Category: Writing

Original prose and poetry

The Future of Writing And Editing

                                           The Future of Writing And Editing
                                                          by Erin French

Communication Is A Timeless Skill

 Here are some opinions and perspectives from a variety of professional sources on just how important written communication is today…perhaps more important than ever precisely because we are in the digital age! Read More

Categories: Writing

Seven Quick Tips for Web Copywriters

The Web

 

 

Seven Quick Tips for Web Copywriters

Seven Quick Tips for Web Copywriters

Writers: get into” the Zone.”

1) Get into the zone. I had lots of trouble in college when it came to writing term papers. I actually stayed up all night once to write a three page paper! Finally I realized that you can’t agonize over each word. Focus your mind on your topic, block out those stray thoughts and let your writing flow. To use an analogy, most baseball games are won on singles and doubles – not home runs! Otherwise you may end up like the proverbial centipede who couldn’t move because it was too busy being aware of its legs.

2) Perspective, perspective, perspective…there is always some leeway of expression, even if you’re constrained to presenting a certain set of facts. Find the right opening sentence. That helps immensely.

Seven Quick Tips for Web Copywriters

3) Perfectionism doesn’t work. Don’t be a perfectionist. Go ahead and write the article without aiming for absolute perfection. Give yourself a time limit. Time permitting, write your first draft and then leave it alone for as long as possible. Then go back and go at it with a chainsaw, editorially speaking. At that point you don’t want to be shy about deleting. An excess of words is one of the most common flaws of nonfiction.

Think while you write

4) Think with your keyboard! Think while you write, not vice versa. This may be the key to it all. Your mind has a mind of its own, and it will be happily catalyzed your keystrokes if you’ll allow it to be. Getting into the zone works! Save your micromanagement for the last step, when you can go back and proofread your draft with the utmost attention to detail.
You can write both fast and well

5.) We’re in the Age of the Internet. You don’t have to forget about the quality content you are used to creating. Just streamline the packaging. That way you can enjoy a steady output of well written prose! In web copywriting, bullet-sized chunks of information work better than complex sentences.

Practice writing within severe time limits.

6.) Practice makes perfect. Practice writing within severe time limits. Pretend you’re speed dating or playing chess by the clock.This article was written with one eye on the clock. Admittedly, I am interested in the topic of writing and have already written a few articles about it. If you’re writing about a topic which is new to you,it is especially helpful to make an outline first.

7.) Outlines help. For your average (300-500 words) article, list four or five main points before you begin to write. This will help you to organize your thoughts.

Good Web Copy Writing

Good Web Copywriting

Good Web copy writing

Good web copy writing has its own requirements. Take it from someone who has a lot of respect for the art of writing – all genres included.

Good Web Copy Writing

After finally reaching the point where I’d actually received a few compliments on my prose, I realized that I would have to relearn much of what I thought I knew in order to meet the requirements of good web writing. After many unanswered applications (for web writing jobs) later and a class in search engine marketing, I finally felt that I was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel re the distinctive demands of this venue we call the internet.

Get to the point

Web readers read differently than book readers. This is not to suggest that the content should be watered down and superficial. It simply means that your web copy should move the reader along with a minimum of confusion. E-commerce users in particular are on your site to buy or to get ready to buy, so be prepared to”de-confuse” them by creating content that is clear and unambiguous.

Did you know that web users are much more likely to scan the text than to actually read it in traditional linear fashion (the way they would read a printed page)? Moreover, they are much more likely to “bounce” or abandon your page and your site than they would with a printed version. To prevent this from happening, keep in mind what any good writer would regardless of venue.

Granularity…or this isn’t your father’s prose

First of all, don’t forget that a short word is often as good as a long one, Also keep in mind that a no-nonsense presentation of facts and features about your product will work better than flowery and overdone prose. For those who want to explore your product or service in detail you can provide a link to an in-depth treatment of your subject matter. In addition, avoid great big paragraphs. Instead, use “bite sized” chunks of information, as an authority on web writing so wisely put it. Bulleted entries that consist of short and engaging statements are essential to web writing.

It’s time for a note of caution here re style and vocabulary. Although“short and sweet” is often the way to go in web copy writing, there are some exceptional cases in which good old fashioned prose may also be appropriate. Good examples of this are often found in academic sites or informational ones that appeal to a specific profession. Unless your viewer has already been “signed, sealed, and delivered” and shown (an example of this is someone who signs up for emailed delivery of a scholarly pdf)  that he or she very much wants to explore any given  topic to his or her heart’s content, long and complex prose may be suitable for the printed word but often not for the web

Relevance, relevance and more relevance

Make your site into a clearinghouse / mega emporium. If you are there to sell your products, promote your services and/or to gain new customers for future sales, then your focus must be just that…commerce! Describe your products and services in a matter of fact way. Be sure to emphasize your unique selling points and how they are relevant to your prospects’/site visitors’ needs and search terms. Remember that nothing says I value your business like “free.” Free content works well on the web. Do you want to turn your site into an effective means of acquiring new customers for your business? Then give them some free information! For this you will want a blog; something that will keep them coming back to your web site for more information and compelling content. Many of your visitors will be happy to sign up for your “opt-in” list in order to avail themselves of any future articles of interest you might post to your site. By doing so you gain a number of well qualified leads for your next email campaign as well as repeat visitors who may eventually become paying customers.

This core group of loyal readers who are interested in the topics you discuss on your site can help to turn your site into an authority site to which other sites will want to link. This counts for a lot when it comes to boosting your search rankings.

Good web copy writing…to sum up

This new world of the internet is changing everything as we speak, and one of those things is the written language. Compared to readers of good old-fashioned print, many web readers are virtually ‘ADD” and will leave your site unless immediately given a good reason to stay. You can help to ensure that they won’t abandon your post by providing  clear and easy-to-read prose, free content that is relevant to their needs and a healthy respect for their time!

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