words that real people use! It's good to have an 'About Us' page that talks about who you are, what you do and why you do it. This is your opportunity to build your credibility.
Put most important point first
Few people will read all your text. So, order your content using the inverted pyramid model: start with your conclusion, continue with the most important information and conclude with the details. This is similar to a newspaper article. At any point, a reader can stop reading and still have the level of information that interests him.
Target your expected visitors
Remember that most new visitors will come to you through a search engine search. This means that they are already looking for something that is relevant to you. It's therefore not necessary to persuade them of the importance of your offering. If you're expecting lots of repeat visits from existing customers, make sure that your content is tailored to them.
Make standalone pages
A visitor's entry point to your site may not be your home page. They may come through to another page that is specifically relevant to their search. As an example for our site, someone who searches for e-commerce will probably come straight through to the e-commerce page. This page must therefore stand on its own and give the visitor all of the relevant information.
Navigate the site easily
Make it easy for visitors to go straight to the information they want. Most pages don't actually contain the information that a visitor wants, but they help the visitor find the right page. Make sure your pages help your visitor to decide where they want to go. If you want your visitor to take some action, e.g. contacting you or signing up for your newsletter, make sure it's obvious what they should do.
Write strong headings
A heading must grab a visitor's attention. It should only be about 5 words long and, in that short space, needs to communicate your message. All of your pages need a strong heading that makes it immediately obvious whether this is a page of interest to the viewer. Once you've written your heading, re-read and ask yourself why this is important?
Match your content to your objective
If your content functions as a signpost to somewhere else, strip it down to short descriptions and links, so that a user can move fast to the relevant information. If your content functions as a sale pitch, it must talk to your visitor and motivate him to move to the next phase of the buying process.
Sell persuasively
The hard sell doesn't seem to work on the web. You need to be persuasive instead. Write about benefits not features, e.g. instead of 'Our duvets are warm and comfortable' write 'You'll be warm and comfortable in one of our duvets'. If you're selling a service, use words that make it tangible and look for vivid descriptive words. Consider your visitor's objections to buying. Do you address these?
Address concerns upfront
Build a picture of your reader - does your content speak to them? What is most important to your reader? What are their concerns? Imagine the questions your reader might want to ask. Make sure that your content answers these questions in the first paragraph.
Encourage action
Make sure that as well as a strong start, your content has a strong finish that makes a visitor want to take some action. Make it clear what you want your visitor to do next and how to do it. If you're not doing e-commerce, need to tell visitor how to register an interest. Research shows that many potential customers are lost just before they buy. Is there anything that you can do to encourage these people to contact you? For tools to help you put this top tips into practice, please contact us for the full guide.
