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Have you been putting off making needed changes to your website copy? Not sure what will make the most impact? Need some detailed feedback?
Of course, you know that your website forms an essential part of your organization's marketing. It needs to deliver compelling content that your readers eagerly engage with. The words and pictures have to jump off the screen and meet your readers where they are. But actually cranking out that copy can sometimes be a challenge.
This webinar offers plenty of tips and techniques to make sure your content is web reader-friendly, while it stresses your community impact.
13. Outline
•
Why is web copywriting so important?
3 keys to planning
Today’s web users
Usability & accessibility
Intro to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Site reviews
Q&A
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14. Content’s Importance
Explains:
1. What your org is about
2. Who the website is for
3. Why they should care/get involved with you
INTRO Key
strategies
techniques Person-to-
person
emotions
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15. PLANNING KEY #1:
Focus on Your Brand
What your org/company stands for
What you want to be known for
Your identity/personality
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16. Your Uniqueness
So powerful that it gets noticed and gets people
talking about you
Under-served clients/customers, location, etc.
Innovative way to address stubborn problem
Fill a gap in your community
Outstanding credentials or experience
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17. TYPE IN:
When someone hears about your org, what’s
one UNIQUE fact or feeling you want them to
associate with you?
Storiestechniques Person-to-
person
emotionsintro
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18. PLANNING KEY #2:
Identify Your Specific Users
& Their Distinct Needs
Newbies
Experienced folks
Donors
Clients/Members
Volunteers
Media
Colleagues
Researchers
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19. Web readers
Short attention spans (2-3 sec)
Read slower than on paper
Need to know content is relevant to them before
they read it
Scan: Usually the first 2 paragraphs, headlines,
bold characters, end
Will share your content if it’s good
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20. Put the viewer in the spotlight
Show how you can help them
be part of the solution
Encourage their trust
Keep them connected to you
Steer them to relevant resources/info
Inspire them with success
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21. Can they trust you?
Who’s already on board? (endorsements)
Mentions in the press
Excellence ratings: CharityNavigator, BBB,
greatnonprofits.org
Transparent about everything
22. Data You Need to Gather
• Their values
• Their problems
• Their goals
• What they already know/believe
(including any misconceptions)
Stories
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23. PLANNING KEY #3:
Emphasize Benefits More
Than Features
Feature: Component or characteristic of what you offer:
product/service
Benefit: How the features improve the lives of your clients
and community: satisfy their needs and desires
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24. Storiestechniques Person-to-
person
emotions
Benefits Answer These Questions
What does your work mean for the
clients/community?
For each feature you offer, ask, “So
What?” “Who cares?” How does that
offering result in something better for
the clients and community?
“What’s in it for me AND US?”
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25. Stories
techniques
Person-to-
person
emotionsintroExample: Homeless Shelter
FEATURES: You offer homeless families a soup
kitchen, warm beds, restrooms, child care, long-term
job and housing services
BENEFITS: (your impact)
Higher level of nutrition and stability
Higher level of employment
Fewer families living in cars or on streets
Less desperation, often leading to crime, drug
abuse, etc.
The sense of being a community that cares for
everyone
26. Storiestechniques Person-to-
person
emotionsintro
Example: Slow Food USA
Slow Food USA reconnects Americans with the
people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils, and
waters that produce our food. We seek to inspire a
transformation in food policy, production practices, and
market forces.
So what?
…so that together, we can ensure equity, sustainability
and pleasure in the food we eat.
27. TYPE IN:
What is your “So what”? (it might be different for
different reader segments)
What is the ultimate outcome/result/benefit
your community gets from your program?
Storiestechniques Person-to-
person
emotionsintro
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30. Go from “WE” to “YOU”
EXAMPLE
Original: We want to bring native plants back to our
community. But we need your help!
Suggested revision: You can help improve our city’s
environment! Plant and save native plants. They
bring many benefits to our community and help
avoid eco-trouble down the line.
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31. EXAMPLE: IMAGINE…
“Imagine what it would be like to walk at a pace you
really enjoy because you don't have to count steps or
worry about what's in front of you. To have the freedom
to think your thoughts, or carry on an engrossing
conversation as you walk with a friend.
And now, just imagine the joy of companionship, of
feeling the comfort of having a trusted canine by your
side—a beautiful animal that wins the admiration even of
complete strangers. What a conversational icebreaker—
what a friend-maker!”
(www.guidedogs.com)
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32. On this heat map: red and yellow
show where users spent the most
time
So put your most critical info in
the upper left-hand corner and at
the left column
1st 2 words of a sentence or
paragraph: most seen
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33. LEAD WITH MOST IMPORTANT
INFO: FIRST 56 WORDS
Inverted pyramid: Conclusion first, then
supporting facts, then further details
Summarize the main point:
who, what, when, where, why
(the big benefits to gain, or problems solved)
Tell what the page is about and why they should
read it (2-4 lines)
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34. “CHUNK” YOUR INFO
• Use easy-to-understand categories
Use subheads as if they are the only things your
reader sees
Got a list of 3 or more items? Number or bullet it
Can you find a juicy pull-quote to feature?
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35. FOCUS ON YOUR HEADLINES
Use a few words to tell the essence of the story
Should include keywords for SEO
Use present tense if possible
Often all people see on their mobile; must be
accurate, predictable out of context
Should say: “Stop! This message concerns you!”
