EDINBURGH, UK -- There are a few common mistakes which people make when writing for the web. These can come about through cutting corners or failing to understand how people read online.
To make sure your web copywriting is effective, you need to know the differences between the ways people read on paper and on the monitor.
When reading online, people are more likely to:
• Skim read.
• Jump between pages.
• Ignore text that is lower down the page.
You should also remember that reading on the screen is more difficult than on print, and can strain the eyes. This will have some effect on the way you carry out web copywriting.
Sentences should be kept short. Paragraphs should also be kept to about one or two lines.
Breaking the text up with bullet points makes it easier to read and conveys important information quickly.
But the most important thing you should remember is this: if you outsource web copywriting, don't do it on the cheap.
This can result in unusable copy that could damage your businesses reputation. One example of an article I read online began: "This textual corpus covers the topics that some people who deal with the theme handle every day."
It's safe to say this wasn't written by a professional copywriter, or by a writer who uses English as their first language.
Either way, no one will take your business seriously if you introduce articles like that. So, always remember - don't call a press release a "textual corpus".
Another common mistake when writing for the web is assuming that readers arrive at your home page, and work their way through each page as if it was a book.
This simply doesn't happen. People click back and forth between pages when they are online, following the links that interest them most.
You should also remember that you are writing for search engine spiders as well as the reader, although the reader comes first. After all, it isn't the spiders that buy your products.
To engage with the reader, you should make sure your copy:
• Talks directly to your audience.
• Includes active sentences.
• Gives the most important information early.
• Tries to anticipate any questions and answer them.
Also, and I can't stress this enough, don't call a press release a "textual corpus".
To ensure that you don't suffer from these mistakes, always be ready from those that get web copywriting right, as well as the people that get it very wrong.
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