Content with your content - Copywriting for websites

Slide 1: CONTENT WITH YOUR CONTENT © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008 Copywriting for websites

Slide 2: the website medium 2  Guess what ever viewer of your website is thinking?  WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME!  What has that got to do with copywriting for your website?  EVERYTHING! © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 3: the website medium 3  Users have more choice and access to more information than they can possibly digest.  You have 5 – 10 seconds to capture a viewer entering your website.  If your site does not engage the viewer and communicate well, they click away … forever. © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 4: the website medium 4  Copywriting for websites is unlike writing for other mediums.  Websites don’t get read end-to-end or necessarily in sequence.  Site owners don’t determine at what point viewers enter and exit their site.  What about the audience? © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 5: website audiences 5  The two biggest influences on user behaviour?  TIME  EFFORT  Most are time poor … the want an answer and they want it now. © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 6: website audiences 6  Screens take 20-25% longer to read from. Users don’t approach them in the same way as printed media.  Like newspapers, not much gets read beyond the second paragraph.  Most users:  scan the screen for keywords and read pockets of content. So keywords are important for your audience as well as for search engines.  avoid moving the screen to view additional content. Scrolling is a disincentive so word count is important.  How do we approach copywriting for websites then?

Slide 7: web copy secrets 7  Inverted triangle  Use journalistic style  Get key points across high on the page  Add detail later © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 8: web copy secrets 8  Short form text  Write ‘punchy’ copy with few filler words  Short sentences work best © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 9: web copy secrets 9  Chunking  Acres of text is a real turn-off  Break down copy into more easily managed chunks © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 10: web copy secrets 10  Headings  Titles give readers an idea of what the paragraph contains  Good copywriting gives the reader an overview just by the headlines © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 11: web copy secrets 11  Bullets  Make your points clearly with bullets  4 or 5 at once is plenty © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 12: web copy secrets 12  Links  Viewers won’t browse your website in a given order  Cross-reference throughout and add links © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008

Slide 13: Anne Macindoe is a freelance copywriter based in Melbourne. She has authored page 1 ranking website content and also writes advertising, brochures, articles, newsletters press releases and so on. Email Anne at mail@cluey.com.au for quality copywriting to raise your profile, increase sales and focus your message or phone direct on 0414 920792. © Copyright Cluey Consulting 2008