Speak directly to your intended readers’ concerns
Tie to main graphic
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36. MORE ON KEYWORDS
Use 2-3 times: short page. More for longer
ones
Call them out with bold, italics, links, etc.
• Place them naturally and strategically (not
awkwardly)
• Use at least once prominently near top of page
• Should be for the different users (e.g., newbies
vs. experts)
• Good for keyword research: Google or
wordtracker.com
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37. Conversational: use the second person (“you” and
“your”)
Can include sentence fragments, begin with a
conjunction (and, but, so)
Sound like a savvy best friend: smart without
being intimidating
Easy to understand (clear instead of clever)
IDEAL “SOUND” ONLINE
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38. Your personal point of view adds juice to your
reader’s experience. Let it shine through:
Transcribe what you would say to a respected
friend
Act the host giving a tour of the best parts of your
“home”
YOUR WRITER’S VOICE
(ESP. BLOGS)
39. Use Links Strategically
Send the reader to important background or related
material
Explain unusual or technical terms
Emphasize important info (repeat in strategic spots
to follow reader’s train of thought)
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40. Use Links Strategically
Include a brief description (a few words) of what
reader will find there:
Vague link: “More info” or “Click here”
Informative link: Learn more about the latest
report on climate change
Informative link: “List of foods high in calcium”
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41. Issue Calls To Action
Include all the details they need
Easy ways to interact with you
Special offer or deadline
Reminder of the benefits they will enjoy if
they act now
Encourage comments: “Use the comments
section below to share your experiences!”
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42. Storiestechniques Person-to-
person
emotionsOther SEO Tips
42
Write a page description (160 characters): “snippet”
displayed by search engines
Higher search engine rankings:
• Useful (people stay once they arrive)
• Fulfilling (get what they expected)
• Shared, bookmarked
• Engage readers
• Linked to related sites
Regularly update text and earn new links
43. Editing
“The beautiful part of writing is that you
don't have to get it right the first time,
unlike, say, a brain surgeon."
—Robert Cormier
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44. Cultivate Conciseness:
Less is More
KISSS: Keep It Short, Simple & Scannable
Tell how to act right away — and why
Sentences: 10-14 words
It’s all about the soundbites (tweet-worthy)
1-3 screens
Search engines like 250-300 words min.
(users spend about 4 seconds for every extra 100 words)
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45. edit Wrap-upWeb copy
Proofread!
• Check and Re-check your
content for grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and
other slip-ups
• Always read your piece out
loud (even if it’s only to
yourself); most people hear
words as they read them and
your words should roll off the
tongue
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46. show Appeal
letters
Grant
proposals
openings endingsstories
Complement With Graphics
Not just a cherry on top
(integrated)
Photos: action shots of clients, stakeholders
accomplishing/benefiting from your mission (pple)
Captions (“micro-copy”): summarize, ID left to right,
contain keywords, present tense vivid verbs
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47. START A “SWIPE” FILE
Bookmark what you like, but also jot down
notes about why you like them
Use it to feed your internal idea factory
You can also collect poor content and use it as
reminder of what to avoid
DOWNLOAD YOUR STARTER!
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54. 54
SPECIAL
DISCOUNT FOR
FIRST 5 SIGNUPS:
$47 Website
Reviews
• I’ll review your site for only $47 (regularly $87)
• Reserve NOW even if you plan to implement
what you learned today
We will be using the ReadyTalk platform for our meeting today. Please use the chat in the lower left corner to send questions and comments to the presenters. We will be tracking your questions throughout the webinar, and will answer them at the designated Q&A section at the end. All of your chat comments will only come to the presenters, but if you have comments or ideas to share we will forward them back out with the entire group. You do not need to raise your hand to ask a question, simply type it into the chat box.
Should you get disconnected during the webinar, you can reconnect using the same link in your confirmation email.
You should be hearing the conference audio through your computer speakers, but if your audio connection is unclear you can dial in using the phone number in your confirmation email. If you are having technical issues, please send us a chat message and we will try to assist you.
TechSoup doesn’t just help NGOs overcome barriers to effective use of technology. We also help NGOs overcome language, economic, geographic, cultural, knowledge, and access barriers.
We create new ways to access technology, new paths to connect and network, and new means to learn and develop skills — all so that NGOs can operate at their full potential, more effectively deliver their programs and services, and better achieve their missions.
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Based on book, with added focus on website content
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Not just a brochure, but an opportunity to engage your reader on many levels
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Make sure each page reflects that
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In good company
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- anyone here run a homeless shelter?
- can you add to that list of benefits?
GOOD PLACE TO START: YOUR MISSION STATEMENT
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Example of asking your reader to imagine him or herself in the story…
how does it make you feel? – different for different audiences
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your readers are likely to share them/relate to your personal experiences
This is part of your personal story as it relates to your org.
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-Reading aloud helps catch errors, awkward phrases
-one client: catches lots of missing words, typos, - she is a talker, not a writer
Cognitive psychologists: we fill in missing letters/words that we meant to include; skim over common words; repeated words/letters succumb to “repetition blindness”
See p. 301
-more than a simple cherry on top – well-integrated; make your text more credible and memorable
Pictures must go with text- for attention, memory, recall and believability. Retention jumps several times when pictures are added to text. Test the images.
-explain a concept or help tell your story in a way that words alone cannot.
-Ask your partners for high-res photos – literally see things thru their eyes
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SUCCESS STORies/ case studies FEATURED
Nice info-graphic- easy to understand/simple.
Feel free to use infographics